It’s almost time to hit the road for summer vacation. In my neck of the woods there are only 5 weeks left of the school year! RESCUE asked me to blog about some ways that I kick stress to the curb. So today I’m sharing strategies I have for keeping family vacations fun and relaxing.

1. Plan ahead. Vacation planning can take a lot of time and effort. Get a head start and try to plan out as far in advance as possible. That way you can spread it out over time. Making all the plans and reservations at once can feel really overwhelming.
2. Don’t over-schedule. I love a good schedule but be careful not to over-schedule your family. If you have your trip scheduled down to the minute, you might find yourself discouraged when you get off track. Traveling with kids requires some flexibility. I like to have a list of general things to do each day but then I can play it by ear depending on how the trip is going.
3. Talk to locals. If you are unfamiliar with your vacation destination, talk to some locals. Join Facebook groups, hit up Google, or just get friendly when you get to town. The locals are going to have the best information on restaurants, shopping, and must-visit sites.
4. Always have a snack handy. Hungry + Angry = Hangry. Kids are especially prone to acting out and being upset when they get hungry. Keep plenty of snacks on hand. It is amazing what a full tummy can do to improve everyone’s mood.
5. Bring comfort items. Sleeping in an unfamiliar environment can be challenging especially for kids. Bring along a blanket, pillow, or stuffed animal from home. For our family, we can’t do without our white noise machine. It comes with us everywhere we go. It’s great for drowning out unfamiliar noises and since we use it at home, it’s very comforting.
6. Bring along RESCUE to help keep the stress at bay. RESCUE comes in drops, pastilles, and gel capsules. They even have a sleep aid formula plus RESCUE for kids and pets. RESCUE is an all natural product that has been around for 80 years. I really recommend you check out their website if you want to know more about the product and how it is made.

The nice folks at RESCUE want to save you some money so you can try RESCUE for yourself. Click the image above to get a coupon and also enter to win some great prizes from Bose and GoPro. I know a GoPro would make my vacation better for sure!

Vacations should be a fun and memorable time with family. Hopefully following this tips will help you have a stress-free trip. What are your stress reducing vacation tips? Leave me a comment below!  Oh and don’t forget to go get your coupon for RESCUE. Your wallet and sense of serenity will thank you!

This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and RESCUE blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.