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Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah

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Laughing all the Way:

Tips for Holiday Travel with the Kids

What's the number one destination for family travel during the holidays? It's not Walt Disney World or a trip to ski slopes. It's Grandma's house! In fact, family visits are one of the most frequent family travel destinations at any time of year, accounting for over 105 million family trips to a recent survey. Unfortunately for most families, those trips to Grandma's mean a carload of grumpy kids: too bored with the trip to be happy, and too full of holiday excitement to sit still. What's a parent to do to keep the family happy over the river and through the woods?

Travel in Heavenly Peace

There are some basic rules about traveling with kids you must remember, and carefully planning the trip is paramount. Figure out how long will it take you, keeping in mind that you'll need to stop every 90 minutes to two hours for a potty stop. It's a little easier going to the relatives' house, because you probably know the way, but mark your rest and leg-stretching area along the route. It's

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not a bad idea to stop at shopping centers during cold weather, so the kids can run around for awhile. Many parents try pushing through to get there, but it's better to plan the extra time, and everyone will enjoy the trip.

Make hotel reservations ahead of time. If you have to stop overnight on the way, remember that the holidays are the busiest car travel times of the year. You don't want to be driving around with cranky kids at bedtime looking for a vacancy!

Visions of Sugar Plums

Let the sugar plums dance, but don't feed them to your kids. Keep the snacks healthy, with a minimum of sugar. They'll get enough sugar at Grandma's! Also watch the salty foods, which will increase their craving for liquids--meaning more potty stops. A better choice is dried or fresh fruit, fruit leathers, less salty snack foods or crackers, string cheese, cereal, etc. While you carefully dole out the snacks at home, in the car, give each kid a sizable bag of healthy snacks which they can eat anytime, without having to ask. Kids love the novelty of it. C'mon, lighten up; as long as it's healthy and they're happy, who cares if they don't eat lunch? It's the holidays!

Laughing All the Way

FamilyFun Magazine's new Games on the Go book (Hyperion, 1998) has 250 great games, tips and activities to keep everyone smiling. When going to visit the relatives, the book suggests bringing some note cards and create a "family trivia" game, your kids will love it, and learn some family lore, too. Another game the book suggests, appropriate for the Thanksgiving trip, is the "Token of Appreciation" game. A "thanksgiving token"--a rock or stuffed animal-- is passed from person to person, and each tells for what he or she is thankful, or wishes, in the new year.

Silent Night, Driving Night

One trick some parents use for particularly long trips is to leave at bedtime and drive at night. Usually there's less traffic, and even the rowdiest kids will sleep while you get eight or ten hours of driving

done. This takes lots of planning, and you'll be tired when you get there, but it's the only way to go with some children.

Over the River and Through the Woods

There's nothing better for keeping their attention for a long period than a good audiobook (book on tape). Make a stop at your local library and check out their selection of children's literature, making sure to choose titles that the whole family can enjoy. Over Thanksgiving, try the tape of the PBS actress Megan Fallows' reading of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea (BDD Audio, 1987); or for ages 7 and up, the popular Redwall epic, now on tape, performed by author Brian Jacques and a BBC radio cast (Listening Library, 1997, 1998). For Christmas trips, actor Patrick (Captain Picard) Stewart's performance of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol is an excellent choice (Audioworks, 1991), as is Dillon Thomas reading his A Child's Christmas in Wales (Caedmon/Harper, 1992). For storytelling, Odds Bodkin's Winter Cherries or Jay O'Callahan's For Jeremy, A Christmas Story will keep the kids riveted for an hour or two. Remember, bring enough audiobooks for the return trip!

Hark, Hear Your Angels Sing

A holiday trip wouldn't be complete, or nearly as much fun, without a little family singing. Dig out the holiday tapes or CDs for the trip, and check with your local library for a book with lyrics before you go, so you don't end up doing a lot of humming! For Hanukkah songs, look at your local record or bookstore for Parents' Choice award-winner Just in Time for Chanukah, by Margie Rosenthal and Ilene Safyan. A great new book which has the lyrics to "Over the River and Through the Woods," and over 30 other travel and camp classics is The Family Car Songbook from Running Press. (more)

Like a Peddler Just Opening His Pack

Inevitably on a long trip, you'll get stuck in traffic, or get lost, and that's when kids' biology tells them it's time to whine. It's then that you pull out the Surprise Bag; it works every time. Before you leave, take a trip to the dime store and pick up a number of inexpensive trinkets for each kid. Make sure to include some after-dark items such as glow-in-the-dark Silly Putty or glow string. Wrap them up nice and tight, so it takes awhile to open them, then dole them out one at a time for instant smiles.

Make a List, and Check it Twice

Going to Grandma's is one time when you'll usually need the trappings of parenting: A portable crib, extra blankets, pillows for the older kids, electric plug covers and other necessary safety devices, a supply of extra diapers. It's also not a bad idea to call and remind Mom that she needs to baby-proof the house before your little tornado gets there! And Grandpa isn't likely to have Bambi around, so you may want to bring a supply of videos and books for bedtime and plug-in time.

A little planning and trips to the library and the dime store can make your next family trip lots more fun. You'll be less stressed on the way, the kids will have more fun, and you'll all be in better shape once you arrive.

Brian Beihl is a father of three children, and president of Family on Board - Gear for Safe, Happy Travel, a New Hampshire-based catalog of family travel products: 800-357-0212 or www.familyonboard.com.

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Editors: The text for this release, additional background information, and downloadable black & white and color TIF images can be found at: http://www.familyonboard.com/press/

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