Planning any vacation takes time and care and while a trip to Niagara plans itself in many ways, there are still many boxes to check and reservations to secure. Of course the parents or guardians are generally in charge of the trip planning as they’re the ones with the credit card, there are ways to involve children and teens in the planning as well.

Most kids are excited to travel and learn more about new places but some might not know very much about their destination or the mechanics behind putting a trip together. However, with a few simple prompts and some creative ideas you can get your children involved in the planning of your upcoming trip to Niagara Falls, which will have them even more excited.

In addition, this can help children feel more in control of what’s to come and help them feel closer to the family. Here are just a few ways to get your kids involved in planning your trip.

Allow Children to Choose Activities

Pleasing everyone while on vacation is a daunting task. Again, as parents generally do the bulk of the planning it can be hard to ensure that each activity interests everyone and in some cases a child may feel left out. If you allow your children to see the activities available in Niagara Falls and let each child choose what they’d like best you can avoid hurt feelings later.

Again, depending on your child’s age and computer skills, let them do their own online research. For instance, if you have a budding paleontologist on your hands let them search for geologic history sites or museums in the area. Teens can choose activities that might give them a bit of freedom during the trip as long as it’s within your parenting parameters. Regardless, allowing your kids to be active in choosing their own activities gives them a sense of responsibility and inclusion.

Bring Out the Maps

For some younger kids it can be hard for them to discern exactly where they’re going as it related to the place they live. Without spatial reference of some sort any place they’re not familiar with can just seem like “away” and they might not have any idea where “away” is. This is when you bring out the maps.

Online resources like Google Maps are great places to start. Depending on your child’s age and computer skills you can ask them to put in your home address and the address of your hotel in Niagara Falls, then get directions. This way they can see just how far or near it is, the different ways to get there, and the places in between.

A family trip to Niagara Falls is always going to be on that you all remember for a lifetime. Giving your children the tools they need to become involved in the planning aspect not only shows them that you value their opinions it also sets them for a lifetime of travel and adventure. What could be better than that?