The Number One Vacation Hack If You Have Kids

If you've got kids, vacations are likely different for you these days. Where you and your partner once lounged on the best beaches on the Amalfi Coast, now you're visiting Disneyland or looking for vacation cities with the most playgrounds. Vacation planning is now more about making sure there are nearby bathrooms, packing snacks and other travel supplies in little Ziploc bags, and ensuring you (or another adult) are with the kids at all times. Watching your progeny learn about the world beyond their door is wonderful, but it can also be pretty stressful to travel with kids. (Here are some easy tips and tricks for making traveling with kids a more stress-free experience.) There is a travel hack that might help you that was recently posted on Instagram by @uniladadventure, which suggests traveling with grandparents so they can help out.

The post has been getting some pretty snarky comments about how the real travel hack is not having kids in the first place, or how grandparents aren't free babysitters, which, of course, they are not required to be. That said, if you actually watch the video, it's more of a tongue-in-cheek sort of post, with the grandfather giving the parents a smiling ... ahem, finger gesture. Later in the video, both grandparents jokingly splash the parents, who are relaxing away on lounge chairs. It's also got "#funny" tagged in the post. Whether you think the post is hilarious or you're upset by the assumption it seems to make, a full family vacation can actually be a lovely experience. 

It's pretty easy to see that this post about traveling with grandparents is supposed to be funny. That said, it's a good idea to actually make sure they want to help watch the kids while on vacation. Even if the grandparents are up for watching the kids, there are ways to avoid saddling them with the littles and heading out for cocktails all night long. As you plan, build in activities that allow an even split in babysitting time. For instance, you as parents can be the main caregivers on the plane or during the day, while the grandparents keep an eye on the kids in the evening so you can have a dinner date. (Choose another night for their dinner date.) Pick a place that has activities for all ages, and split up who is taking the kids to each one. If you're traveling with one grandparent, maybe have them watch the kids while you visit the spa for a few hours, and then pick activities for all of you to do together after. 

One thing to keep in mind is the health of your parents. Are they hale and hearty, and willing to spend a few hours playing at a park with the kids? Would they be awake enough for evening babysitting while you're out? To help with their energy level, you can ask what they'd like to do during the day at a slower pace, like a museum or a performance where you're all sitting down. Most importantly, keep their health in mind and keep your plans flexible — meaning that, if they're tired one day, shuffle things around or take over childcare for a while.