Do you remember how much you enjoyed annoying your parents on that long car ride when on vacation? Well now the tables have turned! How does a parent travel with kids? Traveling with kids does not have to be a bad experience, in fact it can be quite fun! It is important to plan ahead and have some events planned to help keep them occupied! 1. When possible, travel at night and let the kids sleep. But be cautious, because it's easy to get tired. If you find yourself getting sleepy, roll down the windows, play music, or better yet, find a safe place to pull over and take a 20 minute nap. 2. Plan your trip during the day with stops about every 90 minutes. By planning ahead, and using travel planning software, online trip planning sites or travel associations, you can find -- and stop at -- kid-friendly places such as parks with playgrounds, historic monuments or view areas where everyone can get out and walk around for a few minutes. Giving the kids even a 15 minute break will give them a chance to "get the wiggles out" and work off some energy. 3. Bring along some sing-along music. Although your kids may groan at first when you start singing, they'll soon join in, especially if the songs are either well-known, absurd or "gross." Think of your own childhood favorites, or camp songs. Singing can really help to pass the time, and creates happy memories later on. To help cut costs, you can even record your own CDs? If the kids don't know the words, create sing-along books for everyone by typing them in your Word processing program and printing them out. 4. Create a goodie-bag. Good ideas are travel toys and games, bubbles, inexpensive art books and pencils, even the latest in collectible cards or action figures. (To save money, look for seasonal sales or buy something every payday.) To cut down on arguments about sharing, you can set a time limit for playing with each game, before everyone has to switch. Individual presents can be wrapped or not, and given out at whatever schedule fits your needs and your kids' boredom levels. You can even choose particular games for particular stops, such as bubbles, Frisbees or small balls, which will encourage running off energy. 5. Bring along individual "quiet time" activities. These could include an art box (keep the supplies inside an inexpensive plastic shoe box), postcards or writing paper, or even a journal given to each child at the beginning of the trip. Encourage them to write letters, or record their thoughts and feelings. You can also bring along hand-held games, or inexpensive CD players and earphones, so that everyone can listen to the music or books of their choice. Depending on the space you've got and the length of time you'll be gone, each child could have their own box or backpack, to keep their things organized and accessible. 6. If your trip is going to include a lot of sightseeing, pack a backpack with sweaters, hats, swimsuits (if in season), extra socks and even towels, in case anyone gets wet -- accidentally or on purpose. Keep the backpack in your trunk, so you can just grab it and go. Most kids, if given the chance when near water, will really enjoy getting wet, and it saves on the wear and tear of your vehicle if you plan ahead. Also be sure to pack extra water and travel snacks such as energy bars, nuts or travel mix. You can add to your child's enjoyment if you also include things such as a magnifying glass, binoculars, a disposable camera and their own travel map. 7. Include a "kid's activity" at least once every day. This may be something as simple as going for ice cream after visiting a museum, or going to a water or amusement park. There are often lots of great free or inexpensive activities in most places in the States. To find them, you can check ahead of time with local Chambers of Commerce, on city Websites, or with your travel agent. To help keep the expenses down, don't forget to check for "two for one" coupons, or discount tickets that are often available at local fast food restaurants or in local papers. Also, many family style restaurants offer a "kids eat free" night, which could be a special treat. 8. Don't forget about the travel games you probably played as a child. There is "Letter Bingo" where you look at road signs and billboard ads to find the letters of the alphabet, or "License Plate Alphabet" where you go through the alphabet in order. You can also create easy bingo sheets that you print out with clip art of common sites you'll see on your trip. Your kids will be more inclined to play along if they know that your parents used to play the exact games with you. (Grandparents are SO much cooler than parents are...) 9. Let your kids help to navigate, narrate and create information about your trip. There are so many great resources online these days that can help you make your trip even better. Letting your kids get involved helps to make it more enjoyable for them. For example, let one child be the "trip navigator" each day. They have the responsibility of looking at the map, and making sure that the right exits are taken, or how much farther to each destination point. (If you really want to get creative, the navigator could wear a special hat or badge; the narrator could have a "press badge" or carry a reporter's notebook, etc.) Older children can create written entries into a journal or even in a Blog, talking about the daily activities and sights. Another option is to bring along an inexpensive tape recorder, and let each child record their impressions of the different places you see or things you do. Younger children can draw pictures, or use a disposable camera. 10. Start collecting postcards. Postcards are inexpensive, and your kids will enjoy getting to send them to their friends or other family members. Postcards are also a great addition to your family photo album after the trip. You can cut them up, or even write about specific experiences on the backs of them, to help everyone remember what you did and where you went.
