For my family, summertime means three things: heat, sno-balls and VACATION! Because my husband is a teacher, we tend to take longer vacations in the summer when he and the kids are out of school. But a recent study with Parents magazine shows that 56% of families consider themselves “vacation dabblers” and take multiple short vacations throughout the year. While we tend to save vacation days for the summer, if we do venture out during the school year, the trip needs to be on a weekend where we only have to miss one or two days of work at most. On these short jaunts, we definitely want to “more-imize” our vacation and make the MOST of every minute.
One thing we do to make a short vacation feel longer is to get the kids involved in planning. Since my husband teaches geography, he loves turning road trips into a educational experience. The kids love using iPad apps to plot the route we plan to travel and learn interesting things along the way. When we return, we keep the vacation going by creating a photobook and reliving the good times!
Starting June 5th, Embassy Suites has pledged to help you get more out of your vacation…more fun, more time together and more indulgence! Voted as on of the Top 10 Hotels for Families by Parents Magazine, Embassy Suites offers two room suites, cooked to order breakfast and a nightly Manager’s Reception complete with appetizers and beverages. For my family, complimentary cooked to order breakfast is a huge selling point. This saves us time seeking out a restaurant and waiting to be served allowing us more time for fun!
If you want to “more-imize” your vacation, Embassy Suites is running a Sweepstakes on their Facebook page now through July 20th. Simply upload a picture of your family’s “vacation face” and be entered to win one of five Grand Prizes including a week long stay at an Embassy Suite Hotel and $10,000 spending cash! With that kind of money, I could certainly “more-imize” my vacation!
Embassy Suites has also partnered with Dr. Susan Biali, a health and happiness expert, to share some tips for getting the most out of your time off. She believes that you need at least three consecutive days off in order to reap the restorative benefits of a vacation. One of my favorite tips from Dr. Biali is that ff you are a vacation dabbler and take small trips throughout the year, make sure you use those days to relax. Don’t pack the day with too many activities which will only leave you more tired than when you came. I can totally relate to this tip as we have just returned from a trip to Disney World. It is very tempting to pack your days at Disney, but we made sure to return to the hotel mid-day and enjoy the amenities such as the pool in order to relax.
In the upcoming days, my family and I will be headed to a local Embassy Suites to enjoy a NOLA Staycation! I can’t wait to share our experience with you!