Happy 2021!

This new year's dawning, and all that it's bringing have us dreaming of returning to travel in 2021 and beyond!

This year we'll be providing you even more tools to help you and your family dream, plan, and get the most out of your travel adventures together, especially engaging the kids in the process!

While there are many tips for planning a holiday with the family, most adventures start with the dreaming stage. Making a Wish List is a great place to start!

We've outlined a fun family activity that will help you and your whole family think about what type of trips you would like to take and dream up your ideal destinations. Feel free to customize it to your family's needs.

Let's build your Family Travel Wish List!

The Process
The idea is to get everyone together and involved to create the list! You want to go BIG with a list of ALL the places the whole family wants to go. This exercise gets everyone excited about the possibilities.

Gather Your Tools
Get everything the family will need to inspire and make their list; paper, pens, markers, crayons, smartphone, laptop, tablet, and travel resources:

• Favorite Websites – Browse websites like AAA Travel Tips & Articles and Pinterest. Both excellent sites for searching for travel ideas.
• Atlas, Maps, Globe, Google Earth app – You can even get each of your kids an atlas of the World or the United States.
• Favorite Travel Books & Magazines
• KeeKee Kid’s Corner – Download the new one with the link below as another tool for the kids.

Call A Family Meeting
Now it's time to create together.

Make it a fun family afternoon or evening activity. Have a favorite meal, put on your favorite music. You could even put on a favorite travel movie. Create a destination mood vibe.

Have everyone start by writing down or drawing every place they dream of going, now and later, small and big, near and far. The idea is to capture all the ideas everyone has.

With this exercise, you're dreaming big. Forget budget, vacation time at your job, and school schedules. Create this list as if you had unlimited time and money.

Here are some ideas you can also use to get you started.

• Top Cities of the World – Rome, London, New York City, Toronto, Istanbul, Tokyo
• Icons of the World – The Great Pyramids, Great Wall of China, Parthenon in Athens
• Every Continent – Try to visit each continent of the world
• Best Beaches – US, Caribbean, Hawaii
• USA – All 50 States, the Northeast, the Pacific Coast Highway
• Cruise Vacation – Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean
• American Culture - Western Dude Ranch, Route 66
• Active Vacations – Biking and Hiking in National Parks, Kayaking in the Northwest
• Food & Drink – Visit the best BBQ restaurants in the US, Foodie tour of the South
• Factory Tours – Visit a winery, a cheese factory, where they make Bush's baked beans, Jelly Belly factory in California, Bluebell Ice Cream factory in Texas, Crayola Crayon factory in Pennsylvania
• Art & Culture – Florence Renaissance, Best US Museums, Paris Impressionist Tour, National Monuments
• Outdoors & Nature – Beach, National Parks, State Parks, Theme Parks
• Wildlife/Animal Focus – See animals in the wild like penguins, pandas, koala bears, giraffes, bison, elephants. Or maybe horses, sea lions, baby goats, and pretty birds.
• Sustainable Travel – African Safari, Costa Rica
• Celebrations - Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, Christmas Markets in Germany

Then pull together everyone’s ideas. It can be a collage of pictures and words you draw, print, cutout; pins on a big map; a list on your computer; or a board on Pinterest.

Have fun building your Family Travel Wish List. We'll have more family travel fun for you in the next KeeKee’s Corner.

Adventure Awaits!