Fun and Educational Family Travel Tips

One family travel tip that I learned rather early on was to always be prepared for the worse!

It seems like every time we go on a family vacation, at least one of our family members becomes ill.  I have been the one to all victim, as has each of my kids.

My oldest, Jacob, seems to be the one that gets sick the mose often when we go on family vacations.  He has a tendency to throw up at least once during the trip.  Of course, he is not the only one that has ended up puking in the car.

When you are speeding down a highway, there really is no way to quickly pull over to the side so your child can throw up outside of the vehicle.  Unfortunately for us, the only thing we had available the first time he threw up was a paper bag - it seemed like a great idea until the vomit seeped through just seconds after hitting the bag.

Therefore, I recommend always bring a plastic bag with you.  A Ziploc bag is the best, since you can lock it shut and seal out the smell until you can find a place to stop.

Speaking of Ziploc bags, my twins were having a problem with diarrhea when we went to Disney World.  Those bags were a life saver when it came to changing out underwear since we had to tote the soiled underwear around with us throughout the park (I will admit, a couple pair just ended up in the trash).

I know, the topic is disgusting, but kids have a way of puking and pooping at the worse of times! Being prepared will make it much less of a disaster when it occurs.

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Now that you have the right mindset for your roadtrip, there are a few additional steps you can take to make your roadtrip as pleasant as possible.

If your budget is tight and stopping off for snacks periodically along the way will be too costly, be sure to pack some snacks with you.  Even if you have a “no eating in the vehicle” rule, you can pull off to a roadstop at some time point and pull the snacks out of the vehicle.

Keep the snacks that your pack on for your family vacation ones that do not spoil easily and that are easy to pack and to obtain.  Water is a good choice for drinks, as it won’t result in upset bellies like pop or even juice can do.  Peanut butter crackers or cheese crackers are a good snack to bring with you because they are filling and healthy without taking up much space.

Obviously, you will need to consider the likes and dislikes of your family members, but I would stay clear of candies and other sweets.  If you pump the kids up with sugar while on a roadtrip, you will go insane before the real family vacation has ever really started!

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I have done a great deal of talking about some of the wonderful places I have visited with my family, so I think it is about time I offer a few family travel tips for when on the road.

For me, the actal trip to the destination can be just as much fun as the destination itself.  In order to make the trip a pleasant part of your family vacation, you have to establish a certain mindset.

First of all, don’t try to push your way through as quickly as possible.  This only results in cranky children and irritated adults when the trip schedule is inevitably thrown of track.

I used to call my husband the “Pee Nazi” because stopping for a restroom break was such an ordeal.  “But, baby, I am making such good time” he would say.

Finally, he realized that going into the roadtrip with the understanding that we would have to stop along the way just made it easier on everyone.  Now, when we go on a family vacation, we even keep an eye out for fun stops along the way.  Stopping every few hours to take a restroom break, to grab a snack, or to see a interesting site has made the roadtrip aspect of our family vacations a great part of the trip rather than a hassle.

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The site that my family seemed to enjoy the most on our trip to Wisconsin Dells was the Rick Wilcox Magic show. 

Now, I will warn you, this was the single most expensive attraction that we visited while at Wisconsin Dells.  Part of the reason for the added expense, however, was that we purchased center row tickets for all six of us.  The theater is pretty small, so I would imagine that sitting in a sit seat would offer just as good of a view and it wouldn’t be necessary to sit in the center of the theater.

We weren’t sure what to expect with this show.  Seeing as we were in Wisconsin Dells, we were a little afraid of it being CHEESIE (bad pun intended).  But, the show was actually quite entertaining and all of the children absolutely loved.  It was definitely an expense that was well worth it.

Depending on the time of year that you visit the Dells, you will only have one or two chances each day to see the show.  Also, I would recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time.  The theater was nearly full when we visited and we went in early June before the Dells are really in full swing.

In my opinion, this show is a must see!

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Another site that you will have the opportunity to visit when you take a family vacation to Wisconsin Dells is Wizards Quest.  Wizards Quest offers a different form of family travel opportunity to the norm, as it is basically a huge scavenger hunt that the entire family participates in.

 When you enter Wizards Quest, you will be asked to come up with a name for your traveling party.  If you are stuck, they have a list of suggestions that you can choose from.  You then enter a little room where you are introduced to the elemental wizards you will be trying to free.  In order to free them, you will have to find answers to questions you are given in order to collect enough points to release the wizards.  To find the answers, you will have to walk through the various realms and look for clues.

 While finding the answers to the questions was a little beyond the twin’s grasp (since they are only 5 years old), they still enjoyed going through the various realms because they included slides and other things to climb and have fun on.

 Beware of the last realm, however, as there are a whole bunch of mirrors that you will have to walk through and determining which images are the real person and which are just reflections can be tough.  The twins ran into mirrors on more than one occassion as they ran to what they thought was me in order to give me a hug!

I won’t give away any secrets to how you find the answers to the questions because I don’t want to ruin the fun of your family vacation.  But, if you are afraid that finding the answers to the clues will be too difficult and you won’t be able to free the wizards within your provided time limit, you can choose to take the easier challenge.  We didn’t gather quite enough points to free all of our wizards, but we did have a good time trying!

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One of my fellow bloggers by the name of Joe (check out his site at www.fatheredfive.com) sent this cute little story my way.  Check it out before reading any further.

While I certainly agree with the author that a vacation with the children is not a particularly relaxing experience, I have still have vacations with my family that I would consider to be first class.  Would could possibly be better than bonding with your children and spending time with the ones you love?

Personally, I would never compare having my children with me on vacation as being as bad as losing my luggage, experiencing car trouble, or getting a speeding ticket.  Are there times when I want to spend time alone with my husband?  Certainly!  But, I wouldn’t trade those vacation moments with my children for anything in the world.

What are your thoughts on children and vacations?

Shannon

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