Looking for a welcome escape from the winter doldrums? Plan a vacation together with your family. Even if you don't intend to go anywhere this year, or if your vacation isn't due until next December, take the time now to begin thinking about your next family get-away. Planning a vacation is one of the best ways to have fun together as a family, learn more about the world around you, and at the same time get the most from your vacation. The fun is in the planning. Try it and see.

The first thing that you need to do, is to be clear with your children as to whether you will be planning a real vacation or a fantasy trip. Children can believe it's a fantasy and then at a later time be told that the trip they're planning is real.

The next step is to sit down with your children and decide on some possible location choices. If this is for a real vacation, time and budget restrictions will be factors. For a fantasy vacation, anything goes.