Many people like traveling. When you travel you go from place to place, you meet different people, you get to know a lot of interesting things and keep your memories for a long time.
I want to tell you about the most impressing place I have been to. I think that the most beautiful thing is not the thing created by people, but the thing created by nature.
* Start the trip a couple weeks before you leave by marking the days off on a calendar. Waiting can
be very exciting.
* At the same time, make a list of what to pack, You decide on the type of clothing, but let the
children choose their favorite items. A week before departure day, go over the list and clothing choices
with the kids to make sure everything fits and is in good repair.
* Let the children have their own bags, such as a back-pack or a small carry-on with rollers. A couple
of days before the big day, let them pack their bags. Let them include a small favorite toy and book
to read. In your carry-on bag, pack hard candies, gum and wet ones. Your bag will also include a surprise
toy for each child in case of unexpected wait times at airports or train stations and a disposable camera for
the kids.
* The night before departure, at bedtime, discuss safety and security rules, like where to meet if
you get separated and who to call if the adults get sick.
* Decide on how much money the kids can spend each day for anything they want.
* Make an itinerary of each day's plans and include a couple of activities that are flexible and
optional. Make time for free time. Also include hotel numbers, contact names, confirmation numbers
and transportion information.
ON THE ROAD
* If you are traveling by car, bring pillows.
* Keep the kids occupied with the I-Spy game, or the game where everybody takes turns naming countries
in alphabetical order until one by one they run out of countries. Let the children create a game. Like
count how many red cars on the highway, or how many convertibles.
* Stop frequently at rest stops. Let the kids jump and stretch and run to burn energy.
* Have snacks handy, like dry cereal, pretzels and trail mix. Fill a cooler with ice and bottled
water.
* To keep the kids from whining in restaurants and in stores, make rules ahead of time on how much
junk food they can have and what the budget is for meal times in the restaurants. Decide before you go in
what they can or can't order off the menu. For example, desserts might be more than your budget can handle,
so agree to buy a chocolate bar in the gift shop and leave the $5 chocolate cake in the display case.
* If you're flying to your destination give the kids gum to chew and buy favorite magazines for
everyone. See if your doctor will recommend an off-the-counter decongestion tablet if the kids have sinus
problems. The change in air pressure can be painful. Ask for the bulk seats for more leg room and take
advantage of pre-boarding. Chances are good that the pillows and the blankets won't be gone.
ONCE YOU ARE THERE
* Review your safety rules.
* Each day have your itinerary handy but be flexible with a few attractions. Let the kids decide
whether to go see the dinosaur museum or science center, whether they want to go to the beach or to the zoo.
If they disagree, find something else on the trip that they don't mind eliminating and do both the beach
and the zoo.
* Save time each evening to relax in the pool.
* Have the children save stubs, tickets from theatres, programs and maps of sights and attractions to
make a scrap when they get home.
ON THE WAY HOME
* Let the children review the trips activities in a journal and mark with a score board on the way
home.
Befitting their titles, grandparents and their grandchildren should
engage in grand relationships. Since the dawn of man, grandparents lived
in multigenerational communities, living and working alongside their
children and grandchildren. They were not "in the way" or a "nuisance;"
instead they served as teachers, advisers and role models - key figures
that positively shaped the lives of their grandchildren.
Times have changed and families are now spread across the country,
forcing grandparents to constantly seek new ways to cultivate
relationships and share special experiences with their grandchildren.
The answer: intergenerational travel, where grandparents plan vacations
with only their grandchildren, leaving the parents at home.
Intergenerational travel is a win-win-win situation: parents get a
well-needed break; grandparents get quality time with the grandkids; and
the grandkids get a week without homework, learning about the world
with their grandparents. Yet while more and more seniors are leading
active lives, it can be difficult to match the energy and interest level
of a child for an entire week.
