Step one, be realistic.

What you need to know first is how much you are going to spend on the trip, this figure should be backed by evidence that you can afford it comfortably and won’t have to take out payday loans to pay your bills when you get back.
Once you have a budget, you are going to have to break it down to smaller parts for different aspects of the holiday, such as hotels, car rentals, sightseeing tickets, shopping and food. You should also carry extra cash and credit cards in case there is an emergency.

Vacation destinations are usually packed through the year, unless of course you want to go to Russia and it’s mid-January. You would do well to make reservations early for the most part. At least, you should book places to stay in ahead of time. If you are sure of what you want to do through the trip and have planned it out in detail, get activity reservations done too. You don’t want to reach your holiday destination and spend the time locked up in your hotel room.

The important thing about a family vacation is to ensure that everyone has their share of fun. If you are traveling with little kids, you could include a trip to an amusement park. If you have a teenage daughter, set aside a day for shopping. If your son is into sports, you can make arrangements for him to explore a section of your route hitch hiking. Take everyone’s opinions and ideas and try to create a blend everyone will love. But everyone has to be honest and open minded during this discussion.

You don’t have to be rigid in planning the trip. Get guidebooks beforehand so you know the basic facts about tourist attractions in the area. This will also allow you to be flexible and do just what you want on any given day on the trip.

Don’t forget to bring your journal with you so you can write about everything that you loved and were special about the trip. You can sit down with your kids and make a scrapbook on the same lines. If you can, spend one day exclusively with your partner so you can bring back romantic memories too.