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Taking the Kids: The true secret to vacation happiness -- asking their help planning!

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

Pity the California dad. He had spent a lot of money to take his wife and three daughters on an adventure trip to Costa Rica -- idyllic remote eco lodges, nesting sea turtles, monkeys in the trees, butterfly gardens. As adventures went, it hit all the buttons for my 13-year-old niece and her pal -- we were on that same trip from Thomson Family Adventures (www.familyadventures.com/).

Unfortunately, this dad's three tween and teen daughters didn't think so. They had wanted to go to Maui and a Costa Rica adventure vacation couldn't be any more different than the big, fancy beach resort they'd envisioned. It wasn't a question of cost either -- Maui might even have cost less. It was what their dad had wanted them to experience. He was very excited about the trip.

Too bad those kids weren't happy campers, complaining about everything from the lack of air conditioning to the bugs. That, of course, meant their parents weren't happy either. The kids weren't spoiled brats; they just hated being dragged along somewhere they had no desire to be. It was, after all, their vacation too.

The lesson: Take the kids' opinions into account when planning a family getaway, whether it's a big-ticket adventure, a trip to Orlando, a camping trip or a weekend exploring a city. Believe me, if the kids aren't happy, you won't be. That holds too for grandparents planning a multigenerational trip for grandkids they may not see that often. I admit I've been there -- like the time I dragged my wilderness-loving daughters to an all-inclusive in Mexico. Thankfully, they didn't whine, but they only perked up when we left the resort to explore a cave or a nearby beach town.

These days, according to new research from the 2014 Portrait of American Travelers, there's a lot more discussion with the kids about vacation and I'm glad to see it. Sixty-Six percent of those polled who have kids living at home report the kids are influential in their vacation planning and decisions. That's a more than 20 percent jump from 2011. (Take note marketers: Kids now have an important and growing say in where families go and what they do when they get there!)

As you plan your next family getaway, ask the kids:

 

-- See dinosaurs at a natural history museum or take part in a hands-on art experience at an art museum?

-- Hike to a waterfall or a lake?

-- Eat Chinese, Sushi or Italian?

Create pin boards on Pinterest to collect everyone's ideas. Pinterest recently released an app, "Place Pins," that is very popular with family travelers who want to share their ideas. It's even got an interactive online map to help find new places and get directions.

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(c) 2014 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

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