Vacations are designed to be stimulating from new experiences but also relaxing and rejuvenating for the soul. They cannot be relaxing if you schedule every moment. If you make motel reservations every night, you may often have to speed to arrive on time. Maybe there is a horrible traffic jam, or you would like to spend a lot more time at a museum than you allotted. A schedule should be very flexible to accommodate these eventualities. We took a thirty-day trip across the U.S. without motel reservations. Only once did we have difficulty finding a motel.
No iPads, Smart Phones or Electronic Games Allowed
While traveling, a hard and fast rule for the kids is absolutely no smart phones, iPads, electronic games or any kind of electronic gadgets. They need to understand that we are paying good money for this vacation, and they are not going to spend their time performing exactly the same activities they were doing at home. Of course, the same rules apply to the adults. Confiscate their electronic equipment, if necessary. They will probably be disgruntled at first but should recover when thy realize that they have been missing wonderful sights by being constantly glued to their iPads. So they will not consider you a total ogre, return their equipment to them when the family reaches the motel room.
When I was a child, we took a trip so seldom that I was delighted to view the scenery.
We try to wake in time to reach the continental breakfast before they close. We travel on a very flexible schedule, with a general idea of the sights we wish to view. You will be extremely surprised where you will go by just watching for the signs of attractions. If you are afraid of arriving home late, start home when you have expended half of your time.
The Hearst Castle Was a Sight to Behold
While traveling in California, we saw the sign for the William Randolph Hearst Castle. We had not planned to see it, but we knew this was a must-see attraction. The Hearst Castle is also called the “Enchanted Hill.” Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it has 136 rooms and 127 acres of gardens. It is opulence to the nth degree. The huge size requires three separate tours to view the whole castle.
Last but not least, ask the children if they need to use the restroom before you begin traveling.
On our trip, we had some definite destinations such as the Grand Canyon and the redwood forests, but some of the most enjoyable were the ones we happened upon by chance. These are our vacation secrets for enjoying a relaxing and stress-free vacation.
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TheHearst Castle