|
 |
Traveling With ChildrenComplete
Listing of Ed and Julie's
It matters little the age of the youth(s). As long as they're at least old enough for you to read to them, they're old enough to participate in trip preparations. The more it's their trip, the more enjoyable it will be, for them and others in the party. Teenagers and most adolescents are more than capable of researching where you'll be visiting and what they want to see and do. With the right encouragement they'll come up with some good ideas for the 'old folks' as well. If they're younger you'll probably have to find the books and websites for them. As they get older, they can select the research materials from the bookstore and library. More often than not they'll do a better job than we more mature travelers in finding the best sites to use on the web. Obviously younger children will have a lesser understanding of where they're going and the importance of things. And just because we suggest participatory planning doesn't mean Brutus at five years of age has a veto. The more, though, everyone's involved at a maturity-appropriate level, the greater the memories that will be taken back home.
|
| |
Boredom, even at a spot that's not high on Junior's list, tends to be minimized when Junior knows the next spot they're going to visit is one he picked, and knows the most about. And this applies not only to sights. Make sure all of you have equal opportunity to choose where you'll go, what you'll see, what you'll eat, how long you'll stay in various spots.
The same applies to packing, in an age-appropriate fashion. Let them build their own packing list. Be sure, though, and let them pack the things themselves ... and do a dry run carrying it down the block from the house. Guaranteed the list will get shorter and more useful if they have to carry the bags themselves, and have to exist for a day or two from that suitcase while still at home.
Complete
Index of Ed and Julie's Our Favorites Trip Tips and Tools Copyright © 2000-2001 E.J. Gehrlein Traveling
|
y far the best advice
we can give to those traveling with children in Europe, or elsewhere ... get them involved
in planning the trip ... now.
ake the trip a true
family affair. A day for Mom, a day for Dad, a day for Junior, a day for Susie ... or
something similar. If you spend some time working on your plan together you'll find there
are many things everyone will enjoy, and there'll be few where just Dad or Susie has much
interest.
articulary as the
youngsters mature into older adolescents or teens, it's one thing to be dragged along by
Mom and Dad. It's quite another to drag Mom and Dad to neat spots they've discovered from
their research. A great chance for the youngsters to show their stuff as they interpret
for their parents what they're seeing.
f you'll be visiting 