How to PickVacation Rental |
Vacationing, with Children Traveling with children will bememorable event ?question is "What kind?" Your chances oflifetime memory you will cherish increase significantly with some advance communication and preparation. The book, Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever, outlines five-step process you can apply to organizing any area of your life ? including traveling with children of any age. Makechildrenpart of trip by letting them help you plan. Your children will enjoytrip more if they feel they have some say aboutagenda. Get books from library, or doInternet search, onarea you plan to visit. Give them some options of what to do and actually use some of their suggestions. Who knows? You may enjoy their suggestions more than you think. Here isguide to vacationing with children, usingfive steps: one. Design your vision. The first step to happy memories is good communication. Start scheduling family meetings to plan ?earlierbetter. Atfirst meeting, ask each member offamily to describe what he or she would like to have in order to havewildly successful vacation. It'sgreat idea to put some structure into this discussion. Useflip chart and have family members take turns recording answers. Subsequent meetings can be used to work out each ofnext steps. two. Eliminate your obstacles. Mark Twain is credited with saying "Progress starts withtruth." Certainly that applies in this situation. For example, some teens simply do not think it's "cool" to travel with mom and dad. If you want your teens to enjoy their travel experience, make sure you understand what they like and dislike. With young children, keep in mind "less is more." A swim inhotel pool may bemuch better choice than another two hours at theme park. three. Commit your time. There could be several issues here. If your teens are working, they may resent having to miss work ? or they may be delighted. In either case, find out their preferences, and see what you can do to accommodate them without jeopardizing your own needs. One ofissues likely to come up isdaily travel schedule itself. Young children need naps, teens may want to sleep late, while parents relishidea of "gettingearly start." Compromise is probablybest solution here. four. Select your tools Growing up onfarm in Nebraska, one ofthings my daddy taught me was "Half of any job is havingright tool." While you may think it's ridiculous to think about "tools" forvacation, it is really essential. For example, if it is impossible to reachcompromise aboutmusic on car CD player, headphones for individual players could begodsend! Tools can also include systems forway you handle situations. One ofmajor keys to success in organizing any activity is focusing on individual strengths ? if one child is particularly adept at photography, make themofficial family photographer, while another might begreat navigator. five. Maintain your success Atend of each day, takefew minutes for"Check-In" session. What wasbest thing that happened that day? Why? How can we make sure we have more like it? What did not work? Why? How can we eliminate situation infuture? Make sure you use this process atend of vacation ? make some notes and put them in your GO System File (LINK HERE to http://productiveenvironment.com/index.asp?name= GO%fiveFSEMINARS&new=true&leftnav=true&lid=sixsix) for next year's planning. Here are some general tips you can use to ensuregreat vacation: ? Choose age appropriate destinations. This doesn't mean every trip has to involvetheme park or sports event; it simply means keeptrip's educational value atlevel they can comprehend and appreciate. If your children's ages spanwide range, have at least one activity geared to each child. Pickinghotel withpool can makebig difference! ? Layground rules early. Before you even leavehouse, make sure your children know what is and is not acceptable behavior onroad. As elementary as this may seem, if you do not tell your children what you expect, how can they oblige? ? Letchildren pack their own suitcases as much as possible. Make sure each child hassmall carry-on bag for which they are responsible. Include things they can do onroad or inair--a walkman and tapes, comic books, handheld video games, etc. ? Decide ahead of time about seating arrangements and make contingency plans in case requested seats are not available. ? Establishmeeting place at each stop. Nothing could be worse that havingchild get lost inunfamiliar environment. Whenever you visit location, identifyspot wherefamily can meet if you happen to get separated, or carry cell phones or pagers. ? Carry current photos of your children. That way others can help you locate your lost child. If your child can tell time, make sure they take watch! ? Packfirst aid kit. Face it. Kids will be kids. That means scraped knees, bug bites, and cuts and bruises. When traveling with children, always keepfirst aid kit handy. ? Check for children travel specials. Pre-planning can save you lots of money. Many airlines, restaurants, and hotels offer discounts for children, whether it's"kids stay or eat free" deal or"half-off children's rate." Let Internet-savvy children put their mouse to work for happier vacation. The most important thing to remember ? flexibility. Traveling with children of any age is alwayschallenge. Spend more time enjoying precious memories you will be creating and less time fretting over what could go wrong. Keep your sense of humor in full swing and happy traveling. © Barbara Hemphill isauthor of Kiplinger's TamingPaper Tiger at Work and TamingPaper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at eightzerozero-fourtwoseven-zerotwothreeseven or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com |
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