Are We There Yet? Find Your Family Vacation Prep IQ

Family vacations can be a blast, especially when you’ve picked a great destination and the pre-trip planning goes well. But face it, if things don’t go well, your dream trip could be a comedy of errors.So just how prepared will you be for this vacation?

The resort your family wanted to stay at will be undergoing construction on your travel dates. How do you respond?

Immediately panic and call the resort and demand an explanation.

Check on the website for alternative available dates and plan accordingly.

Eh, we’ll just pick another great place, right guys?

With the extra costs of checking bags when you fly, you’re thinking of instituting a “one-bag” rule for the trip. So far, this idea is not making you very popular with the family. You need to sell this. What do you do?

Hold firm. The all-inclusive resort where you’re staying will have 99 percent of the stuff your family wants to take.

Flex this rule a bit. Offer to pack one big bag to be checked that will contain some of these “essentials” your family insists on.

Hey! Every time you’ve split for a trip, a backpack was all you needed. Who needs four pairs of shoes at the beach?

You don’t go anywhere without your trusty GPS coordinates meticulously programmed. Your partner is a map freak. How might you compromise?

Although you concede the GPS will be more accurate, you agree to look over the mapped routes she has selected. After all, it could be the back-up plan.

Insist you’re going to follow the GPS no matter what, but you suggest a Trip-Tik from AAA to satisfy the pioneer “trailblazer” in your partner.

Agree that sometimes the GPS can be glitchy, so you promise to call your destinations closer to departure to check the route AND bring the maps.

Your 5-year-old is insisting she must stay in character as Elsa, the Snow Queen from “Frozen” even when you go on vacation to see your family. How will you handle it?

Set some ground rules about when Elsa appears, explaining that sometimes she has to take a day off to rest.

So, what’s the problem? It might be good for your slightly uptight family to experience your child in all her glory.

You hope she’s over her Elsa phase before your trip in two weeks. If not, there could be a battle ahead.

Your partner has already spent a big portion of the vacation budget for a deposit on surf lessons without discussing it with you. What will you do?

Call the surf shop and find out their refund policy.

Ask your partner if you could limit the lessons to a couple family members.

Hey, that’s what the “vacation” credit card is for, right?

Every family member has a list of pre-trip tasks for which he or she alone is responsible. How do you motivate them?

Assign a point system to everyone’s list. Anyone who has less than a certain score has to take one task from someone’s list.

If necessary use bribery or threats, whichever seems to be most effective.

Dramatically explain that without their help, the trip won’t happen the way they imagine and will result in disappointment.