Have Kids, Will Travel?

"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. "

Walt Streightiff

 

 
This posting is about traveling with children.  Now, those who know me will say - "Really?"  They know that I don't travel with children.  I'm 65 and our daughter has been a grown up for a long time.  And we have no grandchildren.  So, no - we don't travel with children.  We do travel with dogs, and in many ways it is similiar, but I think they might be easier.

However, when our daughter was a child, we did do some traveling with her, so we do have some experience.  And as a travel agent I certainly had clients with young children, and arranged travel for them.  So I decided it was time to write about this.  When I talk about traveling with children, I am talking about ones that are past the toddler stage.  I would suggest that traveling with babies and toddlers is not going to be a lot of fun, and if you can avoid it, then do.  Either stay home, or get a sitter. 

Books are quite often
good things to pack to keep
a child entertained

When our daughter Kim was very young, the travel that we did with her was mostly by car.  She and I did take one long train trip also, where we had to overnight on the train.  It was to visit my family in Washington and we were traveling from Southern California.  Whether it is a trip by car or by train, or even by plane, when traveling with kids the main thing is to keep them occupied.  They get bored fairly easy.  If you are in a car, then their boredom is only going to bother you, but on public transportation you don't want them to get disruptive, so keeping them busy and entertained is important.  No one wants to see your children running up and down the aisle of the airplane, or listen to them crying from boredom.

We were lucky in that respect, as our daughter was always an avid reader.  Give her a book and she is entertained for hours.  That doesn't work with every child.  Today there are things available that we didn't have.  You can always take a computer and some child friendly movies along, and that will usually keep them entertained for quite awhile.  There are different kinds of games you can take along also.  What ever your child is interested in, take things along that they will enjoy doing, and will keep them busy till you get to your destination.

Most Children love the beach

As for destinations, that should also be taken into consideration when traveling with children.  There are places that are much more child-friendly than other places.  And places that children will enjoy more than others.  For instances, a young child will probably not enjoy a trip to Europe where you are exploring historical sights or shopping.  They will get bored quite quickly.  But on the other hand, going to a beach is always fun for children.  A week on the beach in Hawaii can be quite a nice family vacation.  So plan a vacation that all will enjoy, and hold off on those other types of trips until the children are old enough to enjoy it.

Children at a Museum for children
Interactive exhibits

Even if you are going to a city, there are things you can plan around the children.  Most large cities have museums that are geared towards children.  They are usually interactive and educational, but also fun.  You might also find a play that would be fun for the children - such as The Lion King.   Most large cities also have a zoo, which can be a fun thing to do one day.  Find things that relate to your childs interest.

A cruise can be a great way to travel with children.  Especially if you choose a cruise line that caters to children, such as Carnival or Disney.  Both these ships have kids programs onboard, which will keep the kids entertained, while you have some free time to relax and enjoy yourselves.  And if you choose a destination that has shore excursions that they will also  enjoy, then you are set.  The Caribbean is always good, because kids love the beach.  Alaska can also be good with kids, there are things to see along the way from the deck of the ship.   You can sometimes see whales even.  And the shore excursions can be fun for kids.  There are train rides and you can spot moose and other wildlife.

Harry Potter Theme Park
at Universal Studios, Florida

And of course the ultimate vacation for any child is to go to any of the theme parks.  Disneyland, Disney World, Universal Studios with the Harry Potter area, Six Flags Magic Mountain or Sea World.   You can build your trip around one of these parks, and take in other things in the area while you are there. 

A word on taking your children to Disneyland or Disney World, or for that matter - any type of theme park.  These are always fun places for kids, and they will love going there, but if your child is under the age of 4, there is not a lot for them to do in these parks.  Most rides have an age or height requirement.  And a long day at the park is going to make even older children grumpy.  Small children need naps and have short attention spans.  If you wait until the child is older, then their first experience with the Disney parks will probably be more fun - for everyone involved.  I have seen people with babies at the parks, and I have to wonder what they are thinking.  It doesn't make any sense to me.  The baby certainly is not getting anything from the experience, and everyone else is limited as to what they can do.  Do yourself and the baby a favor, get a sitter and leave the baby at home!

Here are a few suggestions of things to keep kids busy while traveling:

Today many cars have DVD players built in.  These are great for keeping kids entertained if you are traveling by car.  On public transportation you could put the DVD on a small computer for them. There are also hand-held electronic games and you can also load and ipod up with each childs favorite music and they can listen to that while traveling.

Let the kids choose a few things they want to bring. Give each child there own “suitcase”—a laptop-sized bag—that he can fill with whatever toys or books they want to bring on the trip.

Make a "Vacation Book" which will tell them about where they are going and activities that they might be interested in when they get there.  It can be adapted for non-readers by adding lots of coloring pages relating to your destination.

Consider buying your kids their own digital cameras. You can get some inexpensive ones.  They can take pictures along the way and document their trip.  And with digital you don't have the expense of printing up a bunch of pictures that don't turn out.  You can only print up the special ones, and they can have their own photo album of their trip.

 If driving, stop every couple of hours so they can take a bathroom break, stretch their legs and let off steam.  If you can find some fun places to stop, so much the better.  In Arizona there is a stop where you can see Dinosour footprints, and there are things like the "World's Largest Twine Ball.

Take tasty, but nutritious snacks along.  Avoid items with lots of surgar or caffiene since the last thing you want is for your kids to get overactive or hyper.

Enjoy your travels with your children, they do grow up fast, and before you know they are off on their own.  Those family vacations will be great memories for you and for them.