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[T1289]Travelling With Young Children

by Ian Williamson, Ian

Your arsenal or 'bag of tricks' should first and foremost start with the comforts of home. Pack your child's favorite blanket, pillow and toy for sleeping. These will not only come in handy at the hotel or grandmas when it is time for bed but also food if you get stranded along the road for an unforeseen reason. Your child can snuggle with his or her blanket while the adults are dealing with the situation.

The next thing you need in your bag of tricks is a DVD player with lots of movies. If you are lucky enough to have a child who will watch movies for hours this will be a blessing when you are on the road. The second way that movies help is you can explain how long your drive will be based on movie length. For example you can say 'it will be two movies and then we will be at our hotel'.

The third trick in your bag is activity workbooks. Pack coloring books, dot to dots, mazes and letter and number books. Then keep them safely stowed away from the kids. When they are in the need of a pick me up pull out a book and give them a crayon.

Fourth in your bag of tricks are magnet shapes and cookie sheets. Before your trip go to an office supply store and purchase sticky back magnets. These are often times used to make magnetic business cards or magnetic posters. Then peel back the magnetic label and stick on colored construction paper. Then cut the magnets into shapes. The kids can then use the shapes to draw pictures on the cookie sheets.

Your fifth trick in your bag of tricks is books. Bring plenty of books to read aloud to your children. Think about how much time you already spend reading to your kids. This is a great way to pass the time, while one parent drives the other parent reads.

Your sixth and final trick will be the scent game. Clean out and save 10-12 film canisters. Then place one cotton ball in each dry film canister. On each cotton ball place a couple of drops of different scents. You can use vanilla, cinnamon oil, peppermint oil, anise oil, perfume and even dads' cologne. Then label each canister and have your children try to guess what the scents are.

With your bag of tricks full you should have a great road trip with even the fussiest of preschoolers.

A holiday abroad should always be fun, but when you travel with young children and need to rent a car from the airport to your holiday destination, you should take a few moments to read the following tips to make the trip fun andcomfortable. Remember that if the children enjoy the journey you will normally have a great time yourself.

PLAN YOUR TRIP
If children get car-sick easily, it is best to give them something to eat or drink and to wait a while before getting into the car. Take advantage of the time you have to wait for your luggage or at the car hire counter in the airport to avoid unnecessary delays.

Get a detailed roadmap at home or check the internet for the latest information on the journey from the airport to your destination. Work out how often you would need a break and plan plenty of stops when driving for a long time. It's necessary to stop minimum 20 minutes every two hours, trying to go non-stop only leads to accidents. Check the corresponding motorway exits for convenient stops where your children can get out of the car and run around a while.

Try to stop at playgrounds where they can play safely. Take some time to relax and stretch your legs yourself. Your journey will take a bit longer but it will be a relaxed start of your holiday.

ENTERTAINMENT
All kids love to play so make sure to have their favourite toys, dolls or teddy bears ready in your hand luggage. Make sure to pack at least one familiar object like a favourite toy or a special blanket for every child.

Music is also a great way to keep your children occupied in the car. All modern rental cars come with radio nowadays, but the suppliers do not normally guarantee if it is equipped with CD or tape deck. Do not take the change and make sure to pack your children's favourite music both on CD and on tape.

Books with multi-colour images or colouring books with pencils are also a great alternative. If you do not suffer from car sickness yourself reading a story for the children is also a good way to keep them occupied for a while and help the time pass more quickly.

If you can afford it consider a portable DVD player. A portable DVD player is worthwhile the money, it will keep your children busy for hours in the car but at the airports as well. It also comes very handy at your holiday destination during the hot siesta hours or on a rainy day.

Article Source : The Future Of Children

About Author

Both Ian Williamson & Rudi Van Der Zalm 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.

Ian Williamson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guide Guitar, History and Sports Car. For more by Ian Williamson please visit. Ian Williamson's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.

Rudi Van Der Zalm has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family Travel, Car Rental and Credit Cards. Rudi van der Zalm is the founder of one of Europe's most popular online car rental services who help travellers find . Visit