Family All-Inclusive

 Ahhhhh……. All-inclusive vacations…

No cooking, no worries, no kids….. Wrong!

Traveling as a family can include the kiddos at an all-inclusive resort and still be enjoyable for the entire family as well as for you and your sweetie!  It gives the best of both worlds in helping you make the MostPerMile out of your vacation!

 

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Government Documents

Most all-inclusive resorts are located outside the United States, so you want to ensure each person in your

family has a valid passport not only for the time of travel but the recommended six months post-trip as well.  When you have children with passports that must be renewed every five years, this is something to definitely take a peek at when working with your travel agent to set up the best resort that matches your family’s desires.   For those who have also obtained Global Entry, remember that when renewing passports the GOES login must also be used to update new passport information (which can be easy to forget!).  Global Entry was a large purchase for our family of four at $100 per person, but it lasts five years and I won’t go without it now.  (I am self-proclaimed not high-maintenance, but in some things I have become a tad bit that way!)   Completing the required government paperwork on the airplane is an excellent educational opportunity with our children, even when just about to start kindergarten and can barely spell their own name.  A packing tip I always share is to have a couple black ink pens in your carryon, and in the case of this five-night trip, we packed in all carryon bags anyway using our packing strategies of rolling the clothes into packing cubes.  Our carryon luggage always fits nicely under the seats in front of us and overhead bins on Southwest Airlines, and are excited to see what new international destinations will be added in the future as Punta Cana has been!  LUV flying Southwest!

 

Activities for All

Different all-inclusive resorts have a variety of activities to keep your children entertained or expose them to new heights.   Whether it is practicing archery skills (or learning for the first time!), sailing a Hobie Cat, working with the resort’s acrobats and dancers, or even scaling a trapeze before making that step off the platform, our children are in good hands to be exposed to various activities throughout the day around the resort.  At ClubMed Punta Cana, children have the unique opportunity to work with CreActive Circus alongside the same performers at the evening show!  How often do you ever get close to the performers at a Cirque show, much less get to learn some basic moves in a safe, structured, age-appropriate environment?  This allows our children 
to see how they can personally make the MostPerMile of different activities and push their limits at their own personal pace!  In our family, it’s the second child willing to scale the platform for the trapeze while the oldest wouldn’t touch it. Of course, that was no big deal – they were in two different age groups visiting the area so any sibling rivalry was not present (until we rejoined later and they shared their recaps of the morning).  A bonus with Kids Club is that the counselors speak a variety of languages.  If your children are in a Dual Language program at school back home, mention it to the counselors so they will use some language skills with them!  Our area mainly has Spanish as the second language in the Dual Language programs, but some areas have French closer to Canada which ties in very well with Club Med.  It is not surprising to hear instructions given in French and English when you are in a Spanish-speaking country!  A common phrase out of my mouth is that the world is an amazing classroom – and that not only includes the physical characteristics of our Earth but the people from many countries we come in contact with during our travels!

    

 

After a full day the kiddos may opt to join you at the pool and take a nap, or may

even lag behind a little when walking back to the room across the expansive palm-tree dotted grounds, so remember that in trying to make the MostPerMile of a family vacation.  Taking the time to let them nap while you enjoy another adult beverage by the pool is totally fine!

 

In addition to the various pools and hammocks to relax in, or the many active sports and classes to do, some prefer to

gaze at the ocean to watch the kite boarders, Hobie Cats, or natural wildlife.  No worries, as it is still all within the property so you are never too far away from your kiddos having their fun or the nearest bar for a refill.  Water is always readily available to help ensure nobody becomes dehydrated, and those cute fruity drinks with a pineapple and umbrella on top can most definitely be made in the non-alcoholic form.  My children do not know the name “piña colada” but they do know “coco colada”, otherwise known as a “Caribbean smoothie” as we told them.

 

Nighttime

After dinner, resorts have various shows which can be intriguing for the entire family!  If you enjoy the Cirque shows, this resort is for you AND your family!  Such a great performance after the sun goes down and seats go quickly, so time your dinner with that red wine just right so you are sure to arrive early!  For some families, this may be the first time they have exposed their children to these types of performances, so sit back and wait for the “ooooooohs” and “aaaaaaaahs” to flow out of their mouths!  Just another way to help make the MostPerMile out of anything you do – seeing things for the first time from a child’s perspective!

 

As you return to your room, depending on the room you selected helps dictate the sleeping arrangements.  I know for Curt and I, we don’t often get accommodations that have a door between our sleeping area and the kids’, but when we do it adds a nice perk to the vacation.  Whether it’s the chance to take an afternoon nap while they watch TV or just the privacy we as couples need, it is definitely a bonus!

Morning Jammies

Upon waking up in the morning and strolling outside on the balcony in our jammies, having the opportunity to breathe in that beautiful air and be thankful for another day with our family, wherever it may be, is truly glorious and  a great way to start the day.  An all-inclusive has so many things taken care of, including meals, cleaning the room, fun clubs for the kids, beverages, activities, and more!  But most of all, the option to take part in as much as you wish to, or as little as you wish to, depending on how you feel in the morning when waking up to start your day. It is in these moments you can start contemplating your day and how you as a family (and individual!) will MakeTheMost of it by doing as much or as little as you please!