This morning I was watching someone’s IG stories and they were talking about summer and said “I’m not someone who flourishes in ridgid routine, i’m also not someone who flourishes in no routine” and i agreed and couldn’t help but think about how this relates to travel (i mean are you surprised?)

There’s a give and take when it comes to travel and some of this really depends on the goal of the trip and type of trip you’re taking.

Are you looking for a relaxing sun and sand trip to rejuvenate you or do you want to explore and see the world and have a different experience somewhere? (And yes it’s totally possible to have both if you plan for that)

When we planned our first Disney trip as a family the goal was to get as much done as possible- whatever that took. We had everything planned down to the minute and when some disney magic happened that wasn’t in the plan it threw the whole thing into a tail spin- cos where do we go from here?

After a few trips I learned to slow down and enjoy the magic even if that means getting “less” done.

So what does this actually look like?

We start with a conversation at home that looks a little bit like “what are the 3 things you want to come home having done or seen?” The answers might be different for everyone in your family but I’m going to take our last Disney trip as an example.

Hunter didn’t know Tron was open so I knew that would be on his list. What was on his list was riding Guardians of the Galaxy, seeing Harmonious one last time and getting his hat signed by Donald. With those in mind it guided our plans for the trip. While yes there are plenty of other things we were going to do and dining reservations planned these were the non-negotiable.

Same goes for day of- most mornings on the bus we ask the same question for the park we’re going to- these then act as your anchor points and allow you have that little bit of structure from a Genie+ /Lightening Lane reservation, the fireworks that night, or a dining reservation but allowing you to enjoy the time and allowing those moments between the moments to really unfold.

This looks exactly the same for other destinations. You want to go to Paris and explore? great! Planning a few things as these same anchor points will give just enough structure to allow the magic to unfold (yes magic applies to this whole world, not just Disney World). This also give you a really great frame to ask questions when you stumble upon something that peaks your interest. Ask if that’s the priority- maybe you had planned to go to the d’orsay museum late in the afternoon but got caught up wandering in the Marais, the question becomes what’s the priority and are we ok if we pivot but maybe miss the d’orsay? For me the d’orsay museum is a must but maybe it’s not for you. Having these anchor points and knowing what questions to ask when something comes up and plans possibly change allow you the flexibility to feel like a traveler and enough of a guiding light to act like a local.