Hiring a Full-time Summer Sitter for Your Family Trip

With summer just around the corner, it is the perfect time to start planning out the summer for your family. Everyone’s summer will look different, from required summer school sessions to a summer full of recreational and sports activities. For many families, there are also the long-awaited summer vacation trips. In some cases, families opt to hire a full-time summer sitter for family trips.

Even on family vacations, you may not end up spending every single moment together. Having a full-time sitter can help in the moments when you aren’t going to be together. Not sure if this is the right choice for your family’s upcoming family trip? Keep reading for trip ideas where you’ll want to have a full-time summer sitter along.

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Trips to destinations where there are “kid-free” zones or activities

Ideally, you can plan a vacation where all family members can spend all hours of the day together. However, depending on your destination and itinerary, there will be times when splitting the family up is inevitable for one reason or another.

For example, you may choose a resort or hotel that has “kid-free” zones or activities that kids are unable to attend. Depending on your family’s plans, you may still want to take advantage of such zones. In situations like these, having a full-time summer sitter to watch over the kids while the adults are away can have everyone enjoy the vacation. The adults can enjoy themselves, and the kids aren’t shut in the hotel room or hotel daycare.

Trips where childcare options aren’t available

When it comes to where you end up staying during your family vacation, you may get lucky if your hotel offers childcare options for guests during their stay. This can mean a daily daycare option where kids can be dropped off while their parents take advantage of other onsite amenities, or it can come in the form of child activities like art or swimming classes that allow younger guests to interact and play without their parents for a few hours.

However, not all accommodations will offer this. If this is the case for you, hiring a full-time summer sitter can allow you to have dependable childcare while you are away. This can give you peace of mind that no matter what the situation is, you have a sitter who can watch your child. If you suddenly feel under the weather, you have a babysitter. Or, if your child does not take well to strangers, having a sitter that they are familiar with in a foreign setting can help them stay comfortable while on vacation.

Trips that aren’t catered to children

Not all family vacations will be perfectly catered to the younger ones of the family, and that’s okay. Not all resorts are designed specifically to host families with young kids, offering plenty of options to keep children occupied. Or, the overall destination may not have many exciting things to offer for younger children.

If this is the situation you and your family are facing, hiring a full-time summer sitter can help shift the trip into a more family-friendly one. For example, even while on vacation, you may find yourself having to work remotely for a few hours here and there. Rather than having your kids cooped up in the hotel room while you take a work call or work on a few emails, having a full-time summer sitter can have them out and about, enjoying the hotel pool or exploring around town.

Similarly, a full-time summer sitter can help you plan out activities that can keep kids entertained the entire vacation. While kid-friendly activities aren’t offered up on a silver platter, a full-time sitter can be an extra set of eyes and hands as you plan out more kid-friendly activities for the younger ones to enjoy.

Things to remember

If you are considering hiring a full-time summer sitter for a family trip, you should definitely keep a few things in mind.

First and foremost, start the search as soon as possible. While you may have your usual sitter in mind for the trip, you don’t know if their personal lives and plans will limit them from joining you on vacation. If it does, check out Wyndy, a platform that helps parents find highly vetted college babysitters and nannies. Remember that your trip destination and duration can also greatly affect your likelihood of finding a sitter quickly.

Set clear expectations. If you are hiring a full-time summer sitter for a job, you are likely doing so to make your life much easier while on vacation. With that being said, set clear expectations with the sitter you hire. If you expect them to be on call for the trip, you don’t want them to treat the trip as a solo vacation, leaving them to make their own plans and not be available to supervise your children.

Hiring a full-time summer sitter isn’t for everyone, but on the right trip, it can make everyone’s experience smoother and more worthwhile. If these trips are something you are considering for the summer, consider hiring a full-time summer sitter to accompany you on your family’s upcoming vacation. Have fun!