So if you want to take a "grand" vacation but are worried about
keeping a grandchild entertained, check out these trusted travel tips
from the American Society of Travel Agents. Some of the most travel-wise
people in the world, ASTA members know that children love shiny toys,
and there is no better shiny toy than an exciting vacation with loved
ones.
Tips to Travel ByCreate a Multi-Generational Itinerary - Too often
seniors plan activities to solely please the children, running
themselves ragged to keep the trip in a high gear of constant fun. But
if you become unhappy, the kids will soon follow. A travel agent will
help you craft an itinerary that appeals to both generations, paying
special attention to natural attractions, like mountains and canyons,
and historical sites, like lost temples and medieval castles.
Consult the Parents - It may be awkward to turn to
your own children for advice, but talking with your grandchild's parents
is a critical step in planning a successful trip. Parents know their
children's favorite activities and subjects, along with their sleeping
and eating habits.
You're the Guardian, So Be Prepared - One lesson
travel agents teach time and time again is to always have proper
identification and medical histories wherever you go, for emergencies
enjoy being unpredictable. During the vacation, you are 100 percent
responsible for the children, so make sure you have their proper
identification, health insurance, contact information, recent photos and
notarized authorization from their parents in case they need medical
attention. All identifying documents for the children should comply with
the latest federal requirements for passports and other entry/exit
documents. Also, it's your job to know their medications and dietary
needs backwards and forwards.
Finally, some countries do not allow entry of minors not accompanied
by both parents unless the children have written, notarized permission
from the absent parents. The rules vary from country to country, so
consult your travel agent before your trip.
Play Favorites - Since a child's energy level
escalates exponentially with each additional child in the room, it's
wise take no more than two grandchildren at time, or even just one. As
much as you would to include all eight grandkids, in reality you should
play favorites and take only a few at a time. You can always plan more
vacations for the others.
Keep the Kids Excited - Just like a movie studio
builds excitement for an upcoming release, so should you with your
impending excursion. Have your grandchildren help plan the trip by
reading guidebooks or visiting your travel agent's office together. As
the date approaches, send your grandchild e-mails about the activities
or maps and pictures of the destination in the mail.
Take a Warm-Up Trip - Before traveling alone with
your grandchildren for an entire week or two, discover how you all
travel together by taking a day trip or have them stay over for a
weekend. If this short trip is more sour than sweet, maybe your
grandchildren are not ready for a longer journey away from home. If
that's the case, don't give up. Simply take more and more day trips
until the group learns to have fun together.
Like E.T., Phone Home - An effective way to
alleviate homesickness is to make periodic phone calls to the parents
and let the kids gush about the day's exciting adventures. The parents
will feel better knowing their children are in good hands, and you'll
feel better listening to the kids rave about the activities you planned.
You Need Downtime, Too - Many places provide
supervised activities for kids. If the resort or cruise offers these,
take them up on that offer and get some much-needed rest.
Music to Their Ears - If you're traveling by car,
especially with teens, let them enjoy their portable CD and MP3 players.
Trust us - you won't like what they're listening to. And don't try and
force Sinatra on a teen either. They will lean to appreciate Old Blue
Eyes later in life; everyone does.
Plan B Call Your Agent
When life serves you lemons, your travel agent has a lemon squeezer,
clean glasses and a bucket of ice. Many unforeseen factors - an illness,
hurricanes, unscheduled closings - can dampen a vacation, no matter how
thoroughly it was planned. When one of these occasions arises, stay
positive, pull your travel agent's card out of your purse and give her a
call. A travel agent has Plans B-through-Z at her fingertips.
Final Tip - Use a Travel Agent
Intergenerational travel is not a phrase created for this Web site; it's
a gratifying market that many resorts, cruises and travel agents enjoy
sustaining. If the idea of an intergenerational trip with your grandkids
sounds appealing, but you feel uneasy about planning such a complex
journey on your own, then turn to a trusted travel agent who specializes
in family travel.
