Family Vacation Jar

Families with purpose are families who dream together and work together to make their dreams and goals a reality.

Family vacations are great opportunities for families to connect and create some wonderful memories. Some of my fondest memories are of family vacations out west in a station wagon with no air conditioning with my parents and brother; lying in what we called the “back back” with our sleeping bags formed into air tunnels from the air rushing through the open windows. And some of my kids’ fondest memories are of a trip to San Diego, not so much because of the awesome zoos, but because of the cool ice cream machine just outside our hotel room door in the hallway. To this day, they still talk about that incredible vacation and that cool ice cream machine.

As the kids have grown older and their tastes more “sophisticated” (aka expensive) we have created a fun way of planning for our family vacations with a family vacation jar. The family vacation jar is simply a way that we as a family work together to make our family travel dreams a reality while at the same time commemorating our hopes and dreams for future family vacations.

Simply put, a family vacation jar (or box) is a decorated jar used to save for the next big adventure. Decorated with pictures and words of places you want to visit or have visited, the jar becomes a daily visual reminder of your dreams. Families work together to fill the jar with spare change from their pockets and wallets. Once filled families can use the money to take their next family vacation or as a way of saving for that really expensive trip they have been dreaming about for ages. The family travel jar is a great way of working together on a family goal and teaching the kids a lesson in saving. Realizing the good things in life are worth waiting and working for, is a great lesson for any family.

To make your own family vacation jar simply gather some pictures of places you would like to travel either from magazines, newspapers, travel brochures, or family photos. Work together as a family to cut and glue your pictures onto the outside of a jar or vase. Use your computer and printer to print out any words you want to describe your vacations (fun, adventurous, awesome, educational, etc) or a special name (Smith Family Vacation Dreams) to your jar. Fill the jar with any spare change from around the house. Once your jar is completed, place it in a central place like the fireplace mantel to remind everyone to make regular contributions.