Taking a trip is an adventure, and preparing for it has proven to be an adventure all its own. This week we’re off on our very first family vacation EVER. We’ve done RV trips and roughing-it camping trips, but never a real, honest to goodness vacation. Some friends talked us into taking advantage of cheap airfare, and we’re off to Hawaii!
If you’ve been wondering why it’s been SO quiet around here, that’s why. My brain has been fragmented into jagged pieces, all focusing on one thing (each)… prep for school, printing intineraries, co-op homework, buying suitcases, cleaning/prepping for house sitters, writing blog posts (er, I think that one got pushed aside), packing, meal planning for eating out & cooking in while we’re there…etc.
(This is where a photo of my boys pulling their suitcases is supposed to go. Except that I ran out of time and didn’t get that picture. Whoops! So imagine two very tall preteens pulling rolling suitcases, walking away from the camera…)
In light of our Hawaiian vacation, I thought I’d share with you some tips for traveling with kids. This post contains affiliate links.
Each child’s “personal item” sized carry-on should have snacks they can have on the plane. Purchase juice or bottled water in the airport after you get through security. Snacks such as granola bars, protein bars, beef jerky, or fruit all travel well with minimal mess. As in the case of Hawaii however, remember that any fruit that isn’t eaten on the flight must be disposed of on the plane. They don’t allow you to bring fruit in from outside the islands.
Small travel games are a must! A travel cribbage board and cards, travel versions of Guess Who?, Connect Four, Battleship, IQ Twist, or just a travel size Magnetic Chess and Checkers can all help to make a long flight a little more interesting. I LOVE IQ Twist! The boys are partial to Battleship, Cribbage, and a magnetic backgammon set we have.
Now is the time for electronics. Let’s face it, kids today are pretty tech-savvy. We parents spend a lot of time and go to great lengths to help our kids to unplug, right? A long flight may not be the ideal time to do that. Let them bring their MP3 players, Nintendo DS, or other hand held devices which will help keep them occupied on the plane. In our case, we still have a very old Sega GameGear, plus and iTouch. 🙂 Remember to bring headphones so they can plug in and watch the in-flight movie if there is one.
A Window Seat and a Camera. Most kids prefer to have a window seat. Okay, most PEOPLE prefer to have a window seat. In your child’s case though, it may help keep him out of trouble if he’s got something worth looking at. Bring along a digital camera and let him shoot as many pictures as he wants to out the window. He may even surprise you with a couple of shots worth keeping.
Teach observation skills through people watching. This is the ideal time to talk with your child about being careful to observe things around him. Beyond playing “I Spy”, you could have him use his imagination many ways. “Make up a story about the lady in the pink hat and how she got the cast on her arm.” Or have her recall all of the flight attendants’ names.
Other observations can be fun too. Have him use as many adjectives as possible to describe the airplane bathroom. Critique the in-flight movie, or food. Use one of the flight attendant’s names to create a freeform poem using the letters of her name as the first letter in each line of the poem.
Download a movie to your iPad or tablet before you leave. Not all flights offer movies, and some movies offered may not be suitable for kids to watch. Thankfully, technology is on our side, and we can now rent movies via download from the iTunes store, Amazon, and the Google Play store.
Be prepared for the I’m Bored factor. It’s inevitable. Don’t tell them ahead of time every trick or snack that you brought with you. Some surprises are necessary to keep them distracted.
Not everyone wants to take vacations with their kids, but I say why not? Kids who grow up seeing the world appreciate life so much more. And besides, why do adults get to have all the fun?