A travel agent can set up a fun-filled itinerary that will stimulate
curiosity, encourage exploration and, most importantly, let you and your
grandchild bond like never before. Using a world of experience, travel
agents know which cruise lines, safaris or theme parks are the most
family friendly, for your travel agent has most likely taken her own
children there.
Ask your grandchildren if they want to see the world with you - the
experience is simply priceless. Search for a travel agent that
specializes in family travel today by clicking on the "Find a Travel Agent" .
It’s enough to make parents stay at home and play endless games of
hide and seek in the house instead of venturing to a new city or country
for a family holiday. Flying with kids can be disastrous. We all know how
much people who fly without kids complain about those who fly with
children. The thought of their glaring eyes has you crumbling at the
knees.
If something goes wrong, you are a long way from help. What if they
get sick? What if they don’t stop screaming? What if there isn’t enough
food? What happens if they won’t fall asleep? What if they just want to
run up and down the aisles screaming?
Is it really worth the hassle?
I say yes. In all my years of flying and travelling, I do not ever recall being disturbed by another child.
I’ve been irritated by a few adults plenty of times though.
Kalyra and Savannah have been flying since they were only a few weeks
old. We’ve only ever had one issue that lasted about 20 minutes.
Kalyra had just turned two. We were flying to Puerto Rico and caught a
6:30am flight from our home at the time Raleigh, North Carolina to
Atlanta. There were plenty of men and women in suits preparing for their
morning meeting or trying to get a few extra hours of shut eye before
trying to broker big deals.
Kalyra had just hit independence age and when it was time to put on
her seat belt for take off she was having none of it. The high pitched
screeming started. Craig and I crumbled in terror, thinking only of the
annoyed flyers around us (to be honest I don’t even think they were).
We had an arsenal of strategies we tried, none of them worked, yet
through it we remained calm and composed so she knew it was alright. The
crying eventually died down and soon enough she could take the belt off
and she was back to being an angel frequent flyer.
Flying with children isn’t really that bad. You can easily put
systems and strategies in place to help your child cope and to train
them to be good flyers.
Respect and Patience
It comes down to teaching our children respect and good manners and
for childless flyers to have a smidgen of patience and tolerance.
Flying is public so you have to expect children may be present and
might lose the plot. You can’t ask them to leave, and while I understand
that this can be frustrating, especially since you have paid for a
ticket, the best way for you to get through the flight is to manage your
self.
You usually cannot control what others are doing, you can however
control how you react. I think the Dalia Lama says it best, whenever he
is put through a challenging experience, he sees it as an opportunity
for him to practice the art of patience and compassion.
Mediate and say, “Thank you for this opportunity for me to learn patience and compassion. “
Trust me. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll end up enjoying your flight regardless.
But Parents,
You have got to teach your children manners and respect. They have learn to consider those around them.
I know you’re pulling your hair out and you just want to give up
because they haven’t listened after the 100th time, but you can’t. You
can’t sit on your entrainment system and ipad while your kids are
kicking the seat in front of them and screaming down the aisle. A stern
word and a few consequences almost always work. Take them into the
toilet for time out if you need to. That should shut anyone up!
17 Tips for Flying with Kids
There are three essential keys to helping your children have a good flight.
1. Preparation and Planning
99% of the time your child will be irritated, cranky or screaming because they are either:
Tired
Bored
Hungry
Pack enough food, enough toys and provide opportunity for them to rest on the plane.
2. Communication
You must talk to your child before, during and after the flight, so they know exactly what to expect.
Describe the experience of flying from checking in, to boarding, to
seat space, meals, entertainment, sleeping arrangements, playing, and
then disembarking. Depending on your child’s age you can also talk
through potential problems and solutions. What do you think you can do
if you start getting bored? What about if you are hungry?
Get them really excited about it, let them know it is a big adventure. Practice at home. Watch cartoons or movies if you can.
