School’s out, and families across the country are taking their summer vacations. One Step Ahead brand offers some tips for safe and family travel:
Travel fairy. Purchase small, inexpensive toys to use as rewards during the trip. For each hour of good behavior, hand out a wrapped reward to each child to keep them occupied during the next stretch.
Catch your Zzzzs. Time road trips or flights around sleep schedules if possible. Try to travel when the kids are sleeping. If possible, travel overnight.
Snack attack. Bring a cooler of snacks for kids (and parents!). This will help keep kids hunger-free for longer periods of time and will prevent frequent food stops. This will also cut down on airplane snack costs while in-flight.
Family time. While road-tripping, play family travel games such as “License Plate Bingo,” “I Spy,” “Landmark Scavenger Hunt” and throw in family sing-along time to boot!
Bookworms. In addition to favorite story books, bring along brochures of your destination for kids to browse and pick out things they want to do when they arrive and/or catalogs for kids to circle picks for birthday/holiday lists. Even load up the iPod with audiobooks for whole family entertainment.
Activity binders! Print free _ coloring pages of kids’ favorite characters, dot-to-dots, mazes (even some fun school skill worksheets!) and assemble in a special binder for each child. Give to each child at the start of the trip for hours of entertainment.
Everyone needs a break. When traveling by car, try and pre-plan meal stops around rest-stop/park locations. Either bring or buy meals there and let the kids stretch their legs and burn off some energy running around before hitting the road again!
Engage children. Have children help with the packing! Give them each parent-approved bags to fill with special toys and activities that they want to play with en route and while at your destination!
Mail the luggage. When flying, cut down on airport baggage by mailing some items to your destination ahead of time. It’s easier to maneuver with kids through the airport when you’re not carrying so many bags.
When flying, bring at least one small, carry-on bag with your family’s “essentials” (think change of clothes, diapers, toothbrush, favorite stuffed animal etc.). You never know when your flight could be delayed or your baggage could get lost for a night or two!
Whether you’re road-tripping to Grandma’s house or flying to a destination vacation, bring along some items to help children easily transition to their temporary home-away-from home.
Stay safe. No matter where your destination, be prepared and address appropriate safety behaviors with the family in advance of the trip. Explain what to expect at the airport, theme park, hotel or visiting house and agree on best safety practices. On Step Ahead has temporary tattoos so you can write your cell phone number on your child’s arm.
