After years of very careful pandemic living, my family finally booked an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico this past April. We figured that not having to think about paying for anything would be easier on our COVID-weary brains. This would be our first resort experience as a family of four (my son is five, my daughter is two and a half)?and my first all-inclusive ever. It was amazing, but that’s in part because of tips I learned in advance, and some others I picked up along the way. Because let’s be honest, even when we’re on vacation, we’re really just parenting in a different setting, tantrums and all, so hacks are always welcome.
Here’s how to get the most out of your all-inclusive experience.
Toss your kids’ schedules into the ocean Ok, that sounds dramatic, but don’t expect to maintain the exact nap and sleep schedule you have at home. And I don’t mean this the way your mother-in-law tells you you’re just too rigid about schedules, and “in my day we didn’t worry,” and so on until you want to punch the wall. But it’s beneficial for the whole fam to shift your schedules so you’re going to bed later and waking later, because so many fun things happen in the evening. Our resort had live music every night at around 7 pm and after-dinner shows for kids (we were lucky to stumble on an Encanto performance in the theatre while walking back to our rooms after dinner. Yup, even in Mexico they know ...