As you go through each procedure during the flight, talk to your child so they are prepared and comfortable:
“We’re just checking in now and the lady is going to take our
bags. We have to line up here for boarding, we must be patient as we
wait our turn. Oh yippee, look the hostess is coming with food!”
Check in with them throughout the flight as to how they are feeling and what they might need.
3. Training from an Early Age
The worst thing you can do is delay flying with kids because you are
frightened of it. It will only be worse when it is time to take the
plunge as they won’t know what to do. Train them as early as you can.
Our girls are such great flyers as they have been doing it from
birth. They know the procedure, what to expect and how to manage
themselves.
Just take a look at how Savannah, who was 17 months at the time of
recording this, boards a plane. She gets it at an age when some children
aren’t even walking yet.
4. Distract Them from Their Fears
I have a fear of flying that I am learning to overcome.
I hold Kalyra’s hand during take off. This helps take her mind off the
fear and transfer that to having an important job of easing Mummy’s
fears.
5. Book a Bassinet for Babies
This was so helpful flying to the States when Kalyra was only nine
months old. She loved having her own bed and would sit up and give the
royal wave to the passengers. Pre-book this when you book your plane
ticket, as are limited numbers.
6. Get Organized
As soon as you board the plane, get organized and settled in with
every thing you need. Have essentials stored in the pockets and under
the chair. Now you don’t have to climb over everyone or wait until the
seat belt sign is off to get what your unhappy child wants.
7. Have a Surprise Bag of Treats
Go to the $2 store and buy a bunch of toys, wrap them and every
couple of hours allow your child to unwrap one and play with it on the
plane. This is such a great way to turn a boring plane flight into a
treasure trove of fun.
8. Go for Walks
Every hour take your child for a walk up and down the plane. Not only
is it essential for your health and sanity to stretch your legs, but
your child will love all the attention they get form the other
passengers.
9. Have Quiet Activities to Occupy Your Children
You can’t go wrong with colouring books and pencils. Pack a couple of their favourite story books for quiet reading.
10. Ask for Help
If you are struggling ask the air hostesses for help. They are
usually wonderful at helping parents with their children and may even be
able to give you a break.
11. Take Snacks on Board
Every airline and flight is different now in regards to what food is
supplied. Take plenty of food and water with you on the plane, just in
case.
12. Have a Movie Marathon
Kalyra loves watching movies on the plane and she does for most of
the flight. Flying to LA with her is a breeze. Allow your children to
watch a lot of movies. It will get them excited about flying – it sure
does for me! If you have an ipad, have a few movies ready for in-flight
entertainment.
13. Play Entertainment Games with Them
Kalyra loves it when we sit and play the memory game and Pacman with
her on the in-flight entertainment system. It’s quiet bonding time. You
can also do this if you have an ipad.
14. Help Them Get Settled to Have a Sleep
Let them lie on your lap, put the pillow down for them, and snuggle
them up in the blanket. Do whatever you can to help them sleep; trust me
you will appreciate those couple hours of rest time yourself.
Keep to their regular bedtime routines as much as you can: dress them
in their pyjamas and have their favourite bear with them for snuggles.
15. Have Them Sit in the Middle
Have you seen the movie Flight Plan? Then you’ll know why I am
recommending this one. For safety keep them sitting between you and your
partner in the middle seats. This way you know if they are trying to
get out into the aisle without you!
16. Help Their Ears on Landing
Babies have not yet developed the ability to equalize their eardrums
naturally. If you have ever felt this pressure on your ears before then
you’ll know why so many babies scream during landing. Breastfeed/feed
your baby or have them suck on a dummy.
For older children let them chow down on chewy food.
17. Comfort Them
A cuddle and a few calming words or hushed lullabies does wonders for
comforting our children. Flying is such a new experience they might
feel a little anxious. Help them to feel safe and secure. It’s the best
way to settle them down.
Traveling with kids ain’t all bad. Seriously. Take it from us, the
good times of exploring near and far don’t have to end once you become a
parent (which many people believe unfortunately).
