(the look of disapproval is for disrupting his game!)

Family trips offer a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of the world around you. Planning a family trip in advance is really important and tricky task. The key to an ideal vacation is a great plan. To get your family vacation planned properly, you should try to plan it as soon as possible. However, another important aspect of planning a trip is the length of your trip. Family trips are usually more successful if they are for a short duration of time. Short trips have two advantages; first, they keep your children more entertained, and they don’t get bored as on long trips. Secondly, a short vacation allows you to return home and rest at home for few days before getting back to work.

Planning can be really enjoyable if you involve the entire family. Planning a vacation together makes the task more enjoyable and gives everyone a chance to share their views with others. The more input you get from each family member, the more fun it is to plan the trip. Your children might come up with some surprising ideas and suggestions for interesting things for your next vacation. If you have already decided on a place to travel, your kids can research the destination online and find ideas for things to do when you reach there.

Also, consider your budget while deciding on the location you are going to visit. Is a beach vacation perfect for you? Or do you have enough to splurge on amusement parks, theme or a water park? Is an international trip in your future? Keeping these factors in mind while deciding on your next destination will help you to choose a right vacation option. However, it is also important that you take into consideration
the hotel price depending on your budget.

Once you have decided where you want to travel, you can discuss the travel options. Are you travelling by car, bus, or train? If you are a member of a travel club, your children can write letters asking them to provide you with route maps and possible suggestions. If you are traveling via plane then you can ask your kids to contact various carriers that serve your area and inquire about the scheduling and pricing information. Another way to involve your kids in the planning task is to have them plan a day while on vacation.

Prior to packing, you might want to research the expected weather for the place you are visiting at particular time of year. You will find a number of sources online that will help you to predict the weather conditions. With little creativity, trip planning can prove to be an exciting way to spend time with your family. Planning a great family trip isn’t that complicated, if you involve your children in the planning task, and understand each other’s needs and expectations pretty well.

Cindy B is a travel writer for OneTravel.com and writes articles with special focus on finding cheap airfares, Luxury Hotels and affordable vacation packages online. Cindy finds great pleasures in visiting new places and learning about them.

Article Source: http://greatarticlesformoms.com

Have you been wanting to go on a vacation but find yourself putting it off because you have children? Would you love to get away from it all but dread traveling for any time or distance with the kids in the car? Are you worried that once you reach your destination you’ll have no time for yourself because you’ll be caring for your kids? Take heart AND take that vacation. There are ways to ensure that everyone in the family has a great time and the trip goes smoothly.

Car travel with children can be one of the most harrowing experiences in a parent’s life. The innumerable utterances of, “Are we there yet?” or “I have to go to the bathroom” and “I’m bored”, can eventually grate on the nerves of even the most patient of parents. Make that time spent in the car on the way to your destination practically fly by.

The first thing you have to do is change your mindset. If you are dreading the trip then the trip will be no fun. Think of it as an opportunity for the family to reconnect. Share conversation with your children. Don’t just hear them, but listen to them. And talk with them rather than at them.

Play games with them. Geography, the license plate game, even a scaled down version of charades can work in the car. Bring a few books along. Take turns reading stories to one another. Let your kids read to you, too. Not only will it help pass the time but who wouldn’t want the opportunity to get their children to read a little more? Make up stories of your own. Get an extra copy of a map and let your kids chart your progress. Have them try to estimate how much longer the trip will take or how many miles you have traveled. Use your imagination. Keep snacks and beverages in a small cooler on hand to minimize pit stops. Blankets and pillows are also helpful in case the kids get sleepy. By keeping them comfortable you are also keeping them happy and more content. Make the ride in the car a special time for your family You might be surprised, it might just turn out to be one of the highlights of your trip.

When planning a vacation with your children don’t forget that you are a family. A romantic weekend retreat is not the kind of place to bring the kids. Do research on your destination. Are the facilities equipped to handle children? Do they have established, safe and professional babysitting or child care services so that you can have some time to yourself? Are the accommodations in your hotel geared toward families? Check to see if your hotel offers discounts for kids. Do they offer activities for children? Contact the Chamber of Commerce and ask them to recommend family friendly attractions in the area in which you’ll be staying. Check out point of interest in an atlas. Research the area on the internet. There is a wealth of information available and you might be surprised with just how much you will be able to find. By doing a little extra investigation, planning ahead and being prepared you will undoubtedly ensure a more successful and enjoyable trip for the entire family.

