How to reconnect with your kids on vacation

Set your intentions

When my two boys were small, all I wanted from a sunny all inclusive resort was to relax. But now that my oldest is turning ten, I’m not looking to check out on vacation. I’m looking to check in, to reconnect and to make core memories with both boys. To do that, I started saving early so I could focus less on my budget when the time came and more on what was really important: creating long-lasting memories on vacation with my loved ones. Ideally, you should start saving as soon as you decide that you want to travel; for instance, I set up monthly automatic payments transferring funds into a savings account so our vacation fund grows on auto-pilot. Royalton Punta Cana An Autograph Collection All Inclusive Resort and Casino was the perfect place to rediscover ourselves as mom and sons, especially with all the incredible amenities and facilities already included in the price. Free from distractions, screens, the never-ending to-do lists and after-school programs, here’s how we did it.

Let the kids make their own choices

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll understand what this means – each member of our family got a yes day, where they chose what we did together that day and we all got to come along for the ride. My little one wanted to spend an entire day at the Splash Water World water park at the neighbouring Royalton Splash Punta Cana An Autograph Collection All Inclusive Resort and Casino, which we had access to thanks to Royalton’s Stay at 1, Play at 2 program. (Bonus features like this are one of the reasons an all inclusive vacation is worth the price.) It’s one of the largest resort water parks in the Caribbean, complete with seven monster water slides, tubes, splash pads, mini-slides and a wave pool. Meanwhile, my older son loved the world-famous Bavaro Beach for its powdery soft sand and warm turquoise waters. We spent hours flinging ourselves against the waves and building a fortress city with a three-tiered sandcastle, a moat and surrounding watch towers.

Try new things together

The brain is wired to remember and pay more attention to new and unfamiliar experiences. While my five-year-old was devoted to kid-friendly buffet offerings at the Kid’s Corner (a height-adjusted area for wee ones), my adventurous tween tried his first freshly grilled lobster at the buffet and ordered his first full-sized striploin at the fantastic Hunter Steakhouse. Also, we were thrilled to work together against the clock at the Temple of Secrets ($) at Royalton Splash Punta Cana, an immersive and interactive escape room experience – a first for the boys. With all of the amenities and gourmet culinary treats at multiple resorts, it’s incredible just how much your budget can get you on an all inclusive getaway.

Let others take care of you

When you’re at an all inclusive Punta Cana resort as great as this, you can focus on the important things, like connecting with your family and enjoying your time. The Royalton team is incredible, from the bartenders who would create fun mocktails for the kids to the cleaning staff who would surprise us every day with different towel animals. We were treated every night to wonderful entertainment and evening events right on site at the resort. Finally, as the person in the family who takes all the photos, I appreciated that the resort has an amazing photography company on site to capture your beautiful moments; one of the highlights of our vacation was doing a photoshoot on the beach.

Make it about all of you

If you’re going on your first vacation together as a family or are looking to create a stronger connection on the next one, incorporate a tradition during your stay. These rituals contribute to emotional security and bonding, especially for kids. We created a tradition every day at Royalton Punta Cana where we would have “coffee time” at Scoops Gelato and Caffe Lounge and talk about our plan for the day. The kids would always remind us: “Let’s go. It’s coffee time!”

At the end of the week, as we walked back to our room after dinner, feeling nourished in so many ways, the boys agreed: “We want this to be our home.” I told them, “Home is wherever we are together. But this is pretty awesome, too.” Thank you, Sunwing Vacations, for a stress-free experience where we didn’t have to worry about surprises expenses, but could instead focus on sharing many priceless moments.