Traveling with kids

To travel, or not to travel? That is the question all parents ponder each new school year. It’s a double-edged sword those school breaks. On the one hand, they provide us parents much needs rests from the crazed pace of the after school world. And, for our kids they mean time away from homework, routines, and even friends. If only getting to our final travel destinations were as easy as pondering the possibilities for where to go….

Let’s face it, most school breaks are family events and chances are many other families will end up at the same locations as you. Some families try and avoid the crowds by vacationing during the actual school year. Keep in mind that school vacation times are not the same throughout our country or in the World – so you may not be avoiding the crowds as much as you may think. Furthermore, there is the little issue of missed work. Some kids can make up the work more easily than others, and gets more challenging as the kids get into older grades. Your kids’ teachers can give you the best sense of the impact on your kids of missing school for a trip.

Regardless of the time we travel, a small dose of planning will go a long way in minimizing the stress of the actual travel day. The American Express Travel Service has many great tips for traveling with kids that you can find on www.americanexpress.com. Some tips are basic common sense - such as in making sure you have enough basic items for the trip like snacks, diapers, extra clothes, special foods, medications and distractions toys – including CD players or DVD/video players if available to you. The site also has a few unique tips that may appeal to you such as choosing flight times around naptime, and leaving on driving trips during off-peak times, like early in the morning or after dinner.

If you are traveling by air, the crowds and amount of security personal can be overwhelming for kids. Give your kids a sense of how the security process will work from start to finish, including putting their favorite objects on the security belt and walking through the x-ray door. You may need to get a bit creative. I heard one mom explain to a preschooler that these were “magic doors to enter vacation world”. For older kids, offer a quick reminder about the inappropriateness of joking about bombs or weapons. Believe it or not, that happens more than you may think and will get your family detained.

Once you get to your final destination, take a few moments to let everyone unwind. If you have older kids and will be separated at times, consider 2 way radios or cell phones to stay in touch. Have well defined meeting places. Be realistic about how you pace each day – kids do best with 1-2 major activities a day and many rest and food breaks.

One area that is easy to overlook on vacation are the basic safety rules for outside activities like playgrounds, pools, swimming, roller-blading, and boating, to name a few. It is fairly common at resort areas to see kids riding bikes without helmets or siblings swimming in a pool without an adult right at hand. The basic rule of thumb is to follow the same rules you follow at home. Otherwise, you may find yourself exploring more of the local emergency room than the sites.

One last tip for the road – remember to have fun!

© 2005 Pediatrics Now.
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