There's nothing like the experience of a family vacation. You get some time off work, time that you can bond with your kids and spouse, make memories that will be cherished forever, and take pictures that will make all of your coworkers and friends very jealous of your wonderful family adventures. With that though, comes unknown dangers, as with visiting any area that you've never been to before.

Unfortunately, kids are a target for some of the worst people on this planet, so it's important to be prepared to keep your kids safe, even while on vacation. To help you do just that, we've pulled together some family vacation safety tips to help you and your children prepare for the upcoming time off.

Family vacation safety tips don't have to limit the amount of fun had on the trip, but they do help you to be prepared for any situation, as well as educate your kids on some of the not so great parts of the world.

• Research your chosen destination. Do this before you've even determined for sure that you are going. There are some places that are just not safe for children right now, so you may want to plan that vacation for another time or simply switch to a safer destination where you will have less to worry about. One way of avoiding danger is looking for it, and being aware of where it is hiding.
• Practice safety procedures with your children. Reiterate how important it is that they not leave your side, or the hotel without you, and how they are to never accept things from strangers or go with a stranger anywhere. Unfortunately, some people may use hotels and resorts to try to lure children away, so make sure they know who they can trust, and go over what they are to do in case someone tries to grab them or lead them away from you or the hotel. Practice makes perfect, and will keep your kids safe and sound.
• Get a wearable GPS for your children. This is fairly newer technology, and allows you to easily know where your child is at all times. The one downside to this is that it can be removed.
• Have a first-aid kit on hand. Kids will be kids, which means, even on a family vacation to the beach, there will likely be injuries of some kind. Kids can scrape and scratch themselves up so easily, so be prepared with band-aids and Neosporin in case of emergency. Also be sure to have an antihistamine in case of allergic reaction, and some ibuprofen specifically made for kids.
• Have a planned meeting place in case of separation. Even with plenty of planning, your kids may somehow get separated from you. In case this happens, be prepared with a meeting place, and go over it with them multiple times. Stress the importance of this and ensure that they know how serious this can be. You don't want to scare them, but they do need to be aware of the reality of the situation.
• Choose a safe hotel room. If you are placed on the first floor, ask to be moved to the third or fourth. This is too high to be broken into, but fire ladders can easily reach, and you won't have to take the kids down 30 flights of stairs in case of fire or emergency.
• Dress your child in bright clothing. It's a lot harder to take a child who is wearing neon clothing, and it's even harder to lose sight of them in case you do get separated.
• Don't leave your kids alone at night. Even if you are just running down to grab something, leave one parent with the kids. You never know who is at the hotel, and who could see you leave and try to take advantage of your kids being left alone.

None of our family vacation tips are meant to incite fear, but instead to help you be prepared. While the odds of something happening can be slim, it's better to be prepared. You never want to think that it only happens to other families and let your guard down. Instead, it's best to be prepared for any situation that could arise, and always put your family's safety as the number one consideration.