The silly photos. The touristy behavior. And the chaos — oh, the chaos!
If I had to pick just three of the most embarrassing things families do while they travel, those would be the ones.
BEST FAMILY TRAVEL ADVICE FROM CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT
A single parent survival guide to a family vacation
The subject almost never comes up anymore. But when it does, there’s a long pause in the conversation. Yes, I’m on the road with three kids for more than 350 days a year — a single parent traveling with three teenagers.
How to make a road stop with your family like a pro
There’s a lost art to doing a road stop. And that’s a shame since road trips are a time-honored American tradition. Shouldn’t road stops get a little respect too?
But they are not. People don’t plan their road stops like they should, they show little or no discrimination about where they pull over, and it ends up being all about the destination, not the journey. It doesn’t have to be that way.
Don’t let behavior problems on vacation ruin everything. Here’s how
Toxic people are everywhere — even on vacation. Or maybe I should say especially on vacation.
How long does it take before you run out of things to do on vacation?
Oahu is a one-week destination. As in, it takes one week before my kids and I run out of things to do and fall into a predictable cycle of visiting the beach, driving to Foodland for groceries, and coming home to make dinner and watch whatever’s on Netflix.
Vacation rental mistakes every family makes (but you shouldn’t)
From booking the cheapest place to ignoring the fine print in the property description, I’ve made so many vacation rental mistakes that I could write a book about them. For now, an article will have to do.
A fruit picking vacation with the kids? Why not!
A fruit picking vacation may be among the most adventurous and creative family getaways. I know because I’m looking at a cluster of ripening bananas on my kitchen counter that we harvested. Our visit to Hilo, Hawaii, just turned into what my eldest son calls a fruit safari.
It’s way too many bananas for a family of four, and I’m not entirely sure what to do with them.
How do I sit with my kids on a plane?
If you haven’t heard about the infamous airline separation algorithm yet, here’s what you need to know: It’s a seat allocation program that allegedly keeps families apart on the plane, prodding parents into paying more for advance seat assignments.
The best family travel advice for the year ahead
One year ago, Away is Home launched as a weekly column. (Happy Birthday, Away is Home!) And in that time, one question keeps coming up from readers: “Chris, what’s the best family travel advice you have?”