On Monday, I shared some valuable family vacation money lessons you can weave into your next trip together. I’m a huge proponent of finding teachable money moments to help avoid the dreaded money lectures that neither you or your kids enjoy. From personal experience, I know vacations offer plenty of learning opportunities for both parents and kids.
To tie everything together, I asked Tanya to create a fun infographic. Travel is a core family value in our home, so we treat it accordingly and willingly (and happily) save for our vacations. It’s important you figure out where family vacations rank amongst your priorities, so you budget appropriately and make mindful choices.
We often talk about budgeting and saving for vacations because those are two important ingredients to planning a successful family vacation. But I also want to quickly touch upon another area of great importance — safety. And yes, keeping your family and your home safe is relevant to personal finance because not doing so will have both an emotional and financial impact.
These days everyone seems to be on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and various other social media outlets. We love to share, especially photos and highlights from our vacation. What you need to decide before you leave home is the following:
Not everyone who friends or follows you (or your kids) is someone you know and trust. And unfortunately, some intentionally seek out those who are traveling to do harm. Decide how you want to handle social media on your vacations and lead by example.
Most vacations are full of good memories and lots of fun times. But there are occasions when things fall apart and you need to plan for those times. As a parent, my biggest fear is getting separated from my daughters. We keep a very close eye on them when we travel, but as every parent knows — sometimes kids get swallowed up in the crowd. So what do you do? Talk it through with your kids (in a non-frightening way) about what they should do if they get separated from the family. Who they should ask for help. And make sure they have your cell phone number memorized.
I hope you enjoy my infographic (and please feel free to share it too!) and most importantly — Happy and Safe Travels to You and Your Family!
How do you save for your summer (or anytime) family vacation? What has been the best vacation you’ve had?
Shannon
Also, great infographic! I wish I had your skills!