A recent New York Times article, 5 Ways to Make College Tours Fun Instead of Grueling, offers some great advice about planning and actually visiting college campuses. For families with sophomores and juniors this is advice to take to heart.

While many students are not really dialed into the college search process until spring of their junior year, it does make sense to take students to campuses that are near places where your family will be visiting or are an easy drive from home and offer other attractions students (and other members of the family) will enjoy.

Another good tip is not to cram too many college visits into any one trip. For example, a relative scheduled and hauled his two twin sons to 16 colleges and universities over their junior spring break leaving them exhausted (with heads spinning) by the end of the break. Make it fun, always!