Where is your favorite resort?  Ask my kids this question and they will rave about the Britt Resort.  With its private pool, pond, lush grounds, nearby park (complete with carousel), children’s program and gracious hosts – they make it sound beyond compare.  My kids have stayed at five star resorts and hotels around the world and yet the Britt Resort is hands down their all-time favorite vacation destination.

Just where is this spectacular place?  It is actually my Aunt & Uncle’s house nestled in the heart of Chesterfield, Missouri.  Not necessarily the hot spot for tourist travel but my kids love it just the same.  And what is not to love?  A trip to the Britt Resort is all about the kids.  We swim, visit the park, play games, do crafts, bake cookies and eat all their favorite foods.   While it is a fun and relaxing for all, it isn’t the only destination we want to visit on vacation.   It does, however, highlight the value of having a portion of each vacation day focused on the kids.

Unless you are headed to Disney (or have a Britt Resort of your own), it is unlikely you will find a completely kid-centric vacation destination.  So how do you mix in some fun for the kids with the things you actually want to do?  Take some good planning, flexibility and a sense of humor and you have the ingredients for a great family vacation.

Good Planning: Before the trip, decide on the non-negotiable must-see sites and plan on visiting these early in the trip but limit it to only one or two a day.  Find a few kid things to do (like the zoo, aquarium or park) and mix these throughout the trip – including one within the first few days.  Do something fun and unexpected everyday.  Head to the hotel early for swimming, stop at a playground, visit a book store or grab an ice cream cone.  These small things are often the best vacation memories that come home with your child.

Flexibility: Change the itinerary as necessary.  Did you plan for 2 stops but you aren’t done with the first by mid afternoon?  Roll the second activity to later in the trip.  Or, if things are going well, add an additional activity for a day.

Sense of Humor: Simply stated – this is a must for any vacation with kids!  Things can (and most certainly will) go wrong – the ability to laugh along the way will go far towards making it a fun vacation.

While a vacation shouldn’t be ALL about the kids, it is important to remember it is a family vacation and they should have fun too!  What steps do you take to create a fun, family vacation?

family vacations · General Travel With Kids · traveling with kids

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

With spring travel upon us, unruly kids on airplanes has become a frequent topic in the media and blogging world.  “Who is to blame?” has been a popular headline this year – with heated commentary on both sides.    I  think that unprepared parents are to blame for most unruly kids on planes (and in restaurants).

Let me start by defining “unruly”.   The most appropriate word to describe these kids is turbulent.  They are the ones screaming at the top of their lungs, kicking the seats, refusing to buckle, and running up and down the aisles while mom and/or dad do nothing.   The majority of kids on flights are well behaved but it is the unruly ones that get the media attention.

I fly frequently with my four children and can assure you that no flight is perfect.   At least one person cries at least once during the trip.  We play with the tray table or make more noise than an adult passenger but we also have more fun.    I see many parents actively engaged with their children on planes – playing with them, walking the aisles, or consoling hurting ears.  Unfortunately, it takes only one or two unruly kids to ruin a flight.  And these kids all have one thing in common – BOREDOM!  Their parents either brought nothing for them to do or are unwilling to join them in an activity.

If you are reading this, chances are you are not one of these parents.  So, what do you do when the kids around you are misbehaving, which, inevitably, has a negative impact on your kids?

1. Pack a few extra items.  My daughters have gone so far as to share their things with bored kids on long flights so now I pack an extra coloring/activity book, four pack of crayons and small toy.  It gets shared with someone on almost every trip we take.
2. Continually remind your kids of expected behavior and reward them verbally (and with treats) for their good behavior.
3. Distract, distract, distract!  Play word games, sing songs, play with finger puppets, color pictures together.
4. Relax.  Your kids will feed off of your mood and stress level.  If you stay calm, they are more likely to as well.

Happy Travels.

Flying with Kids · traveling with kids

I love to ski.  Unfortunately, I am a terrible skier.  So, when we moved to Denver four years ago, I jumped at the chance to have the girls learn to ski.  Now we spend almost every weekend on the slopes and the girls easily out-ski me (the oldest can literally ski circles around me!).  Breckenridge is our mountain of choice because it has wide open greens & blues for me,  “fun” blues and blacks for the girls, a great ski/ride school and, most importantly, a family friendly atmosphere throughout the historic town.  More on Breck in future posts…

No matter your destination, these tips can help create a great family vacation.

Where to stay:

You’ve spent the time deciding on the perfect destination for your family ski vacation and now you need to select your lodging.  Ski resorts & towns have a variety of options but our favorite are the condos or houses.   You can find numerous choices by doing a google search or on www.vrbo.com.  The biggest factor  impacting price is the option of ski-in/out places.  At first thought this sounds great – no need to schlep gear to the slopes, just walk out your door and hit the slopes.  But wait – there is no set definition for ski-in/out.  We found several places advertising they were ski-in but they required a back country ski adventure of over a mile to reach the rental house.  Also, consider where the kids are skiing.  If they are in ski school, is the rental property near the drop off point?  With four kids, we find it easier to drive to slope-side parking near the ski school and pay to park.  It isn’t cheap (often $15 – $20 per day) but still likely cheaper than paying a premium for a ski-in/out place that really isn’t that convenient.

Renting Ski/Ride Gear:

It is always cheaper to rent gear away from the mountain but the savings may not be worth it.  Many resorts offer rental with their ski/ride school.  It is sure to be more expensive but you don’t have to lug their gear to the school and if something breaks or doesn’t fit, the ski school can easily replace it. Helmets are highly recommended and can also be rented at most shops. 

Where to Scrimp/Places to Splurge

Skiing is expensive – from the gear rental to the lift tickets, it is easy to spend a small fortune on the mountain.  I am not a budget traveler but also don’t like to spend money for things that don’t add value to the overall experience.  Here is my list of scrimps and splurges:

• Scrimp on food – Bring snacks.  I am not one to ski with a backpack filled with every necessity but I do carry a few snacks to get through the day.  Granola bars, peanut butter crackers, and trail mix are easy to stash in a pocket and don’t get smashed.
  
• Splurge on parking – pay for slope-side.  Parking in the free lots and taking buses to the slopes is great for adults but add in a few kids and their gear and it just isn’t worth the time and effort (especially when someone forgets something in the car and you have to backtrack to get it).
• Scrimp on lift tickets – pre-purchase on-line.  Search for deals on-line to save money.   Ski rental shops often have discount tickets as well.
• Splurge on ski school.  Even if you are an expert skier, let the professionals teach your kids for at least a day.   Every time I ski I see kids crying because their parents are yelling at them while “teaching” them to ski.  Or worse, parents push kids into dangerous situations by taking them on runs before the kids are ready.
  
• Scrimp on lodging by staying farther from the slopes but do spend enough to get a place that comfortably accommodates your family.
  
• Scrimp and Splurge on snow gear.  Look for off-season bargains and borrow what you can from friends.  BUT it is no fun to be cold.  Spend enough so that the coats/pants are warm and waterproof, mittens/gloves are designed for skiing/boarding.  neck gators, hats & ear warmers are worth the money!
  
• Splurge on socks & base layers.  Buy socks made for skiing/boarding.  Base layers should be wicking fabrics (not cotton) and not overly heavy.  Use layers to create warmth.
  

The Finishing Touch

What to do after the lifts close?  Hopefully the kids are tired so play some family games or work a puzzle and start the bedtime routine early with a warming bath.  Bring some new bathtoys and soothing bubbles to calm everyone down.

Happy Travels!

Skiing with kids · traveling with kids