A Survival Guide If You Have to Travel With the Little Ones

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by: jon1411joyce
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Date: Fri, 4 Feb 2011 Time: 5:28 AM
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A famous humorist once said that you can only travel one of two ways. The first one is first class and the second one is with kids ! Anyone who has small children will agree that traveling with kids, especially on long road trips, can be trying for adults and tough on little ones. To reduce the stress of doing this, there are simple tings you can do to make the trip more enjoyable for everyone. Just do your basic planning and with a little luck, you can be ahead of the game. Please review these basic guidelines to ensure your road trip with your children will be a pleasant experience .

Do you need to rent a vehicle?
Remember that you will be rolling together in such a small space for an extended time. Some cars will do a better job at this than others. If your car isn't one of them, consider renting a car that is. If you rent something bigger like a minivan, the comfort level you gain might be worth it, in addition to avoiding putting too much mileage on your own vehicle. Just remember to bring your own child safety seats. An RV is the ultimate mode of transportation for most any travel, but the cost can be prohibitive unless you are also using the RV for lodging and dining, which can save on hotel stays and restaurants.

You have to keep 'em amused!.
Driving for hours can really be boring so having some in-car entertainment could really help to break the monotony. Music and movies are must-haves, along with books, crayons and drawing pads. Portable electronics are now affordable these days so consider bringing those dvd players, gaming systems and music players. If you do a lot of these road trips, it might be worth it to spend on these DVD screens you see mounted on headrests or interior roof of some vehicle models. Classic travel games like car bingo and the license plate game and Magna Doodles are also good entertainment. Consider versions with magnetic or stay-in-place pieces. It might also be a good idea to bring soft travel trays or any stable surface that the kids can play or have snacks. Bring plenty of healthy snacks, preferable in single serve containers, plus water and fruit juices stored in a nice cooler. Baby wipes are must plus a change of clothes just in case of any spills. And so that your car doesn't become a wastebasket on wheels, remember to bring a litter bag. These bags can also serve as a barf bag in case someone gets car sick.

Try to go with the flow.
A road trip should never turn into endurance training for kids. That means yo need to know when to make stops, let the kids stretch out a bit, get some fresh air and of course, do the usual bathroom breaks. For the bathroom breaks, would be good to bring some toilet-seat toppers for health reasons. Might also be handy to bring a portable potty for those emergencies and a rest room is not available. Make sure you get an early head start to avoid traffic and possible construction delays if any. If you can follow the usual home routines, it will help the little ones adjust to life on the road. That means nap times should be on the usual times and this should influence when you take a break at hotels to get some sleep. To help your children snooze in the car, remember to bring a sun shade for the window and a favorite blanket, or pillow. For the hotel stop overs, that night light they are used to from home, would also be good.

If you follow the basic steps above, you will ensure a relaxing road trip with the little ones and then you will find that going first class is not really necessary and what really makes it worthwhile is that you are spending memorable times with your kids.

About the Author

Jon is a retiree who is trying her hand in technology by doing web marketing, and is having fun setting up a varied group of sites, so if you are looking for the best pool cleaners out there such as the kreepy krauly and other major brands, come visit her sites!