Recently my family got to spend a wonderful week together with my in-laws, brother-in-law and cousins. It was like a mini-family reunion. The location was unfamiliar to all of us, which made the planner side of me both excited and anxious.
When vacationing with large groups of people, I think one of the hardest things to balance is meal time. That’s why it can be so important to do a little research before you travel.
In the weeks leading up to our trip, I used the Internet to my advantage by plugging in our hotel information and doing searches for different types of local cuisine in our area. Most restaurants now post their menus online, making it super easy to determine if they offer choices for kids, people with food allergies, or just picky eaters. You’ll also eliminate any surprises when the bill comes.
By reading reviews of the restaurants, I was also able to find more specialized and unique experiences, avoiding the usually pricey and contrite tourist traps. All of my research was sorted together and saved on a Pinterest board I created, making it easy to retrieve. I printed out menus and driving information for a couple of my favorites.
The best part of being prepared is being able to make quick decisions when hunger unexpectedly strikes. The last thing you want to be doing at 6 p.m. with a party of nine is drive around aimlessly, asking over and over: ”What do you want to eat? I don’t know, what do you want to eat?”
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