Family Travel Hints, Part D

As your family travels together, it might be interesting to talk about famous travelers or traveling events, such as Columbus, or the Apollo missions. Read up on them before the trip, or have the kids read about them beforehand. You can also follow, talk about, or research famous routes, such as the infamous Route 66. Perhaps you can even take a new form of transportation, such as a riverboat or train.

Also, when you're traveling, sit in different seats each time, so you get a different view, perspective, and in the case of front passenger seating, the assignment of looking at the map and for road and exit signs.

Map reading and giving and receiving directions is very important when traveling, as well. If you have the directions written out, someone in the back seat can say it while someone else in the back can read the map while the front passenger can look for the signs.

Sometimes things get broken or cracked during vacations, so it's best to take with you a repair kit that could include: glue, spot remover, shoelaces, sewing kit, tape, Swiss Army knife (only in your checked baggage, of course), compass, extra keys, and a car emergency kit.

Traveling at night is a common option that many people use, but before you decide to drive at night, you must figure out if your children can sleep in the car at night and if both parents can see and drive well at night. Someone who suffers from motion sickness usually does fairly well at night.

Also, make sure to make reservations, for everything from the flights, to the hotels, to the car rentals, to the restaurants, especially during busy seasons.

In fact, a great place to reserve the hotel, flight, and car rental at the same time is over at www.kingarthur.myttn.com . Do it before it's too late!