Planning a Vacation With Kids
The hotel is reserved. The suitcases are packed. The car is full. All that is on your mind is do I really want to be stuck in the car for hours with the children. Honey, I will grab a plane and meet you there. This will never have to be your thought again. The following tips will help you arrive without stress, so you can begin your vacation right.
1. Planning – Let your children be involved in some of the planning and preparing. Whether they have a big say or just a choice in one restaurant you are going to eat at; they will feel more like it is their vacation.
2. Rules – Make all rules and consequences known before getting into car. My favorite consequence is no swimming at the
hotel for a day if you (fill in the blank). Remember, you know what is important to your child, so use it to your advantage.
3. Roadmap – Give each child an age appropriate road map or let them draw one of there own. Let them use stickers to show where they would like to stop. Highlight landmarks and cities that you will pass along the way. Let them circle when you pass each spot. This will help them know about where you are and about how much further there is.
4. Expected Arrival Time – Let your child know about what time you should be at your next stop. Give them a watch to keep track for themselves. This will help keep the question “Are we there yet?” to a minimum.
5. Bag of activities – A couple of days before the trip, take the kids to the store to pick out some activity books. Give each a bag to fill with books, pencils and color crayons.
6. Special toy – Let each child bring a special toy or two, depending on space.
7. Play games – I-spy, the alphabet game and counting cars are just a few. Let the kids come up with their own. Make sure everyone takes turns playing each game.
8. Stop – Get out and stretch. That will help everyone feel good. Check the internet for places that are along the way. You may find a new favorite stopping place. Remember it is vacation. What is the rush.
So relax. Have fun. You can survive this road trip with the kids.