Gina and I take the approach that travel is as much a part of the kids education as is sitting in a classroom. Because we don't like to travel around holidays, often this means pulling the kids out of school for a week or more. Not only does the school work get done while they are away, but they learn about new cultures, enjoy new experiences, taste new foods, and all of this becomes part of a school project when they return home.
There are many great reasons to travel with kids; we have selected the 5 that we most appreciate?
Brings family together
All of our lives are busy these days. When we aren't putting in long hours at the office or fighting rush hour traffic, we are ferrying kids to one activity after another. Even when we have down time, everyone tends to go his or her own direction.
Traveling brings everyone together. For a moment in time the frenzy of ?normal life? is pushed aside, and you are able to spend time together. Instead of multiple agendas there is only one agenda, the family agenda.
Spending time together brings a family closer together through simple acts like talks and shared experiences, acts as glue bonding everyone.
As a parent I am hopeful that the kids cherish these memories as they get older.
It will make you humble
In our normal, comfortable lives we can control a significant portion of our environment. This allows us to appear more of an authority to our children than is actually the case. If we are lost?plug the address into the navigation system. If we are asked a question that we don't really know the answer to, taking a guess at the answer does not result in any bad consequences.
Take these examples to a remote city in the middle of Ecuador, and you will learn what humble means. The kids quickly realize that even Dads can get lost?really lost! They also realize that he doesn't know as much as we (or he) thought he did.
?Hey dad, what will happen if I pick up this animal (that I have no idea even what it is)?
?Hey dad, what will happen if I eat this (that I have no idea if it is even food)?
The questions keep coming and the opportunities to display your ?human vulnerabilities? are plenty. There are plenty of opportunities to make us humble when we travel with our kids.
See the world through a child's eyes
Traveling with children creates a perspective that as adults we miss. As adults we are pre-occupied with putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together, while a child finds adventure in the puzzle piece itself.
My 7-year-old daughter loves dogs. Anywhere we go she finds a new best friend. My perspective is that if you have seen one dog you have seen them all, while for Gigi each new dog is a petting opportunity. This simple, innocent act causes her parents to participate in an experience that would other wise not happen and go unnoticed.
Several years ago we took a vacation to Mexico, and stayed at a small condo development on the beach south of Mazatlan. In our condo was literature that described a Sea Turtle breeding project that was located on the property a mile down the beach.
Now if we did not have the kids with us, Gina and I would have stopped by and taken a look at the turtles?learned a little about the issues facing the species and moved on. With the kids in tow it was a whole different story.
We visited the turtle center over a ? dozen times, and several mornings the kids asked me to set the alarm at 6 a.m. so that we had time to make the mile long walk and participate in releasing the young hatchlings into the ocean. We can't get the kids to wake up for school most mornings?but here we were on a remote stretch of beach in the middle of Mexico helping sea turtles make their start in life.
New roles and responsibilities for family members
When a family travels together there is added responsibility for each member of the family. The days activities are not planned by mom and dad only, the kids participate in the discussion of what to do and see. My daughter is responsible for carrying her own luggage, the same responsibility as the rest of the members of the family.
I spend more time playing with the kids than I do at home, and my responsibilities shift from family coach to just another member of the team. The wife and kids cringe at the thought of Dad drafting a 3-page strategy plan?and mutiny ensues.
There is a shared responsibility to find solutions to issues we face on the road, much more than happens at home. With each successful solution you see the confidence in everyone grow, the kids are proud of themselves for contributing and the parents delight in the strengthening of our family.
Everyone is more willing to pitch in and help each other. Instead of big brother flinging his sisters doll across the room like back home, he helps her when she is in need and they spend time playing, exploring, and laughing together.
Broadens cultural awareness
Traveling reminds us, and teaches the kids that the world is not made of middle class suburbs. They are able to see, and feel, and experience the way other people live.
One of the fun activities with kids is to watch or participate in celebrations in the places we visit. The kids experience the many unique customs, the dress, and dance or music that is traditional in these places.
Trying new foods for kids is not something easily done, but we encourage them to taste a little of everything. Grant is very willing to try new foods, while his sister is very reluctant. Our meals are turned into a fun, social activity as plates are passed back and forth, hands dart across the table trying to grab the last morsel of a food that someone liked, and the faces change from pleasure to ?disgust? dependent on the last food tasted.
Most importantly the children develop empathy for the global community. They learn to put themselves in the shoes of another, and begin to remove the narrowness of a singular viewpoint about the world they live in.
We hope that these experiences prevent prejudice and other bias too common in society, and in fact, they will provide leadership for their generation in increasing understanding of cultural differences.
Both Sally Rutherford & Sean Lannin are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sally Rutherford has sinced written about articles on various topics from Best Beach in World, Personal Desktop and Entertainment Guide. I recently did a review of a product you may be interested in. It explains how to save 50 to 75% on hotels and flights using travel agent only special rates!