Do
you remember what it was like to travel with your family as a kid?
For me, family trips meant getting stuffed into the back of a station
wagon with three other kids (my nephews), no air-conditioning, and
four adults in the front. It meant 18-hour CAR RIDES with the windows
open, knowing what part of the country we were in by the smell (orange
trees in Orlando was my favorite!), and stopping at REST-STOPS for
a picnic rather than eating at a restaurant. I remember lengthy
games of "I Spy," Uno cards flying out of the windows, singing "99
Bottles Of Beer," and repeating everything my youngest nephew said
until our parents were seriously considering infanticide. And I
wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
Times have changed so much -- what will your kids remember when
they look back on their travels as a family? Putting on headphones,
playing with a Game-Boy, and shutting the world off for two weeks?
Or being whisked from activity to activity -- everything whizzing
by in a blur? Remember, family travel is about MAKING MEMORIES --
and experiencing new things together so that you can say, "Remember
when..." after your kids are grown. And although any successful
trip starts with good ORGANIZATION, your travel shouldn't be judged
by how many activities you can check off of your list -- a hard
balance to strike in this day and age.
Christine Loomis has put together a fun, educational, and practical
guide to planning successful family vacations -- where to go, how
to get there, and what to do once you have arrived -- entitled "Simplify
Family Travel" It's like having your own personal "kid-friendly"
travel agent at your disposal!
THE BASICS
Have you ever picked up a "how-to" book, only to find that you were
expected to wade through pages and pages of text to find out how
to do the thing you wanted to learn to do? Well that isn't the case
with Christine's book. Her information is laid out in an easy-to-follow
fashion, and is coded with a series of eye-catching SYMBOLS that
let you know exactly what kind of tip you are looking at:
• LABOR and TIME SAVERS (tips to make chores go easier and faster)
• BRIGHT IDEAS (creative travel ideas you might not have thought
of before)
• SIMPLY SAFER (suggestions for keeping your family and "stuff"
out of danger)
• STRESS BUSTERS (ways to cut down on frustrations, irritations,
and delays)
• COST CUTTERS (ideas for saving money and finding great travel
discounts)
• RULES OF THUMB (tried and true travel guidelines)
• DON'T FORGET (important information -- make yourself a note)
Christine also gives her readers a wonderful appendix filled with
CHECKLISTS and RESOURCES to make their trip-planning easier. You
will find everything you need for stress-free family travel -- from
packing lists and questions to ask a travel agent to kid-friendly
hotels and websites where you can make airline reservations. If
you need some help with any aspect of your travel planning, check
her resource directory first.
PLANNING
Preparation is the most important part of any vacation -- especially
one involving children. As Christine points out, the number one
priority for harmonious vacation is selecting a destination and
activities that EVERYONE will enjoy. And this can be a challenge,
when you are trying to accommodate a variety of age ranges and interests
into one trip. However, you can avoid potential squabbles by making
your travel planning a FAMILY AFFAIR. Let everyone offer his or
her input up front, and make sure all your travelers give their
seal of approval to the final decision.
Christine also spends a great deal of time discussing the PHYSICAL
PREPARATIONS for your trip. There is so much to consider before
you leave home. What should you pack? Will you travel by plane,
train, or automobile? Will you make your own travel arrangements
or hire a travel agent? How will you keep your house safe while
you are gone? In all of her suggestions, Christine blends good old-fashioned
common sense with a few creative ideas you have probably never considered
-- and even the most seasoned traveler will learn some new tricks.
ON YOUR VACATION
It's hard to have a fun vacation if someone in your party suddenly
comes down with the measles or breaks an arm. And although you can
never fully prevent illness or injury, you can take a number of
precautions to keep your family SAFE and WELL on your travels. Christine
spends a great deal of time discussing health issues while on the
road -- preventing communicable diseases, avoiding food poisoning,
protecting your kids from injuries, and what to do if someone does
get sick or hurt away from home. In her estimation, your travel
health is greatly determined by how well-prepared and how ALERT
you are about your surroundings.
But Christine also focuses on the positive side of your trip --
namely, making sure that you have a GOOD TIME during your vacation.
She discusses creative options for lodging and dining and inexpensive
ways to fill your days with fun. If you are normally "big-city"
travelers, you might consider a change of pace with a trip to a
state park -- camping in a private cabin, eating picnic lunches,
and hiking in the outdoors. Or, if your family tends toward amusement
parks for entertainment, try including a behind-the-scenes educational
tour in your next trip. You could plan a dozen different vacations
from the ideas contained in Christine's book, and never run out
of amazing trips to take with your family.
Ramona
Creel is the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com
--
offering "a world of organizing solutions!"
Visit OnlineOrganizing.com
for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau -- and even
get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you. And if you
are interested in becoming a Professional Organizer, we have all
the tools you need to succeed. (Copyright 2000, Ramona Creel)
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