Traveling with Kids

Get Kids Excited Before You Go
Get the kids involved before you leave on your trip. Look at maps, photos, watch DVDs, read books. We've enjoyed picking an historic figure, a hero or villain, doing a bit of research before we go, and then looking to see first-hand their influence or effect on the country.

Book Activities Before You Leave
Plan and book immersive activities before you leave. It gives the kids structure. Don't think about what your kids may or may not like. Take advantage of different cultures and what they have to offer. Let them have the experience. They may surprise you. Mine certainly have surprised me.

Plane Time as Their Time
Let the time on the plane, be their time. Let them play with iPods, DVD players, Gameboys, PS2s, coloring books, other books, even workbooks (mine like Mad Minutes), anything they want to do. Once they arrive, pack all electronics away until the plane ride home.

Arrival Time is Play Time
Try arriving at your destination late morning and take the kids directly to a park where they can be spontaneous, run wild, make noise and re-set their internal time clocks. Then feed them to keep them going, check into the hotel and go out again to explore.

Time to Stretch and Grow
Don't be afraid to take your kids out of their comfort zone. Let them stretch, explore, face limits, and grow. I'm constantly delighted by how much my kids grow on each trip we take.

Natural Cycles
Plan your itineraries around natural cycles for your kids. We plan educational activities for the mornings like museums or classes, and play time (or shopping) for the afternoons. The exception to this rule is interactive museums. An interactive museum like London's Museum of Natural History, can be so entertaining that your kids won't want to leave. Be flexible.

We also alternate walking days with driving days to rest young legs. And although not all the rage with my 15-year old daughter, flat shoes are definitely the shoe of choice for any walking day. I like ballet slippers. She wants to make a statement in high heels. If I can't get her to start the day in flats, I'll put ballet slippers or flip-flops in her pack.

Reading
Don't underestimate how much you kids may enjoy reading either on the plane or on vacation. I've found that packing books from a series (or uploading to a Kindle) is one of the best ways to keep kids engaged with the characters, a genre or stories.