How To Have A Great Family Vacation
The tone
of an entire vacation is often set during the time spent
traveling to your destination. Plan travel thoughtfully,
making sure it's as stress-free as possible. When taking
long car trips with young children, for example, go to bed
early the night before and start out in the middle of the
night. This pretty much ensures that the kids would sleep
at least halfway through the day's drive. In addition:
- If you are traveling
by air with a child under two, take a child restraint
seat. Board early, giving yourself time to get situated.
- If you don't already
do this, pack some finger-food snacks (cereal, small
bags of crackers or cookies) and juice boxes. Flight
cancellations, traffic jams, and myriad other travel
delays can add up to a hungry, cranky child -- even one
who's 8 or 10.
-
Carry snacks
in little zip-lock bags instead of whole cookie boxes or
chip cans. You can split a box of cookies into four or
five zip-lock bags, which you can give to your kids when
they are hungry. Crumbs stay in the bags and you can
throw them away without worrying about soggy leftovers
or open boxes or packets.
- Regardless of your
mode of transportation, pack a bag of puzzles, games,
and books for the kids. If you travel by car, go to the
library and check out several good books on tape that
everyone will enjoy.
- Carry a Photo of Your
Child
- Keep a color
picture of your child's face in your purse or wallet in
case he or she gets lost in a crowded airport or
shopping area.
- To keep bickering
between siblings to a minimum, give the children three
strikes at the outset of the trip. If any child bickers
at another, all of the children are penalized a strike.
When you arrive at your destination, if the children
have not used all of their strikes, they are allowed to
do something special.
- Use a travel agent to
book you into a hotel or resort with separate
educational and recreational programs for children as
well as child-sitting services in the evening.
- Instead of being
24-hour parents during your vacation, plan on spending
ample time together as husband and wife. That's what
vacations are for, anyway.
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