I mentioned in my last post that our painstakingly selected, enormously expensive hotel was right across from the largest park in the city.  And not just any park, one travel guide gushed that this was the best park in Europe – acres of green space, quaint snack bars, clean restroom facilities, soccer fields and the latest in playground equipment.   The park was fabulous – immaculate gardens, beautiful soccer fields & rugby pitches, 24 brand new tennis courts – an adult oasis in the city.  But, to our utter dismay, the playground equipment was from the dark ages and not safe for anyone!  We played tag and racing games but things quickly disintegrated into chaos.  Having learned our lesson, we now pack a few outdoor toys that fit easily into a backpack and are carried everywhere – you never know when the opportunity to play might present itself.  Here are our favorites:

• Foam stunt flyers (I know the balsa wood ones fly better but they are easy to crush)
• Beach ball
• Small flying disk
• Tennis balls
• Mini sidewalk chalk
• Pocket kite
• Flipstick
• Jump rope
• Small cars

What would you add?

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On our first trip to Europe with the kids, we spent hours planning our itinerary – blending adult and kid sites, fun restaurants and even booked a hotel across from the largest park in the city.   At the end of the first day, we trudged back to the hotel room to wind down, take baths and get ready for bed.  Unfortunately, the kids were not content to sit in a chair relaxing before bed and that’s when it hit me – I had packed nothing for them to do in the hotel room.  Tired, fussy kids are not the best at making their own fun and the three channels on TV were not appropriate for the kids, so we quickly pulled out some of the airplane activities and had some quiet time on the floor.  Older and wiser, I now pack some hotel room activities that everyone can enjoy.  Here are some suggestions that work for us:

• Small travel games that pack easily.  Need some suggestions?  Check out the ThinkFun games and the assortment of eco-friendly bamboo travel games on the TravelKiddy site.
• New coloring book or activity book.
• Stickers and doodle pad
• Beach balls  (12 inch work well) or balloons
• Mid-sized cars
• Kaleidoscopes
• Playing cards
• Yo-yo
• Origami
• Magic scratch paper

Engage the kids in quiet activities that allow everyone to relax and unwind.  For older kids, this is a good time to work in a travel journal and revisit the day’s activities with maps and brochures collected along the way.

Spend the dinner hour discussing plans for the next day but don’t dwell on them during bedtime.  The last thing you want to do is get everyone too excited to sleep!

Happy travels!

europe with kids · toys for travel · traveling with kids

Tips & Tricks for Surviving Family Trips to Grown-Up Destinations

1.  Set ground rules and expectations for behavior – including consequences for misbehaving.  Universal rules include no running, no shouting, and no wandering off.   My kids respond well to a reward system so we give them a small gift shop budget.  If they behave, they can spend $5 – $10 on a book or puzzle in the gift shop.  Bad behavior reduces or, in some cases, eliminates this privilege.

2. Set a time limit.  You may want to spend 8 hours in The Vatican, but chances are that your kids will only last 4.  Set a realistic time limit for the visit and then plan ahead so you don’t miss any “must see” exhibits.

3.  Look down.  The floors in historical churches, cathedrals and museums are often covered with beautiful, intricate designs that kids love.  My favorite example is the Sistine Chapel.  The walls and ceiling are covered with beautiful masterpieces that held my kids’ interest for exactly 60 seconds.  Luckily, they noticed the fantastic geometric designs on the floor and spent the next hour finding shapes and patterns throughout the entire chapel.

4.  Plan a scavenger hunt.  This is a fun way to engage kids and can be as simple or complex as you want.  In art museums, color hunts are fun.  As you enter a gallery, take note of the theme and ask the kids to find something of a certain color (find blue flowers, for example).  In a church or cathedral have a search for angels, crosses and/or count the pews.   Take small notebooks and crayons and have them draw pictures of things they see along the way or write down interesting facts.  On our next trip, we are creating journals for the girls and will include scavenger hunts and activities for them to complete at each destination.  Entertainment, memories and learning all in one!

5.  Include some kid-friendly fun along the way.  After a long morning at a museum, spend a few hours in a local park.  If the museum has a snack bar, take a break during the tour for a fun snack.   If you have time, squeeze in a trip to the local zoo or aquarium in the middle of the trip or as a reward for good behavior.

6.  Engage kids in the planning process.  While the museum might not have a hands-on discovery room, there is sure to be something of interest.   Let them pick at least one thing to see or do at the museum and try to do it late in the visit.

