Planning a family vacation

When Tea asked me to help spread the word about their first line of swimwear, I wondered if April was too early to start thinking about bathing suits. After all, it barely feels like spring in my neck of the woods.

But browsing Tea’s collection of brightly patterned swimwear, I began to daydream about Levi running and playing on the beach while I buried my toes in the cool sand and listened to the waves breaking against the shore. (Tea’s ruffled tankinis and colorful floral prints also had me dreaming about having a little girl…) No, we don’t need any swimsuits today, but we will need them on our family vacation to Hilton Head next month!

With so much happening in the now, I’ve hardly had time to anticipate our week-long trip to South Carolina. However, researchers from the Netherlands, who set out to measure the effect that vacations have on overall happiness, found that the largest boost in happiness came from planning and anticipating a vacation, not during or after the vacation. In fact, the simple act of planning a vacation could boost happiness for eight weeks, according to an article in the New York Times.

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Eight weeks! With our family vacation a mere five weeks away, I’m diving head-first into planning mode in order to make the most of this reported “prevacation happiness boost.” Since I’m sure there’s more to do in Hilton Head than playing on the beach with Levi, I asked one of my very best friends, whose family has been vacationing in Hilton Head for as long as I can remember, for her recommendations.

for breakfast… Southern Coney (“amazing pancakes”)

for dinner… Old Fort Pub (“my favorite restaurant anywhere on the planet”)

for shopping… Radiance in Harbor Town, The Porcupine at the Village at Wexford, and the new Tanger Outlets in Bluffton

for spa treatments… The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa and Le Spa in Sea Pines

I’m also looking forward to riding a bike around the island, playing a few games of tennis, and reading a book or two while lounging on a chaise!

Are you a vacation planner or do you like your vacations to be a bit more spontaneous? If you prefer to plan, how in depth an itinerary do you create in advance of your travels? Also, do you have any additional recommendations of things we should do, see, or eat while in Hilton Head?

P.S. – Our previous family vacation to South Beach last January.