Times sure have changed from when I was a kid, sitting in the back seat of my parent's Oldsmobile, arguing with my little brother about crossing the invisible line that divided his side of the seat from mine.
No DVD player to keep us entertained - just those travel bingo games with the little red plastic windows you slid over when you spotted something out the window.
Thank goodness I loved to read and didn't get carsick. I passed many a mile lost in a book with my dad begging me to look out the window at the scenery. At that time, I felt like if you saw one mountain, you'd seen them all. I was much more interested in what Ramona the Pest or Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle had going on.
Though my kids still enjoy a very competitive Alphabet Game, I know that sometimes it takes a little more than that to reach our vacation destination in peace. And in one piece!
And since it's summer, the time when many families are hitting the road or flying the friendly skies, I thought I'd share some great tips I've come across recently on making traveling with kiddos just a little bit easier.
The blog www.traveling-kids.blogspot.com is a great resource for flying with children, among other things. I especially love this post about how to maintain a sense of humor when traveling with your kids.
Click here for an airplane scavenger hunt that will keep your kiddos flying with their eyes peeled. A small reward for whoever spots the most might provide some good incentive.
And here's a great article on how to make your car kid-friendly, both for long trips and just running around town.
Family Fun has some terrific travel games to play while you're on the road. They even have some fun printables you can stash in the glove box and bring out when the kids need a little pick-me-up.
In my mind, the most important thing to remember when traveling is to be prepared. And while kids today really have no idea how easy they have it when it comes to entertainment while traveling, the trip is certainly more peaceful for the parents when they take a little time to plan ahead.
And I'm all for keeping the peace.
We still don't have a DVD player in the car, but I did buy a set of those old travel bingo cards at Cracker Barrel. We love them. Thanks for the tips; there's the strong possibility that we'll have a plane ride or VERY long car ride coming up soon. I'll remember to check back with this blog before we head out.
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