Planning your trip should be your top priority when it comes to your vacation with the kids and the joy of a vacation with the kids can start at the preparation. Family vacation requires a lot of preparation considering that you should satisfy your own desires and likes alongside the wants of your toddlers, teens and spouse. Always keep in mind the age and interest of your children and always keep in mind that when travelling with children, you don’t always have the luxury to ‘wing it’.

You need to know where you are going (destinations, directions), where you are staying (accommodations, reservations), how do you get there (transportation) and how to amuse the whole family (activities, attractions). Fortunately, we have learned two key ingredients to a successful family vacation: preparation and flexibility. You do research, you plan, you make checklists and then, when nothing goes the way it was supposed to, you simply move on to Plan B or improvise on the spot.

While taking a vacation, you should be mentally prepared for any eventuality that could occur like your baggage not arriving with you, sudden weather change, unexpected aches. Be prepared and improvise, then you can tackle anything and have a great holiday. Always involve your children with the planning and preparation. Why not include your child as your junior travel agent. When you involve your children with the preparation, taking in consideration their age and interests, your halfway there. The vacation preparation with a baby differs from the preparation on a vacation with a schoolchild. You prepare a toddler probably different on a vacation than you do a teenager. You also prepare yourself different on a vacation when you are pregnant than when your not.

Another important thing that ensures a good vacation is packing. Depending on the kind of holiday that you have planned and the mode of travel that you have decided to take, you must pack accordingly. Put some thought into what you pack. Pack clothes keeping in mind what kind of activities that you will be undertaking. Take clothes that you can mix and match and give a good wear.

It is very important to carry all the required medicines for your child, especially if he needs any particular medication. If you are flying, then you should take the essential medicines into a bag which you should carry with you.

It’s also important to do research on your vacation destination to find the perfect vacation spot for your vacation with the kids.

But probably the most important aspect of the vacation preparation is realising that you are a family and you all want to have a great vacation.

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There are many top ten type lists of tips for traveling with children: how to ensure they eat well and drink enough, how to dress them for weather forecast variances, how to provide the stimulation they need, how to make sure they don’t drive off with the family car and leave you stranded in the Mojave Desert, etc.

This list is how to travel in comfort – without tying the children to the roof rack — which hopefully will reduce your stress.

Make sure you have plenty of room while traveling.

This is easier said than done. On a plane, everybody is cramped. On a train, everybody is cramped, although a little less so. On a bicycle… don’t even try it.

If you are driving, get a mini-van. Sure, you might be more of a “car” type, and you might have resisted buying a mini-van so far. But pick up a rental van for the vacation just to give the kids a little more room for fighting. (Make sure it has a roof rack, just in case.)

Reality check: Cram enough people into a tiny space and watch everybody get stressed and enraged. See my humorous but true article on hippo rage.

Accommodations along the way can be tricky. Usually it involves a cramped motel for just long enough to sleep, then back in the cramped car (or somewhat cramped mini-van). This is not anybody’s idea of a home away from home. An accommodation alternative is to camp. When not sleeping, you have all the space in the world (unless you have to huddle under the tarp while the storm passes through). I love camping, but not everyone enjoys a good early morning wake-up wrestle with a grizzly as much as I do, so a motel might be required.

Make sure you have plenty of room when you “get there”.

My childhood vacations, often involved wandering around lost. Assuming you are actually heading for a destination, make sure to have lots of room when you get there. This part is easy. But it requires thinking outside the box. Forget hotels, motels, and inns. Look for private rental homes.

Probably the biggest destination for families is Walt Disney World in Florida. Good news – Orlando, Kissimmee and the surrounding area is just teeming with private vacation homes for rent. In Florida they call them vacation villas, and they offer all the space of home (without having to fix a leaky sink or oil the door hinges or mow the lawn.) Here are some examples of vacation home rentals in the Disney area.

Sharon Baillie is a private villa owner in the Kissimmee area outside Orlando, just a few miles from Disney World. “Our guests enjoy the spaciousness of our 6-bedroom home. They love the private pool and the private yard in which they can relax,” she says. “Parents love the space for children to run around outside, and we leave a box of toys in the garage. So while the parents rest, the children play – and let their parents rest!”

Be prepared for “children being children” events.

Sometimes, stress hits you from behind when the unexpected happens. Like a cut or a scrape … or a child getting sick. Sharon Baillie told me that is why she tells all her villa rental guests where the first aid kit can be found, and exactly where to go for medical attention. This is particularly helpful for her many guests from abroad, who are unfamiliar with the US healthcare system.

She also makes sure her guests are informed about local pollen and viruses in Florida, so that parents can be prepared. Stress is so much more enjoyable when you are prepared for it, don’t you think?

