You’re hundreds of miles from home and your little one has a fever. Your destination is still at least a day away. What should you do?
Unfortunately, life’s little emergencies take no vacations. If you’re on the road and your child comes down with something, you’ll want to take a deep breath and carefully assess [...]
The French fries, cheeseburgers, cans of sodas and crunchy bags of chips. Oh, the joys of eating on the road! While that might sound like fun for the first few hours, this type of eating can grow old fast. This is especially so if you have small children along for the ride. Too much sugar, [...]
When family vacation time conflicts with the school calendar, there is often a cause for panic. As long as you commit yourself and your child to keeping up with the program during the trip, however, everything should go fine. In most cases, children can survive a week out of school and still pull off excellent [...]
When a family vacation is on tap, a lot of planning tends to go into the destination and what to do while you’re there. Many parents, however, overlook the road part of a road trip. If overnight stays are necessary to break up a drive, some attention is in order for finding a family [...]
With more Americans struggling just to make ends meet, the big family road trip is just out of reach for many. This doesn’t mean, however, that vacations need to be a thing of the past. Closer, less expensive destinations can serve families very well in this time of belt tightening.
Taking weekend trips closer to home [...]
If you are a parent, you are probably always trying to come up with new and interesting ideas that will keep the short attention span of your toddler. Don’t worry you are not alone, that is why we wrote these ideas that will help you keep your toddler’s imagination working, [...]
There is no denying that the current economy has many parents looking for interesting alternatives for saving a couple dollars. After all, kids and the activities and entertainment that go along with them can be very expensive.
However, not every event has to lead to an empty wallet. If you are clever, you can make sure [...]
The idea of traveling with children can make any adult want to run for the hills. Indeed, traveling with a kid can be a trying experience. However, it definitely doesn’t have to be. If you follow some of these easy tips, you are sure to keep your sanity and have fun at the same time.
Pack [...]
There is no denying that kids are expensive. From the moment they are born to the day they graduate from college, they definitely run up a big bill. In today’s ever changing economy, many parents are looking for ways to not only save cash, but also teach their kids about the value of [...]
There is a common misconception that if you have kids, as well as a busy life, there is no way you can stay organized. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. If you put together some commonly followed rules, you will be able to keep your kids organized and keep your sanity.
First, we all [...]
When the frost is on the ground and snow clouds threaten, packing for little ones is not as easy as it looks. It is all too easy to go overboard and stuff the car full of things that are not really needed. The funny thing is when you do that, chances are you might actually [...]
Anyone who has had to deal with an airport and the hassle of flying lately knows that it is no treat. From the long lines and the security checkpoints, to the tight spaces and lack of leg room once you are onboard the plane, none of it is a treat and that is if you [...]
The economy has all of us, these days, trying to figure out ways to stretch our dollars, without sacrificing our fun. For many people, the idea of travel right now seems way too expensive. Not only are airfares high, but we also have to worry about all of the extra fees to check baggage and [...]
Traveling during the holidays to visit family and friends is a time-honored tradition. Your youngsters, however, might not know this. If you are planning on spending your first holiday away from home with children that are more than a few years old, prepare for some angst-riddled little balls of energy on your hands.
We all have countless memories of the vacations that we take with family. We take dozens of photographs only to come back home and stick them in a box, unfiled, uncategorized, and eventually forgotten. The years pass and the memories fade, we forget where we were at in that photo, and what we were laughing [...]
Family road trips and the holidays do seem to go hand-in-hand. If you are hitting the road this season with little ones along, your first priority should be the safety of your vehicle. After all, you will have special cargo on board. Extra steps are especially required if you will be traveling in areas known [...]
If you are reading this article, you may be thinking of planning a family vacation and considering the ways that you can get your children involved and excited before the suitcases ever come out of the closet.
You are miles from home on what is supposed to be the vacation of a lifetime, but your youngest child seems to be running a rather high fever. Your oldest is complaining of a sore throat and he sounds congested.
It does not matter whether you are traveling by car, plane or train, saving money on your vacation is more than possible if you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Family vacations, in particular, can prove quite costly if you do not have a plan for what corners to cut.
The only thing that stands between you and a week of vacation bliss is a 10-hour car ride with the kids. You cannot wait to get there, but the trip has you terrified.
Flying might be second nature to you, but the same might not go for your child. It does not matter if your child is a toddler or a teenager, the first time on a plane can prove to be a little scary. You can turn it into an adventure that will not be forgotten if [...]
You and your family are driving along, miles from home, when your 2-year-old decides to paint her face with the portable yogurt you gave her to munch on. The nearest gas station is at least 30 minutes ahead and she will not stop crying.
