[cdr25]

Me and dh took Anika to San Diego last week. We had a 2 hour plane ride (ack! That in itself was a terror- she threw more than one tantrum and there were NO other kids on the flight!)and did the Sea World, World Famous Zoo, the beach, etc. Sometimes I was wondering, "Is this even worth it?" Getting her to nap, having her sleep at the hotel and PRAYING she wouldn't cry for long, finding food she'd eat where you eat, missing out on maybe what you and your husband REALLY want to do... it was fun, but such a transition from when Dh and I would take our own little trips...(-:
So, what are everyone's takes on family trips? What are some family friendly vacations out there? Anyone have any experiences of family travel they want to share?

[Jamie]

We had an awesome vacation back in 2000. We went to disney world with our children then 4 and 1. My dd says she remembers seeing Mickey etc (she is 3 now). We are hoping to go back there again in February! I would definately recommend it! She was able to ride on many of the rides too being so small!

Very Fun,

Jamie

[sp4home]

We have taken kids of all ages on many different types of vacations over the years. Our kids are now age 26, 24, 18 and still at home 17, 7 disabled, and 12 months. If we plan well, it goes well.

We have a Kelty backpack/stroller** that has been quite a blessing. If there are lots of stairs (Washington DC monuments) or lots of people (NYC Times Square) or hiking (Mt. Rushmore) then we use the backpack mode. If the going is easy (Branson, Mall of America, cruise), we use the stroller mode.

We bring with us meals for the younger ones we know the kids will eat (non-refriderated single serving mac 'n cheese, spagetti, beans & franks etc; Gerber graduate "TV dinners" etc, ready-to-feed formula in 8oz cans, jars of baby food.) and then we don't have to worry about finding something for them off the menu. We give them their meal and order a side dish (veggie or fruit etc) off the menu.

It is a pain to load up all the kids meals when we are packing, but since they are single servings and in disposable containers it isn't much bother once we get there. When we leave the hotel in the mornings we bring with us that day's meals for the kids.

Our kids have never kept us home. We go on family vacations yearly and we enjoy traveling with the kids. We (hubby and I) take one 4-day trip per year with 'just us'.

Sherri

**The Kelty has a sun/rain canopy, detachable baby bag, bug screen. It is for kids up to 40 pounds. It is only 7 pounds. It folds small to go in the overhead and is narrow enough to fit down the aisle of the plane.

[echaos]

We did a weekend trip from Nova Scotia to Ontario (2 hour flight) when Liam was 4 months old. He was a perfect angel and fell asleep for both take off and landing coming and going.

We are going to BC the first week of February (9 hour flight, 2 hour car ride once we get there)!! I'm a little more worried about this one. He is now 6 months old. 9 hours seems like a VERY long time to keep a squirmy 6 month old entertained.

It will be worth it for him to spend some time with his Grandparents, so I keep focusing on that.

Any advise from seasoned flyers would be appreciated!

[debsdone]

We LOVE vacations with our kids. the younger ones are challenging, but it can be done. As long as you go into it aware of the shortest attention span and plan accordingly. Snacks snacks and more snacks are my motto! Places like Disney are great, so are the cruises that cater to small children. Trying to cram 3 parks into 2 days is a bad idea with toddlers. Overload central! If you know your kids it isn't too hard. We had 1 with a max time of 2 hours per event. I just knew that I had to find a quiet place to sit with him for an hour or so, and he was good to go again. Hubby would continue on with the others and we would meet up again. Takes some planning, but it is worth it! Love, Debi

[Anne5]

We have traveld with both our kids from birth (looking to adopt our third child). It takes some work but we insist on taking the kids and making it pleasant for everyone. Start small and be sure to be flexible. When we went to San Diego we didn't have a schedule we just went with the flow. For many of our trips we don't take the kiddos to many places like theme parks (and won't do that until they are around 10 or 12).

If you want an adult vacation by all means go for it. Take care of yourself and make sure your kids are taken care of.

Vacations should be fun!

[velvetsplace]

I am one of five children. My father was in the military and we lived in Europe for seven years. There was never one time in my youth that my parents went traveling without us. We never flew (except to get to Europe and back), we drove everywhere, no matter how far. I believe that you have to keep it a little simpler than if you were just alone as a couple, but it can still be wonderful. I learned from my parents, so my children have been traveling since infancy. The longest drive we have taken so far is 12 1/2 hours, and I stop as often as I feel it is needed. Hope that helps.

[Michelle 053002]

Sort of a vacation.

For Christmas we spend 2 days and 2 nights at my parents. It was a vaction for me because my mom got up with our daughter ( 7 months) and I could sleep all night. My husband doesn't hear her at night so I am the one who always gets up. My daughter seemed to love the time with Mommom and my mom was so happy, she sent me an email the following morning and said she missed Fiona that night.

