The holiday season is finally here (well, it actually got here before we could blink!), which means you may be planning a vacation soon, or hosting a family gathering of your own where you may be taking some time off. Vacations, in my opinion, are a must; they are relaxing, refreshing, motivating, and needed for continuous productivity. Last week my husband and I headed over to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and took a 10-day family vacation with our kids. Although we had a great time with the rest of my family, there were some things I did that I was thankful for, while there were some other things that I wish I had done a tiny bit better. If you’re thinking about taking a vacation (and you should – everyone needs a break!), here are some things to keep in mind.

My son Liam – just about the only fully prepared child (of mine) for the weather.

I think the weather should be nice.

You’d think that I would learn from experience, since I’ve been to Albuquerque during the month of November before, but I didn’t. For some reason I always think I’m going to some haven of awesome, nice, warm weather (maybe I subconsciously make a silly connection between Mexico and New Mexico?), only to find a very dry and brisk Albuquerque chill. One thing I would definitely recommend for you to do is to check the weather of your destination ahead of time, and be precise – otherwise you could be in for a rude awakening. My husband did check the weather for us, and he said it was going to be in the 50’s. Being from Buffalo, NY, I thought “OK, 50’s is not so bad. Light jackets and some sweaters will do.” However, I came to find that 50 degrees in Buffalo is not the same 50 degrees in Albuquerque; New Mexico feels much drier, and the cold breeze felt like sharp little needles on my skin. Additionally, the 50-degree weather only came about for a good two days 😦 ; every other day was in the 40’s or 30’s (one day it dropped to 28 degrees! >_< ). At one point, when hiking back from some cool rock formations (Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks), I desperately started to sprint back to our vehicle because I was so cold that my entire thighs were itching in freezing pain. Moral of the story: don’t just check the weather in terms of general temperatures; make sure you also check the “Feels Like” temperature for your destination and pack what you will need. That way you’re not scrambling around trying to see how many layers would make a good substitute for a winter jacket (like I did). Or, if the opposite happens, where it’s hotter than expected, you’d avoid trying to figure out how many articles of clothing you can remove before unwanted exposure happens >_<.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons – Johan Siegers (but I could totally see myself doing this)

Not sure if I’ll need this, but I’ll take it just in case.

I’m sure I am not alone here, but I have a minor tendency to over-pack (OK, so maybe it’s not so minor – I do it all the time). Over-packing for your trip is not just time consuming, but it is truly a big nuisance. For those of you who are flying, make sure that you become aware of any baggage fees that your airline may have in place (including the WHOPPING fees for any baggage that is overweight – 50lbs max). During our trip, I packed so many diapers for the kids that you’d think we were staying there for a month (which was silly, really; we could have just bought more diapers there if we ran out), taking up a lot of space in our carry-on. Additionally, in our main luggage, I packed so many unnecessary things (makeup that I never wear, hair products, “going-out” outfits that I never used), that it tipped the scale for the maximum weight allowed on the plane. Now we were going through this luggage, in front of everyone, taking things out just to make it under the weight limit; our hands were absolutely full throughout the rest of the flight. Moral of the story: You really don’t need as much as you think you do. The best vacations happen when you’re worry-free, and you’re not being weighed down with things that ultimately serve no purpose. Pack what you need, and think about the things that you could easily obtain at your destination – travel as light as you possibly can, because it is soooo worth it, trust me.

Our Thanksgiving feast! Luckily, everything was delicious (mostly)

It’s dinner time!

For those of you who will not be cooking, this may not be a critical thing to worry about, but it still may be a good idea to look for where and what you will be eating ahead of time (or what you will serve your guests, if you are hosting), and how it will affect you financially. Most people don’t think about this, but small meal preparations should take just a few minutes and it will save you time and effort in the future. If you don’t want to spend a load of cash eating out, maybe you can purchase some essentials while you’re there (bread, deli meats, etc.), and make some small meals if you can. For those of you who will be traveling and/or hosting, the following is a great tip. I cooked/baked a great portion of our thanksgiving meal this year, and one thing that I was very happy with was the fact that I created my menu ahead of time and wrote down all of the ingredients I would need. Something I regret, however, is not making some of these dishes beforehand as a “practice” round. Mostly everything was great (my turkey was pretty good, thank God!), but I attempted to make this new baked mac & cheese recipe that I had never made before, and, to say the least, it was just gross 😦 . I felt really bad for anyone eating it, and I desperately tried to steer people away once I saw anyone attempting to go for it. Moral of the story: maybe you’re a pro chef/baker, but if you’re making something you’ve never done before, make sure you have a “practice round” first; it may save you some embarrassment later.

My brother Colbert (big head), my daughter, and myself: GoKarts (I’m pretty sure I beat everyone)

I’m ready for adventure 🙂

Whether you’re planning to just sit and relax or to go out and be active, it is always good to have some activities planned. Knowing the kinds of things you want to do will allow you to prepare around these, and it will make things much easier for your trip (or your guests). While in Albuquerque, we had days where we just stayed in, while also having days in which we would go hiking or sightseeing. Depending on the kind of crew you’ll be with, the kinds of activities you will be doing may vary, but never forget to add some fun to your schedule. Of course, if you’re traveling with kids this may be tricky; we attempted to take a stroller (a big, heavy-duty stroller) up the mountains when hiking the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Only about 20 people on their way back from the top told us that the stroller would not make it very far . Hence, some of the kiddos had to stay behind with grandma (the hike was a bit too epic for my mom and my little nuggets). Nevertheless, this was one of my absolute favorite moments of the trip, and we had a lot of fun! (I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that I was child-free for 2 hours?). Moral of the story: Do some research and plan some fun. Even if you just like to relax, plan to go to a beach or somewhere similar where you can just sit back and enjoy the view. Creating memories with your family and/or friends (or just for yourself if you’re going solo) will make your vacation worthwhile.

Have a good time!

Now that you’ve gotten some ideas on how to start your vacation planning, make sure that you make the best of it. The steps you take to plan and prepare accordingly to ensure you have a good time could make or break your time away from work. Even if you are the spontaneous type, you can still just plan for the basic necessities of your trip; the less you have to worry about, the more gratifying your time will be. So mark that calendar, leave your stress behind, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself – you need a vacation just as much as you need anything else. As a man by the name of Alexander Babinets put it, “I have never believed that vacations are luxuries. They are our necessities–just like shelter, clothes, and food, they make us feel like humans and not like animals that care only for survival.”

Have fun! 🙂

Happy Vacationing, from my family to yours! – Written by Nayadee Wilson