Happy travels.

europe with kids · traveling with kids

Emily, my 8 year old, spent much of March in the car.  She went on a series of road trips that totalled just over 55 hours of drive time.   In a bittersweet moment at the end of the last trip, she announced that she has outgrown her TravelKiddy.  Emily was the inspiration for the first TravelKiddy 4 years ago and still serves as my chief product tester.  She assisted with the design of the BIGKiddy and is eager to put it to use on our upcoming European adventure to Prague, England and Ireland.  Luckily, there are 3 more girls waiting to fill her shoes as product inventors and testers for the TravelKiddy.

After Emily’s last trip, I spent some time debriefing her on the specifics of the journey – what did she like, dislike, etc.  Here is Emily’s backseat packing list:

1. TravelKiddy or BIGKiddy
2. Travel pillow and blanket – large enough to snuggle but not too bulky
3. Extra blanket to hang in the window and block the sun
4. Snacks and water bottle
5. Book light with extra batteries
6. New books and magazines
7. Map to destination
8. Favorite stuffed animals
9. DVD player with a mix of new and old movies
10. Bag for trash

Emily also offered some other suggestions for making the trip easier.

• On long driving days, stop at a rest area or park for 30 minutes of running/playing time.
• Rearrange and tidy up the back seat at every stop.
• Play car games (license plate game, ISpy, etc.)
• Driving for several days in a row?  Plan a stop at a fun spot on one of the days.
• Ice cream or cookies makes the drive more fun.
• If traveling at night, bring glow toys or a NightKiddy.
• Travel in comfy clothes or even pjs.

Happy travels!

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For us, travel always comes in bunches.  March was no exception.  We hit the road for a series of road trips totaling 40 hours of drive time for most of the family and 55 hours for my parents and oldest daughter.   Trips to Telluride & St Louis were enjoyed by all and my parents and daughter added a trip to Newcomb’s Tennis Ranch in Texas for a week of tennis camp.  As always, we learned a lot along the way…

• Pack a picnic. We are not a fast food family.   I generally consider it a good thing that a pervading fear of clowns, aversion to “orange” chicken and overall dislike of ground beef make my kids hate fast food; but, it is difficult to find quick and easy places to eat while traveling that aren’t fast food restaurants.   And, as learned on our last road trip, fast food doesn’t always agree with little tummies that aren’t used to it.   We have tried several family friendly sit down restaurants but the last thing my kids want to do when they have been riding all day is sit in a restaurant.  For this trip, I packed a small cooler and basket with everything needed for a picnic lunch (or two) along the way.  The girls loved it!  They ate lunch in about 3 minutes and spent the next 20 running.  We enjoyed a little fresh air (and the 15 mph wind blowing across Kansas) and everyone got in the car ready for the next leg of the trip.
• Carry a portable potty. I keep a small blue Baby Bjorn potty in the back of my car at all times and on road trips it comes in especially handy.
• Clean up the back seat at every opportunity. My kids have a way of trashing the back seats of the car in about 30 seconds flat.  When we stop, I spend about 5 minutes on a quick tidy up – throwing away trash & food, refilling water bottles, rearranging/restocking the TravelKiddy bags and generally making it comfy again.
• Make the journey part of the vacation – not just something to be endured. While a long day in the car is never fun it becomes more enjoyable if you make some stops along the way.  Stop in a park or rest area for a 20 minute game break,  stop for ice cream, give older kids a budget and time limit for a  stop at Cracker Barrel or pick a site to see along the way.
• While away the hours with a sing along. Find a few good cds of kid music (Susie Tallman is our all time favorite!) and turn up the volume!  Everyone had fun singing classic kids songs ranging from You are my Sunshine to a new twist on the Alphabet Song.
• Use the DVD player wisely. We save the movies until the inevitable bickering starts.   A movie provides the perfect distraction for any fight.
• Pack activities, games and surprises. Remember to think outside the box – while Junior may love cars, a bag full of cars will only keep him entertained for a little while.  Include some unexpected items (like plastic snakes or bugs) for pretend play.
• Mix up the seating. We tend to fall into the same seating arrangements.  This trip, we mixed things up a few times and the change in partners worked well.

My biggest challenge on every road trip remains keeping up with the trash and debris that seems to accumulate in the back seat.  Anyone care to comment with some good ideas for trash containment?

General Travel With Kids · Road Trips with Kids