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TRAVEL
J U LY / A U G 2 0 1 4
How to Take the Perfect
Trip with Your Grandchild
Patience and planning make traveling with
youngsters easier
by Jan Ross, Staff Writer
My 8-year-old grandson is, by
far, my favorite person to travel
with. He’s easy to please as long
as some of our meals include
a milkshake from Chick-fil-A
or some fried shrimp. He can
travel for hours in the car without
complaint as long as he has some
form of electronic entertainment
or some books. He allows me to
kiss and cuddle him to my heart’s
content, although just recently
these displays of affection have to
be done only when none of his
friends are around. And he is the
only one who truly appreciates the
time spent to create a sand castle
complete with shell decorations
and an elaborate moat.
Traveling with grandchildren
can be a complete joy, providing memories for years to come.
These trips just require a little patience and a lot of planning. Here’s
how to undertake the perfect trip
with your grandchild.
• Involve the child’s parents.
Even if the trip is just you and
your grandchild, the parents
will still want to be involved
from the beginning in planning. Make sure the dates
you are thinking about will
work for them. Ask them for
suggestions about things such
as bedtime rituals and special
toys the child might need, and
check to see if there are certain
foods, etc. the parents don’t
want the child to have.
• Plan a trip that everyone will
enjoy. The things you like
might not necessarily be the
things your grandchild will
want to do. Some kids may
absolutely adore art museums
and historic cathedrals, while
others will be rolling their
eyes and begging to head to
the local waterpark. Talk to
the children about where they
would like to go and what they
would like to do. They may
not always have any idea about
what they would like to do, so
be imaginative.
• Keep boredom at bay. When
kids are bored, they get whiny,
and when the kids are whiny,
the adults are not happy. If
you know you’re going to be in
the car for hours, have plenty
of games, movies, books, art
supplies and whatever else you
need to keep the children content. Buy a few little surprises
that you can take out when
boredom inevitably happens.
• Keep everyone fed. Nobody is
happy when they are hungry,
and young kids may not even
know why they are so unhappy
and irritable. Keep healthy
snacks available and plan
regular meal (and bathroom)
breaks.
• Stay in touch. Even if your
grandchild and you are very
close, they still might miss
their parents. This is the time
when you buy ice cream! Just
kidding – this is the time to let
them call home or even do a
video chat with their parents.
Don’t let time slip away without
spending some special travel time
with your grandchild. Before you
know it, they will be old enough
that traveling with you is just not
cool anymore. Plan a trip now!
Don’t let time slip away
without spending some
special travel time with your
grandchild.