Believe it or not, there are some great benefits to traveling with
kids. They force you to evolve your style of travel, and in my opinion,
usually for the better.
1. They force you to SLOW down
My number one travel tip
I generally give people is to SLOW DOWN and spend more time in fewer
places. When you travel with kids, you basically have no choice but to
plan for a slower pace than you might usually attempt if traveling solo
or as a couple.
They force you to be realistic about what you can and can’t do in the
time frame you have. They don’t allow you to cram too much in to your
itinerary (if you do you learn that lesson pretty quickly), and for the
most part, I recommend you set the pace of your trip to what your
youngest child can handle.
Plus, on road trips they force you to build into your agenda time for
stops along the way for snack breaks, toilet breaks and play time –
often this leads us to stopping at small towns or beaches we would never
have visited.
Other benefits of slow travel:
You Spend Less Money – the more you move around by taking flights,
buses, trains or road tripping the more you spend on tickets and fuel.
Too much transport can really eat into your budget.
The less you feel you have to see, the more enjoyable and stress-free for EVERYONE.
You get to know a region well – instead of racing from one end of a
country to another, or tearing through 6 countries in 6 weeks, you’ll
get a better feel for a place and learn about the best things to see and
do, and build a connection with the locals.
Less Burnout – having to pack and unpack, deal with many airports,
bus terminals, boarder crossings and even visa issues can lead to burn
out.
2. They force you to MEET PEOPLE
Kids are incredible ice breakers for conversations, and they can be
best friends with total strangers within 5 minutes. Us adults, well, we
can stand distant from others for hours, even days minding our own
business without ever saying hello.
Kids, they just look at each other and they’re off playing like long lost cousins.
When our kids start playing with other kids, of course we then engage
with their parents, it’s rude not to right? And it’s an easy
conversation starter.
Because of this, we’ve met so many other interesting travelers we may
never have had a conversation with, which can lead to friendships or at
the very least, the sharing of tips and stories.
Same goes for meeting the locals in foreign countries. From our
experience, people just come up to us and start interacting with our
kids, and in Asia they steal your babies!
Be prepared for your children to be picked up, cuddled, and have photos
taken of them in some foreign lands. Breathe, and enjoy the new
experience of meeting friendlily strangers.
3. It’s an Excuse to Stay in Apartments
Before kids we never considered staying in apartments as a budget accommodation option.
It was mostly cheap hotels or hostels. But now we love staying in
apartments, whether it’s inner city or on the beach, and it’s mainly
because of our kids we gave them a shot.
Most big-city hotel rooms were not built for families with young
kids. They usually have no refrigerator or microwave, floor space is at a
premium, and neighbors can hear every tantrum.
But with an apartment you get more space, thicker walls, a kitchen, a
washing machine, and separate bedrooms. These extra facilities,
especially on a long stay, can make your trip so much more enjoyable.
Try it, and even consider sharing a 4 bed apartment with another family
to really make it economical.
4. They force you to stay in safe / central locations
When it was just Caz and I, we’d often stay wherever we got the
cheapest price, and sometimes those neighborhoods were out of the way or
in dodgy locations. Especially creepy coming home late at night.
Now that we have kids we are conscious of staying in a safe, central
locationthat’s also close to local attractions, food outlets, the beach,
the park, and all preferably within walking distance.
This has a flow on effect of saving us time and money in getting to
places, and provides more options for cheap local eats, especially if
we’re staying in a hotel or motel as we don’t want to have to eat in
their expensive restaurants.
5. They force you to go on ROAD TRIPS
Before we left on our road
trip around Australia, we seriously considered doing a big trip through
Asia. That was until we spent 2 weeks in Thailand where the only real
option was using public transport to get around the country.
Savannah, at 2 years old, was tough to deal with in Asia and we longed for having our own vehicle and going at our own pace.
