Next week, we are heading off to our first ever beach vacation! Since I am from New Jersey and grew up only 45 minutes from the Shore where spontaneous day trips were commonplace, this is a very significant trip for me. When we get back, I will tell you all about it. In the meantime, I thought I'd post this article I wrote for the April/May 2007 issue of
Frederick's Child magazine. Enjoy!
Planning a Family Vacation? No problem!
Over a year ago, I mentioned to a friend that my husband and I were taking our children, ages 4 and 6 at the time, to Spain for a week. Her response? “You’re insane.” I didn’t quite understand it since this person had been traveling overseas with her children since they were infants. She said it was completely different since she stayed with family, had her days organized for her, didn’t sightsee and was in relatively familiar surroundings. It was, in her words, “same life, different locale.”
That conversation got me thinking. What is it about traveling with children that gets us so stressed? Why is the idea of staying in a hotel with kids so foreign to many families? And what can we do to reduce that stress so that we can expose our kids to different people and places while at the same time maintaining family harmony?
Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore – Many people are afraid to travel with children because it takes them out of familiar surroundings. To combat that, make your new surroundings familiar. Talk up the trip in advance, teaching your kids about your intended destination whether it is a cross-country trip across the United States, a European vacation or even a trip to Disney. Let them help pick out some of the sights to see. In essence, make your children part of the planning so they feel it’s their trip as well.
Don’t forget to pack familiar comfort items from home. My son never travels without his green pillow which is essentially the pillow from his bed with a mangy green pillowcase. He says it’s “nice and smelly” and helps him sleep. And because of that, I say bring that pillow!
That darn hotel room – We’ve all been there. The small hotel room with 2 double beds and the bathroom where you can touch all walls by standing in one spot. It isn’t comfortable. As one friend put it to me, her kids’ bedtime becomes her bedtime as well and that simply isn’t a vacation. That need not be the case anymore.
More and more hotels and resorts are jumping on the suite bandwagon. If budget allows, consider getting at least a one bedroom suite where the kids can have their space and you can have yours. An added benefit is many of these accommodations come with a kitchenette or at a minimum, a refrigerator so you don’t feel compelled to eat every single meal out, thus saving money. But, be careful and make sure that junior suite at such a reasonable rate isn’t just one large room with a small sitting area. The downside of a suite? Your children just might get too used to it. The last time we had to stay in a standard hotel room, my kids asked where the other rooms were.
Many families like the idea of purchasing two rooms when suites are not available. However, don’t forget, adjoining rooms merely share a wall. Connecting rooms share a door and adjacent rooms are just rooms near each other. You don’t want to find yourself down the hall from your little ones! Don’t be afraid to talk to a travel professional about what you need in an accommodation.
I’m bored! – Boredom on the plane, boredom in the hotel – it’s everywhere. Consider buying your kids inexpensive activities to open ONLY on the plane or in the car. Sticker books, puzzle books or even a new Leapster cartridge are great ideas. Make these special travel goodies. But don’t give them out all at once. Dole them out slowly. If you take the kids to a museum, consider doing a scavenger hunt of sorts. Buy postcards of art in the gift shop and see who can find their art. You’ve then snuck in shopping and an art lesson!
Food, glorious food – Food is probably one of the trickiest things to handle when traveling. Face it, you can’t bring your pantry with you. But you can help alleviate some of the headaches that come with changes in food and environment. If your hotel has a refrigerator, take advantage of it. Go to a local store and stock up on snacks and beverages for your kids to enjoy. That can be a great teaching tool if you are in a foreign country. Your kids will enjoy seeing the different types of food and packaging. If you don’t have a refrigerator, see if you can request one. For those in suite accommodations, that kitchenette is a bonus. Besides keeping on hand foods your kids enjoy, you can save money by eating breakfasts in your room.
Trust me, even in the most foreign of environments, your kids won’t starve. If you are going to another country, try introducing your kids in advance to some of the foods native to that place. That way food won’t seem so unfamiliar. Once you get to your destination, they’ll seem like old pros in that restaurant far away.
But will they remember the trip? – Remember those postcards I told you to buy at the museum gift shop? Save them! Have your child start a travel journal of each vacation. Let them enter anything they want – what they saw, their thoughts, drawings, ticket stubs. That is probably one of the most meaningful and least expensive souvenirs you can give them. And don’t forget the camera! Even a simple disposable camera will allow them to capture the memories of a wonderful family vacation.
In the end, my family did survive and enjoy that trip to Spain, and now my kids are begging for new and different vacations. Remember, a family vacation is supposed to be just that, a vacation. Follow these steps and throw in some of your own traditions, and you will create great memories that will last a lifetime.
For more information on planning your family vacation, please check out my website at http://www.oneworldfamilytravel.com/
