Having a successful and fun vacation requires planning and advance preparation anyway, but when it is a family vacation there is even more to consider on the family vacation getaway. Since you have more people involved and they are of different sizes and age groups, there will be differing needs and wants on the trip. So here are the top 5 tips for having the perfect family vacation:

1. You can keep boredom down to a minimum by thinking ahead and bringing some favorite games, videos and books along on the trip. This is very important for kids as they like to have things to do and the hours spent traveling to a faraway destination can seem to just drag for them. If traveling in a car, pull over regularly and let everyone stretch their legs and walk around a bit to help improve moods too.

2. Don't try to do everything when you arrive at your destination. Some families just feel that they have to be constantly on the run to make it the perfect family vacation. But this is actually very wearing and at the end of the trip you can actually feel more tired and drained than if you had not had the vacation at all. It's a good idea then to follow a high activity day with a low activity day to keep things balanced and avoid too much stress.

3. Be flexible in your scheduling. Some folks are extremely scheduled in their professional life and they bring that same mindset to their family vacation getaway. But things happen that you often can't foresee and when they do you will only make the situation worse for all involved if you stick stubbornly to a preset routine or plan that does not allow for variation. Just relax, and enjoy your time together as circumstances allow.

4. Budget your vacation in advance and keep an eye on the money that is being spent each day. There is nothing that introduces more stress in parents that watching the money that they brought disappear way too quickly and not knowing where it is going. This can also lead to real frustration after the vacation is over too. However, those who have the best family vacations learn to establish clear budgets for each segment of the trip including the travel, lodging, meals, activities, souvenirs and so on. Then they watch the daily expenditures carefully to make sure that they do not exceed their budget limits.

5. You don't have to do everything together as a family either. Of course, you also don't want to do everything separately, but there is a happy medium where you can enjoy activities in smaller groups that may appeal to certain ones in the family, and then other activities can be things that everyone can enjoy together. Just trying to make every event fit everyone just usually doesn't work too well.

These simple tips can contribute toward having fun family vacations that everyone can enjoy. That way you can look back after the trip is over and say that it was one of the best family vacations that you ever had.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including vacation travel. You can find out more about finding the best family vacations and fun family vacations by visiting our Vacation Guide website.