Road trips are AWESOME, and especially awesome for families. By
having your own vehicle and a place to store your stuff, and you have
LOTS of stuff with kids, it makes for a more pleasant experience than
having to load and unload everything constantly on planes, trains,
mini-vans, tuk tuks, you name it.
And by having the flexibility to stop when you want to stop, to be
able to slow down or speed up, or divert from your initial route, is
priceless. You can’t do that so much when relying on public transport.
The best way to have children that behave well in public settings is
to get them used to it, and start them young – just like we mention in
our 17 tips for flying with kids.
We’ve been taking the girls since they were born, so its a normal
thing for them to eat at cafes, or restaurants or attend public
festivals and events.
2. Have your bag of goodies
Have a stash of pencils, colouring books, writing and reading books
and a few small toys in your bag – make sure they’re not super noisy.
3. Visit child friendly places
Seek out restaurants with playgrounds or kiddies corners. Attend festivals or events that have programs or areas for kids.
We found some amazing family friendly wineries, cafes and breweries in Bright and
the High Country. And we picked out a few fave cafes in St Kilda on the
beach. The girls could play in the sand while we sat close by enjoying a
coffee.
You’ll find staff much more interactive and helpful at child friendly
places as well. I love the ones where they pick up the girls for
cuddles and whisk them around the room to say hey to all the tables.
4. Plan for the right times
Go early for dinner. If you are at an event, get there when the right
kids shows and entertainment is on. Leave at the time when darkness
falls and the kids are over it. (I’m pretty sure you will be too!)
5. Make sure they are well fed and settled
Have a bag full of food for them, or if eating out, take the first 5
minutes to order their meals and have them delivered straight away.
Settle them in before you do anything else. Get out all their toys and
play things. Explain where they are.
Show them the toy/play area and let them know what they can do.
Remind them how to behave. Pour them a glass of water, ask them if they
need anything else, and then sit down.
6. Let them order their own meals
My Mum thought it was hilarious when she came out to dinner with 2
year old Kalyra, who ran her finger down the menu like a food critique
and chose fries for her meal. Now Savannah loves to do the same.
It’s a ritual they love to perform, and we make an effort to
encourage them to order with the waitress and say please and thank you.
Kalyra’s stepping up to now pay as well (so she can pocket the change).
When children feel they own the experience, they are more likely to
behave.
7. Talk about good social behaviour and public manners.
Remind children about appropriate behaviour in a public place and why.
Each of us need our space and peace to enjoy our meal or
entertainment. It takes a lot of time and effort and is a pain, but its
worth it in the long run (Don’t we say that about every parenting job?)
8. Let them sleep in the stroller, on the chairs or on the floor.
There has been the very rare occasion that we’ve put the girls on the
floor, almost under the table to sleep. Whatever works. Let them sleep
and you enjoy yourself. Shame that our children are almost out of that
stage.
We generally have to go next step.
9. Remove them from the area
There’s nothing like a bit of time out. If you’re child is slipping into melt down mode (we experienced this at the most important temple in Bangkok ) walk out of the public space, find a tree to sit under and wait till they calm down.
Remind them of good behaviour and how the other people around them
don’t want to hear the noise. It’s good for them to learn about
consideration for others who share your space. Let them run around a bit
if need be. Talk about the problem and find the solutions.
A good 10 minutes of quiet talk and cuddles with Savannah usually calms her down.
10. If all else fails give them the ipad/tablet
You know all those things you said you WOULDN’T do when you were a
parent. LOL. Yeah right. Greatest 10 minutes of bliss you’ll ever have.
11. No seriously, if all else fails pack your bags and go home.
You really don’t want to disturb the peace and good times of those
around you. It’s really not fun for you or your kids either. When the
expiry has been reached just head for the beds!
You really shouldn’t be afraid to take your children out to public
places. There are sometimes I’d be happy to crawl under the chair with
the outbursts and tantrums, but we usually can get it under control
quick.