Booking tickets to theme parks and making reservations for just about everything in advance makes the trip less stressful. There is little more difficult than managing young children while trying to get into a theme park or show that requires prior booking.

And to prevent wandering around lost, pick up a AAA Triptik in advance – not that it ever helped us.

Try having your children baby-sat. This might mean bringing along a nanny, such as a grand parent (It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.). The car might be more crowded, but if you’ve rented a spacious home for the week, it could just be doable. The other option is to hire a local baby-sitter once or twice. Vacation Home owners can set this up for you, and some hotels might be willing to, too.

When you are single, you can go on adventure vacations. When you are a parent, you get little vacation adventures. Here are three of my family vacation adventures.

So there you have it. Three ways to reduce the stress of traveling with kids, so you can actually relax on vacation. After all, isn’t that what vacations are supposed to be about?

Keeping Clothing Separate - if you use zip lock (or the larger sliding lock) bags to separate your clothing into different types (eg underwear) or different people (eg baby) then it will make it easier to find in your suitcase

Stop leaks from spreading - put your shampoo bottles, roll-on deodorant and any liquid toiletries into individual zip lock bags within your toiletry bag/case. This will help prevent any leaks from spreading onto your clothing. It will also stop leaks from ruining your toiletry bag. Always put your roll-on deodorant into a bag - it has a tendency to leak under pressure and there is nothing worse than going to brush your teeth only to find that the deodorant has leaked onto your toothbrush!

Store dirty (or not so dirty) shoes - even if you have just cleaned your shoes they can still mark your clothes, so put them in a bag.

Compress your clothing - save space, put your clothes into zip lock bags and seal the lock leaving a small gap. Then roll the bag to push out any excess air and seal. The resulting flat package is almost like a vacuum pack and takes up a lot less space!

Store snacks for the flight - use individual zip lock bags to store snacks for the flight in your carry-on luggage

Separate toys and art supplies for flight - use zip lock bags to categorize small toys or art supplies (like crayons) for babies and kids on the plane. If you have more than one kid then label the bags with their names to avoid confusion (and fights!).

Firstly, you accumulate a surprising amount of rubbish during a flight, with nowhere to put it other than on the floor at your feet. It starts with the plastic packaging for the headphones, plus food packaging from the “keep baby quiet” snacks, then tissues, the packet of cards in the inflight entertainment pack (the one completely inappropriate for a baby but you took it to keep your baby quiet and all s/he did was empty the contents all over the floor), plastic cutlery, drinking fountain paper cups and so on. Before you know it, you are sitting amidst a small mound of garbage with nary a bin or cabin crew member in sight. So having your own personal rubbish bag comes in handy (and the cabin crew and cleaning crew will appreciate it too).

Secondly, should your child vomit during the flight (yes, this has happened to me - more on that later…) or wet themselves or spill a drink everywhere then you will have somewhere to put their wet or soiled clothing. Or , if you have enough warning , you can even use it as a spew bag.

Thirdly, it’s also a handy to be able to scoop up all the loose items and pop them in the bag at the last minute. You can then sort them out once you are off the plane.

I prefer to take at least two regular sized shopping bags (although the small scented nappy/diaper bags will suffice if you have nothing else). If you tie a knot in the middle of the bag it will take up less space and baby is less likely to be able to put it over their head.

• TIP - just because you buy an infant ticket doesn’t mean that a meal is ordered automatically. Make sure you order an infant meal when booking your tickets. Double check that your meal has been ordered when checking in and again once you are on the plane (before takeoff!)
• TIP - Infant and childrens’ meals are “special” meals and often the cabin staff will mark the back of a seat with a little sticker to indicate a “special” - so if you see them marking other seats and not yours - ask!

Some airlines also stock tinned baby food. However, the flavours and textures may not be appropriate for your baby. The last thing you want is to have a hungry baby so we suggest that you bring your own food - even if you order an infant meal. We suggest you pack:

• tinned food - enough for the flight plus the first 2 days if staying in a hotel. This saves you needing to rush out to source baby food while jetlagged and in unfamiliar surroundings
• snack food - crackers, rusks, milk arrowroot biscuits etc. Carry these in ziplocked bags for easy accessibility
• formula - enough for the flight plus the first 2 days (see above re tinned food)
• UHT milk if your baby is on cow’s milk - you can buy poppers/tetrapaks/boxes
• juice boxes for babies who drink juice
• fruit for the flight (but remember that you will most likely need to throw out any leftovers at the airport due to quarantine)

Most airlines are fairly considerate and will serve your infant meal separately. If you are travelling with a partner it is easier for one person to eat their meal while the other holds the baby and then swap. If not offered, ask the cabin crew to keep a meal aside for the person holding the baby.

