For Vacation Fun...a travel blog

If you are an American, you probably don't spend much time thinking about how you approach vacation is very different than Europeans. But there are definite differences. Americans on average start out with 2 weeks of paid vacation a year, or 10 days.  Some companies add to that based on your length of service other factors, but think about your 10 days.  Maybe you chip away at  them during the year for family activities like a child's dance recital out of state, or a wedding that requires you to leave on a Thursday or a Friday. People who live in the European Union get at least 20 paid vacation days each year - twice what Americans receive.  So when American's finally are able to take vacation time and experience their vacation, they are often trying to jam as many activities into that 5 or 10 day trip as possible.  You've heard people say they want to "Make the most" of their trip, or "we want to do everything because we probably won't go here again&

Setting the pace for a family vacation can be difficult, especially when your family is a mix of go-go-go, chill-by-pool, and I-can't-people-today.    That's my family.  We all enjoy trips, and of course, we all compromise, but ultimately each person needs to have time to do their thing.   As a mom, I have learned over the years to identify the signs of who needs downtime, who needs alone time, and when everyone is ready to jump all into a day full of activities. As a travel agent, I talk with my clients before anything else happens. Its important to get the feel for the people going on their trip, and sometimes they don't even know themselves.  A conversation helps bring things to light - like is your family on the go all the time, heavy into sports and dance? Or do you tend to spend weekends on a hike? Or geocaching in a new city?   Plan your vacation days to give downtime to the people who need it, but maybe plan some alternate activities for the "go-go" member