A day with family and friends at a ski resort can be very fun, or very trying. Without a doubt, there are definitely things you can do to help make the experience fun for the whole group. One of those things is to have general plan for the day.

If you are on a ski trip lasting more than one day, you may want to consider placing your kids in day care or ski school. Most resorts offer daycare for kids ages 3-5, and ski school day lessons for ages 5 and up. This gives the kids a chance to be with others their own age and to learn at a slow pace. The kids often get breaks for hot coco, for lunch and for playing in the snow. This will guarantee to tire out the kids!

Teenagers with good skiing skills often want some time to themselves. A great idea for them is to allow them to invite a friend along on the trip that is of similar ability level. They can ski together during the day (with a ski class or not) and pal around together in the evening.

Regardless of whether you are at a resort with your children, or other adults, you will find the day a little more enjoyable and less stressful if you discuss a plan for the day.

“We don’t need a plan, we have cell phones.” This is the general train of thought. Yet if you lose cell service, the battery dies, the phone is inadvertently dropped on a hard surface or lost, the previous plan goes out the window. If you want to avoid missing the shuttle bus back to the hotel due to one of the above factors, let everyone know what time you would like to regroup at the bus stop at the end of the day.

“We don’t need a plan, we have a hotel room at the bottom of the ski resort.” This is another common train of thought, that everyone will be back at the hotel room when you get there. This is not always the case and you may find that when you want to leave for your dinner reservation, part of your group is out and about. They could be wandering around the ski shops or other stores, which may not have decent cell reception inside the building.

These are just a few of the reasons why you may want to have a backup plan in place. Ideally, picking a very clear meeting location and time to meet is the best plan to have. This will ensure a little less stress and a lot more fun! Happy Holidays!