CAUTION - meals heated up in the galley will usually be extremely HOT. Always check the temperature before serving to your baby.

On Zavvy’s first flight (Sydney-Paris via Tokyo) we were lucky enough to have a spare seat on the first leg which made it a lot easier to feed him. I took along disposable bibs and the airline (JAL) provided very cute airplane shaped spoons. He was still eating tinned food and I brought my own supplies.

In a perfect world your baby will be an angel and behave impeccably. People will give you glowing smiles of encouragement and all will be well with the world. Chances are though that this isn’t going to happen. You may well find yourself with a bawling baby at 35 000 feet. And what’s worse is that other people are going to make you feel bad about it. Some may even tell you (or the cabin crew) how they feel about having to listen to your child - as if you are enjoying the situation and haven’t tried your best to soothe and distract your little one. Even other parents can be intolerant, particularly if their child sleeps and yours doesn’t.

On aeroplanes with bulkhead seats and bassinettes many airlines will seat groups of families with babies and small children together. This can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on the circumstances. Most likely the babies will be of differing ages and have different sleep patterns. Inevitably, when your baby has finally fallen asleep another baby will start bawling or vice versa. If this happens - try not to look daggers at the other parents, even if you really really wish that their baby would just be quiet - as it could very well be you in that position.

If you are concerned about other babies disturbing yours and you don’t really need the bassinette (particularly if you are travelling with a toddler who will be too big for the bassinette anyway) then consider requesting a seat further back in the plane. That way you are unlikely to be near smaller babies and you will only be annoying other adults.

A change table is often not available in every toilet (some smaller aircraft don’t even have a change table on the entire plane) so this may mean waiting in the inevitable toilet queues - and don’t expect people to let you in front of them either!

The “change table” is usually just a thin shelf that folds down over the toilet. On some planes you have to lie your baby down crossways leaving you with only side access making it all the more tricky to change your baby as you need one hand on the baby to stop s/he rolling off leaving you one hand to change a nappy (diaper).

For these reasons I suggest you take only the bare essentials into the toilet with you as you will most likey need to do most things one-handed and you definetly don’t want to put your baby down on the floor (especially in the middle of a long haul flight!).

bare essentials: nappy/diaper, small packet of wipes, small tube of cream (if you regularly use it)

I also avoid changing my baby more than is absolutely necessary - I figure that my baby sleeps through the night in the same nappy so he is used to it. Of course, if he soils his nappy or it’s a long flight I do change him.

TIP - the toilets are their busiest after the trays have been collected from meal service (all those free glasses of wine and second cups of tea or coffee!) and for the hour before landing (people using those free toothbrushes to freshen up). The toilets are at their quietest when the lights go out as people are sleeping or watching movies. That’s a good time to do a mid-flight nappy change when you are not pressured by a huge queue of people waiting for the toilet.

TIP - Always carry a spare t-shirt for yourself and your partner in case of spills on the plane (extremely likely if you have a lapsit baby!). Get changed once you land - chances are that you will have a long wait at immigration and at the baggage carousel anyway. I generally avoid using the toilets before landing and wait until we disembark. In most airports there are several sets of toilets in the terminal. The toilets closest to the gate will be the busiest, so unless you need the baby change room keep walking until the next set of toilets.

In an attempt to calm my nerves I developed some little routines that I would *have* to do before we took off. I would watch the safety demonstration intently (even though I practically knew if off by heart), religiously count the number of rows to the nearest exit and an alternate exit and I would read the airline safety card.

Since that time I have become less nervous about flying but I still follow that little routine on the plane. It has even rubbed off on my kids. Loll will get out the card and read it too - he is particularly intrigued with the pictureof a ditched aircraft floating in the water with people getting into liferafts.

Once when we were flying to Perth when he was four, he got out the card and read it for ages. Then he turned to me and said in a serious tone, “mummy, when is the plane going to crash so we can wear the lifejackets?”. The old lady on the other side of him said “dear, I don’t think your mummy wants the plane to crash!”. It was a cute but funny moment.

By the way - not only does the airline safety card provide useful information in the event of a crash but it also provides a good distraction to a restless baby!

PS - has anyone else ever noticed that most cards tell you that you can’t bring one of those annoying Furbies on board? I wonder if there ever was a “Furby incident” (headline - Furby causes plane to crash) or the cabin crews just got sick of them?!