Grab a few baby wipes out of a container and the mess [...]
One of the most important aspects of traveling anywhere is in making sure that you allow enough time for the journeys there and back, leaving time in the middle to have a good and relaxed experience. In order to do this it is important to select the right time to set off, making it early [...]
While mom and dad worry about making sure the car eats up the miles on a road trip, the little ones often find themselves trapped in the backseat for hours on end. Face it – travel by car just is not all it is cracked up to be for a child.
If you want to [...]
Most people will tell you that going on a day out is fun as much for the traveling as for what you actually do when you arrive. There is some debate over how true this is, of course. Some people would argue that if half the fun is in getting there, then it must be [...]
Mealtime can be one of the biggest challenges parents face while on a family vacation. The types of foods that appeal to little ones just do not generally do the trick for adults. Trying to make everyone happy while being certain a budget is kept in check and something at least remotely healthy is put [...]
Family trip time is just around the corner, but your budget is a little tighter than you would like. To make sure you have enough money for the important things, a few corners are going to have to be cut.
You have scrimped and saved to come up with the money for your family vacation. It has been hard work, but now that you are all ready to load up in the car, the effort seems very well worth it. You even went above and beyond and came up with money to give each of [...]
Your bags are packed and you are ready to go. Your family adventure will include lots of little side trips and day trips planned from a hotel starting point. You cannot wait to get started. If you have not yet packed an “oops bag” for your little travelers, you might want to hold departure for [...]
Occupying children in the car is a concern for most parents as they head out the door for family vacations. High-tech solution can work, but they are costly and passive. If the plan is to keep the kids active on the road, journaling can go a long way.
Family vacation time is the time to make memories that last. If you are taking school-aged children along for the ride, you have all kinds of options available to help them make the most of every minute. If making sure they have a way to record and cherish precious moments is important, you can help [...]
There are so many things to put on a must-bring list for a family road trip that sometimes one of the most important items gets left behind. The camera should be placed right up there with clothing, toys for the children and even the map. It is also important to keep the camera ready even [...]
Family vacations are a time honoured way to create memories that last. In this economy, however, keeping expenses low is a concern for many. It is possible to cut some corners on expenses without sacrificing fun in the process.
Summer is just around the corner and that means it is almost travel time. If you are planning to take your kids on the road for daytrips or extended vacations, safety is likely your top concern.
Often the most expensive part of a holiday is not the tickets for the plane that gets you there, nor the charge for the hotel room once you arrive, but the other things that you fork out for while you are there. A meal here, a souvenir there, and even if you are simply holidaying [...]
When you were young, did you enjoy every family holiday? Chances are that you did not. Due to the fact that adults tend to make the decisions, the family holiday will often be to a destination that has been chosen by the parents, and the “children’s activities” are something of an afterthought. This is not [...]
It happens all the time. People on vacation, enjoying the time with their family suddenly realize they’ve misplaced their wallet. What can you do if this happens to you?
Nothing can be more frightening than misplacing a child – especially while on vacation. So how can you make certain your children stay with you when everything around them is new and interesting?
Taking a family vacation can, at times, feel like a real chore – and that’s before you’ve even left the house! Making lists of all the necessities that need to be purchased before you pack, then making a list of everything that needs to be packed and then a list of all those things that [...]
There was a time when traveling light was the thing experienced travelers strived for. Today it’s required protocol as more and more airlines are charging hefty fees for every checked bag. This presents an added challenge for those traveling with children in tow. Car seats, strollers, highchairs, portable cribs and so much more seem to [...]
When it comes to travel there are a few things that come in really handy: baby wipes, hand sanitizer and plastic, zip-top bags. Keeping baby wipes on hand, regardless of the age of your kids, can be extremely helpful. Wipes are excellent for cleaning the hands and faces of young and old alike. They’re also [...]
Lots of parents have come to rely on the portable DVD player. Many wouldn’t consider traveling without one. Some ask, “Why would anyone not bring along their portable and a few DVD’s to keep the kids entertained?”
The baby’s screaming, the older two kids are arguing and the directions you have are proving to be completely insufficient. You’re lost in another city in some other part of the world. What do you do? First, find a comfortable, safe place to pull over – ideally a park where the kids can run off [...]
This has got to be the number one most irritating question on any family vacation. Children haven’t yet learned how to politely mask their feelings of hunger, fatigue or boredom. In fact, they can be quite loud in making their needs known and relentless in their demands. So how do you bring out the best [...]
It never fails. Whether boarding a plane for a transatlantic flight or driving onto the freeway at the start of a road trip, little ones are always on their own schedule. So what’s a harried parent to do? No one told you that juggling latte, luggage and toddler would take a PhD, but at times [...]