Traveling with Kids can be enjoyable
by Kampier Stadler
Remember how nice traveling was when you were single? Or
even after you got married, when it was just yourself and
your spouse. But when the kids arrive, you have to adjust
your travel plans quite a bit. It's not just about you anymore,
you have to find ways of keeping your kids amused as
well during travel. There are some simple tips and
suggestions that can be of great help when traveling with
kids. If you follow these, you are much more likely to
have enjoyable trip with your children.
* Travel with Toddlers and Pre-schoolers: If you are
traveling with children of age 2 to 5, be aware that this
group is extremely self absorbed and everything is about
"them". They also have very short attention spans so it
often hard to communicate with them. Here are some travel
tip that will help with this group (these tips are useful
for children under the age of 2 as well):
- Attach a small stuffed animal or any other toy to the
child seat, within easy reach of your child.
- If traveling by car, stop several times, allowing your
children to stretch and jump around.
- Have lightweight stroller with you just in case your
child is really not in a mood to walk.
- Make sure that wherever you are staying, the area has
been child-proofed i.e there are no open electrical
sockets etc.
- Always have drinks and snacks available, because hungry
children will get cranky.
- If possible, having portable DVD or VHS player in your
vehicle while traveling is always a good idea. If the kids
are being entertained, they are likely to not notice the
passage of time.
- Take plenty of breaks for the restroom visits, because
nothing can be more annoying than cleaning a big mess made
by a child, something that was avoidable had you taken a
break at the appropriate time.
- Be sure to choose a travel destination that is
appropriate for your child as well. Amusement parks and
Museums are usually not the best spots for your toddler.
Instead, you could travel to the beach where children
could keep themselves busy for hours playing with sand and
water.
* Travel with school age children: If you are traveling
with children of age 6 to 13, keeping things simple is the
key. This group like the simple things and are often
fascinated by things that most adults take for granted,
Here are some travel tips for this group:
- Try to have plenty of snacks and drinks readily
available as kids in this age group are active and
dehydration can occur, especially when exposed to the sun.
- Give a specific amount of money to your kids to spend
while traveling. Since they can spend it on whatever they
want, it can be fun and help them be responsible at the
same time.
- Make your destination interesting and full of activity
and fun. Amusement parks would be a great idea for this
group. Another popular option can be to visit family as
kids in this age group enjoy interacting with family
members.
* Travel with teenagers: This is probably the easiest
group to travel with, however, participation is the key
with this group. If you involve them and allow them to
contribute when making travel plans, they will be a
pleasure to travel with and you can look forward to an
enjoyable trip.
| Kampier Stadler is the principal of YF Travel - which is the
most up-to-date resource on travel online. A complete list
of his articles is available here:
http://www.yftravel.com |
