Return to Traveling
On Your Own
Return to Trip Planning
or use your back key
|
Traveling With The Family |
|
|
Preparing
For A Trip
Why Have Travel Insurance?
|
|
|
Want to plan your own vacation destination and save money at the same time. Use the search box at your right for some great vacation destinations at great prices.
|
|
|
Away.com - Discounts on Exciting Travel Getaways -
Find your dream vacation at Away.com: From sun-drenched beaches in southern Spain to a hiking Weekend in the Grand Canyon, you can find your dream vacation at Away.com, as well as many discounts! Just Click here and start on the road to paradise.
|
|
| Bid4Vacations Now you can Bid4Vacations with Getting Away and find your favorite type of vacation - Cruises, Beach, Family Fun, Golf, International, Mountain and Ski, Adventure, Gaming, Spa, or a nice Weekend or Getaway! Click on Bid4Vacations for additional information! Jim |
|
| Traveling with children can be one of the best – or one of the worst – experiences you will ever have. One of the main things you have to do is prepare them for whatever is going to take place during your travels and make sure everything is “fun.” Even when things go bad and wrong, make a joke about it and have fun with it. I will try and break down some basic information into three areas. Preparing for a trip (particularly an overseas trip), making the flight, and making the best of it when you arrive. |
|
If you travel as much as I do, check out Magellan's
Catalog.
From
adaptor plugs to wrinkle-free clothing, their award-winning catalog has
everything for travelers.
Save on your next family vacation! Sign up for Smarter Living's FREE Family Traveler
Newsletter for travel deals on vacations and more!
I have found a lot of good deals through Smarter
Living.
| Make a game of preparing for the trip by having the kids help you research the trip. Visit the library, or better yet, let them help you search the Web and see what they can find out about the places you are going to visit. And then – this is very important, let them choose a few places they want to visit and make it seem as though you are going there just for them even though you may have planned visiting that particular site or attraction for years. | 
|
You can also often find videos that will show them the very places you are going to visit. However, be aware that when you show them a video and there is a carnival or fair or some other special thing going on, you might need to let them know that those particular things are not always going on and they may not be there when you are there. Travel videos often put a lot of things on the video you will never see unless you are traveling at a time when those particular activities will be taking place. Try to do a little commentary while you are watching the video by saying things such as, “We will be able to ride on a double-decker bus just like that one.” Remember that taking children on trips requires a lot of additional time and effect on your part and a lot of additional planning. If you want to have a good time – they will have to have a good time!
Be sure to visit you doctor and make sure your children are healthy before leaving. And, keep them healthy by eating and sleeping right before the trip. You should also be sure you pack any of their medicines (both prescription and over-the-counter drugs) so you will have them if you should need them. And, you will need additional first-aid supplies (band aids and such) because they will be more accident prone than you are.
Be sure to let them in on the exciting job of securing a passport. Make a big deal of it and make getting it fun. And remember, even infants are required to have a passport. And, if you child can sign his or her name you want to make sure they do so on the passport. It really makes them feel important.
Finally, get them a nice kid-sized backpack that they can put all of their own “stuff” in and help them to pack it. Make sure they have there own camera (The disposable ones are nice.) so they can take some of their own pictures. However, be sure to give them some limits or you will have a few hundred dollars of pictures to develop when you return.
Just a quick note. My daughter found this web site and I though I would pass it on to everyone. It is about a product to help your child have a better sleep in a car seat during those long car trips. Looks pretty good to me. Click here to see the product.
Making
The Flight...
Begin by arriving plenty early at the airport and then at the gate.
Remember, families with children get to board first. If you have a very
little one and use a stroller, be sure you know the airlines procedures
for them. Will it have to be checked? Will it fit in the overhead? Just
remember to check when you make your reservations. And try for a bulkhead
seat when you make your reservations as they will give you extra space
and keep the kids from “bothering” the people in front of you by kicking
the seats and such.
Be sure you have items with you to keep the children occupied during the flight. The movie on the flight might not be one they will be interested in. Coloring and activity books about the places you plan to visit are nice – when you can find them. Also hand-held games (if they are the type the sound can be turned off on) are very good. And, try to get them to keep a diary and they can make diary entries while they’re in the air. It is nice to have a few of their favorite snack items with you also.
A lot of kids, just like us, do not like the meals on airplanes. However, unlike us, they can often get a special meal of hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or spaghetti if you request them ahead of time. When you make your reservations, inquire and perhaps you can do it right then. And, although most airlines do not have baby food, you can bring your own along and they will be happy to heat it up for you. However, be sure to tell the flight attendant about this request as soon as possible after you board so they can make their plans accordingly.
After You
Arrive...
You children will be more tired that you are after a long overseas
flight so you will want to make the first day or two “easy days” and not
try to do it all at once when you arrive. And, when you do head out for
sightseeing, do it early in the day when the lines are shorter. You will
be glad you did! Also, make sure your kids understand what to do if they
should become lost while you are visiting an attraction. Help them to identify
museum or department-store employees so they will know who to turn to if
they should become lost.
Do your best to find “kid-friendly” hotels when you travel. Try and stay away from the hotels on very busy streets and look for places with a garden or courtyard where they can do a little exploring. A lot of European hotels do not cater very well to children and families so you will want to make sure you check when making a reservation.
Encourage your children to keep up their journals and to keep track of the pictures they take by writing the subject of each picture in their journal. Have them buy postcards not only to send home, but to substitute for the picture that did not turn out. Also have them keep receipts, ticket stubs, and brochures for the places you visit so you can (together) make a scrap book when you return.
You may want to check Travel with Your Children, a great resource
for parents which publishes the newsletter Family Travel Times.
You can contact them at 212/477-5524 for additional information. You might
also want to check out some of these links on family travel.
"Baseball Vacations: Great Family Trips to Minor League and Classic Major League Ballparks Across America" by Bruce Adams and Margaret Engel is a great book for the family that loves baseball. The authors set out with their 8-year-old daughter, 5-year-old son, and a worthy goal: "to help families plan realistic trips that include baseball." To that end, they traveled over 50,000 miles and cheered on over 110 major- and minor-league teams, from the Durham Bulls to the Bronx Bombers. They then divided the best stadiums they saw, as well as the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions that surround them, into 30 long-weekend trips spanning the entire country.
Why Have Travel Insurance? Do You Have Car Insurance?
|
|
Get fantastic savings when you use the
Entertainment Book. Save on
dining, travel, attractions and much more. Over $10,000 possible savings for
the cost of a $25 to $45 book with books for over 150 major metropolitan
areas. Do what I do, buy one for the city or area where you live, and for
your vacation destinations this year.
The Entertainment book saves you money
on all your travel needs: hotels, car rentals, airfare and more! |
| Want to plan your own vacation destination and save money at the same time. Use the search box at your right for some great vacation destinations at great prices. Getting Away and OneTravel.com - Working together to bring you the best in travel! |
|
