Okay, so, family vacations, right? They’re supposed to be fun, relaxing, memorable… but the planning? Oh boy, that can be a total nightmare. I used to dread it. Seriously, spreadsheets, notes scribbled on napkins, a million different websites open – it was chaos. But I’ve finally cracked the code, and I’m going to spill the beans on how I did it.
First, I started by listing out everything, and I mean everything, we wanted to do and see. My kids wanted a beach, my husband wanted some historical sites, and I just wanted a decent cup of coffee every morning. We literally took a piece of paper and wrote down everything we wish for during a holiday.
Then, I dumped all those wishes into a simple Google Doc. Nothing fancy, just a bulleted list. This became our “master wish list.”
Brainstorming Our Dream Trip
- Beach time (kids)
- Historical stuff (husband)
- Good coffee (me!)
- Maybe a museum or two?
- Not too much driving
- Kid-friendly restaurants
Next, I tried a bunch of different planning apps. Some were okay, some were way too complicated, and some were just plain useless. I felt like Goldilocks, searching for the “just right” one. I need something simple but could includes all my customized lists.
I stumbled upon this app after a ton of Googling. The interface is not fancy but very clean. It lets you create custom lists and add items of different properties.
I created lists for “Possible Destinations,” “Activities,” “Restaurants,” and even “Packing.” Slowly but surely, I started filling them in. I added details which could be customized, notes, to each item.
The best part? I can add my own properties. I added properties like “Kid-Friendly (Yes/No)” and “Cost (Estimate)” to the “Activities” list. This made it super easy to filter things down and see what actually fit our needs and budget.
Building Our Itinerary
Once I had a good amount of stuff in the lists, I started playing around with different combinations. I moved things around, compared options, and gradually, a plan started to take shape. It was like putting together a puzzle, but a fun puzzle, not the kind that makes you want to throw the pieces across the room.
Finally, I had a solid itinerary. Beach days, a couple of historical sites, some kid-friendly restaurants, and even a museum that looked interesting. And, of course, I made sure there was a highly-rated coffee shop near our hotel. It may not be perfect, but I feel so much more organized and in control. And it’s saved me a lot of stress for sure!
