Momma Sandy says - Kids and Vacations, Part 2

Momma Sandy Says

Kids and Vacations, Part 2

or how to survive travel with the family

     In the prior blog I talked a lot about pre-planning and involving the entire family.  Time to talk about other related stuff.

   I did mention options in vacation housing.  And there are a lot of them.  Where you stay will have a lot to do with what you are doing on the vacation. But whatever you choose there are some things to think about:

Motel/hotel-probably the most common travel residence.  They can range from really cheap, God awful places you shouldn't haven't taken your kids, to luxury hotel suites.  And everything in between.  Do your research before you make your reservations.

Bed and Breakfast - I like these places.  Mostly I've had good luck with them.  They can be amazing.  Also a bit more expensive.  Younger children may be a bit risky, especially if the place has antiques.

Rented houses - Especially near vacation destinations (like Disneyland), these are homes of varying sizes that are fully furnished and for rent for varying prices.  Prices can be high, especially in peak travel seasons, but for travels with children they can be really a blessing.  Again, do your research.

Staying with relatives - Depending on the relatives it can be wonderful, or it can be awful.  Staying with my mom, a joy.  The same thing with relatives in WA state.  In fact, most of my relatives are good to stay with.  Others aren't so lucky.  I've heard so many horror stories.

Camping - I've had some amazing adventures camping, either in a RV or in tents.  I recommend it.  However, I also understand that a vacation that only consists of camping has issues.  One road trip we took alternated a few days of camping with a day at a motel.  I insisted that the motel have a swimming pool and laundry facilities.  After arrival my husband took the kids to the pool and I had about 2 hours of child less bliss while I washed clothes.

Dude ranches, cruise ships, vacation resorts, etc. - Do your research.  They can be amazing.  Make sure that there will be children their own ages.

   A potentially troublesome issue is packing.  As adults we know to research.  What will the weather be like?  How long will we be gone?  Etc.  We can begin to teach our kids these skills.  Once they are old enough, we can guide our kids to create a Packing List.  Once that Packing List is completed to parental satisfaction it can be used in the actual packing process.  More mature kids can list and pack their own stuff.  Note:  checking their packing is probably a good idea.  I remember one trip to Boston in November when I failed to check my son's suitcase.  He hadn't packed a single pair of long pants.  He was a bit of an icicle until we spent unexpected money for new clothes.

Some ideas:  Every time we prepared for a trip I would pick up a few new (small) toys and some new books.  The kids might find out what they are ahead of time, but they couldn't actually play with them until we were out of the driveway.  If it was going to be a long trip, I'd have a second set of toys stashed away.

   We would also keep an eye out for bookstores along the way.  Or interesting stores that might have good books for toys.  Take time for unexpected adventures.

Travel tips for various age groups:

Babies - Babies take a lot of stuff with them.  And they take a lot of maintenance.  A lot of time.  Unless you have to, try to avoid long trips with them

Toddlers - With planning they can become good travelers.  You will probably want to try to keep them on their schedules.  If it's an auto road trip, plan on having an adult next to the toddler the whole time.  They will need to be entertained, fed, etc.  Bring a mix of old and new toys.

Pre-schoolers - They can be good travelers.  Remember to bring snacks.  And remember that they will need more frequent bathroom brakes.

Elementary school kids - These are the kids that will enjoy the license plate game, etc.  Keep them busy when they get bored.  This is the age that will ask, "Are we there yet?"  When they'd start that I'd tell them how far it was to our next destination and how fast we were going.  I'd make them do the math and figure out how long it would take to get there.  And then they had to figure out what time we'd get there.  Finally I'd tell them they couldn't ask me "Are we there yet?" until about 10 minutes after we were due to arrive.

Junior and senior high age kids - This is the "I'm bored" age.  Few things are worse than traveling with a sulky teen.  This is where the pre planning to include stuff for them helps.  Teens need to spend time with other teens.  Even if it is only via computer.  I remember when we did a family cruise to Alaska.  We chose a cruise line that promised a high percentage of teens.    We insisted on seeing our kids once a day at the minimum.  Mostly they traveled in a pack with the rest of the teens.  My ex and I went ashore every chance we could, having amazing adventures.  Our kids only went ashore once.  And that was to eat at McDonalds and to use a cyber cafe.  And they were happy.

   Final advice:  Plan ahead and have fun!