Even though we have had some difficult days while on vacation, we turned it all into good fun and made it all work anyway. We started out with small children, so vacations were planned for things normal children would do on vacation. As we got older children, almost all of them wanted those childhood vacations such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Six Flags, Water Parks.
Also, as the younger children grew and we took older children, those new children were properly informed what to expect.
Often times camping trips were beneficial because it allowed the children to bond, and since there were no electronics; swimming, hiking, and just plain nature became fun. We made up our own games, played board games around the table with a Coleman lantern for light, popped popcorn over the fire, made the mandatory S'Mores, and each year the children looked forward to another vacation.
We not only had fun, the kids had fun, and now we see them pass it down to their children.
It's a great life when you can add fun!