[vicrose]

Vacationing with children is always an adventure. And you have to remember that once you bring a child into your lives, things are never going to be like they were before you had them. But I believe that you have to be flexible when travelling with children, because sometimes they could have a meltdown at the drop of a hat!!!!, and as parents we have grown to kind of expect the unexpected, because sometimes the trip goes off without a hitch. Enjoy every minute when they're young, because they grow up so quickly!! We took our 3 children to Guatemala last year, and visited Tikal{The Mayan Temples, and ruins}, and went to a resort in Antigua, and it was great!!!!!

[Stormy]

We go on lots of trips with our kids (almost 4 and 7 months). Our greatest adventure was camping in a cabin (just had beds and an airconditioner) when son #2 was 2 months old. I have found the best way to vacation with kiddo's is to get a cabin or condo. Many state parks and private campgrounds have cabins from beds and a door that locks to seperate rooms, bathroom and kitchen. We like to do our own meals. We bring foods that don't need refrigeration so we can throw some in our bags if we are going out for the day. Bring a lightweight stroller and powdered formula and bottled water or single serving formula bottles. We end up saving so much money by doing our own meals in the cabin that we can go on several trips a year. We try not to stay out too late. Try to keep the kids on their schedules at home. And we try to have lessened expectations. If we just have a pleasant day and do some fun stuff we are happy. We don't get a lot of time to make just hanging out together a priority. So we look forward to the "getting away" part of our vacations. I worked in a resort town for years and was always amazed with how miserable the vacationers were. I think it boiled down to their expectations were too high, they tried to do too much stuff, and they didn't stop to enjoy the moment but were concerned too much with getting to the next activity.

[Rainbow mom]

I have some travel tips to make travel easier for kids:

4 hours in a car seat is torcher. Make frequent roadside stops and overnight stops after 4 hours.

Bring water from home especially for babies their systems can't handle changes in water (causes diareah (sp?)).

Bring their favorite blankie. Nothing calms them like something familar.

If you stop overnight at a hotel pick one with an indoor heated pool and everyone gets a swim. Great to work out before sleeping somewhere strange.

Let baby sleep with parents if baby is too fussy.

Don't over do it with feeding. Let baby set pace. They WILL
eat when they get hungry.

Bring RX ie... Tylenol, sunscreen, thermometer, cough and cold.

Try and relax Children pick up on stressed out parents.

Sleep with bathroom light on in hotel so if baby wakes they can see you and you can see them.

Happy traveling.

[Stormy]

Rainbow mom!!! We have a 4 hour rule too! We only travel to places that are within 4 hours. And if we are going further we make a significant rest stop between. One more tip to add...we have a portable crib/play yard. Much better choice than a hotel crib in my opinion. But to be honest, we just go with the kids sleeping in bed with us too.

[Rainbow mom]

If you think about it if they are in a car seat (and I hope that is true of all babies) their little legs are sticking straight out. Four hours of that I would be ready to cry too!

Four hours of riding in the car is plenty for all of us!

[lambeausam]

When our family takes car trips over three hours or any plane rides, I make each child a special travel bag. It is simply a gallon size zipper-style freezer bag that I decorate with markers. Inside are a few snacks, two juice boxes, a four-pack of crayons and various worksheets. I also include a new toy such as a Matchbox car. The bag makes repacking easy for the kids and you never now when you need to use it for wet clothes!

Other helpful hints...

1. Don't assume the children are the only ones that need an extra set of clothes. Pack them inside a plastic bag before you put them in the carry-on.

2. When flying, consider the cramped lavatory space that you will be changing diapers in BEFORE you dress Junior in those cute overalls!

3. Carseat trick on airplanes - ask for a seat belt extender (like the ones they use during the pre-flight briefings. It is much easier to snug the carseat to the airplane seat when the buckles are not stuck behind the carseat.

4. Unless you need ten to fifteen minutes to settle in on a plane, consider skipping the pre-board. This is especially true if you have a toddler that doesn't like to sit still.

5. Please! Please! Please! Please use an FAA-approved carseat when you fly with your children and keep everyone (adults, too) belted in. Your lap is not a safe place for your child to fly. Turbulence is not visible and can easier injury passengers. Yes, this is an endorsement - I'm an air traffic controller!

I agree with Stormy - skip the hotel-supplied cribs. Be safe and bring your own.

Bottom Line - do not over-do your itinerary. Make sure you have recovery and/or "down time" built in.

Happy Trails!

[leeniepooh]

Great tips everybody. However there was one area I didn't find addressed; some time for mom and dad. When we travel we always use a hotel babysitting service to have some time for ourselves. These services are licensed and we've always had great babysitters. Generally we try to have a babysitter later at night so that the kids are almost ready to go to sleep before we leave but because these babysitters bring toys and things for the kids to do the kids look forward to a new "playmate" coming just for them.

Those evenings when we can enjoy the area we've traveled to by enjoying more adult activities are so-o-o wonderful!