Rules of the Road with Kids Aboard

Make it your child's vacation. Plan around their schedule. Adults usually like doing kids things more than kids like doing adult things.

Plan with your child, from the vacation idea itself, to transportation, route, restaurants, hotel, and so forth.

Your normal routine, while traveling, is probably going to have to get altered a bit. Everyone needs some down time, nap time, and quiet time. In fact, if you can keep the times very similar to your normal ones at home, you'd be much better off.

Give your child responsibilities during the trip and the drive there. He can research the area, as well as help with map directions and reading.

Ask the hotel, or look through the information you can find about the hotel, about the accommodations, dining, and special children's services.

Bring along familiar items from home such as a child's blanket, a nightlight, or a stuffed animal. In fact, it's best if your child could decide on what to take that he really wants.

Build anticipation and excitement, prepare the kids by announcing a special point of interest in the near future, or a special restaurant where you will have supper.

Interesting tips for when traveling: rotate seats every so often, always wear seatbelts (even when not mandatory), inform everyone of your plans and changes to them, make and try to stick to a driving schedule.

Before you go you can also: Make your own passports, postcards, or even a travel certificate for each child.

Take along a box or backpack with some goodies and toys for the kids. Include inside such things as: maps/guidebooks, stationary/postcards, disposable camera/film, timer for games, stickers, pens/crayons, photo album, notebooks, paper, glue sticks, washable markers, dice, books or sing-along music on tape or cd, brainteaser books, pillow, sunglasses, hat, favourite toy or stuffed animal, hole punch for postcards, travel alarm clock, sweatshirt, first-aid kit.

On long car rides, the whole family can participate in license plate games, such as spelling words in found plates, or license plate bingo.

An old car ride game is "Next!" Everyone looks straight ahead, and guess the colour of the next vehicle to pass, as well as the style of vehicle (motorcycle, bus, truck, convertible). for each correct answer, you get 1 point for colour, and 3 points for style.

Tongue twisters, which have to probably be written down in the first place, are also great ideas for fun and laughs.

Games you can play on paper including paper versions of such classics like Battleship, word search, Scrabble, connect the dots, finish the drawing (draw a line first, then finish it into whatever that line reminds you of).

You can keep a journal, either daily on paper, a recorded one on tape, one with photographs, drawings, or postcards, one with souvenirs or samples such as leaves, or even an interesting video diary.

Exercising while traveling, or while at the rest stops or overnight stays, is a very important thing to do. You can play games with jumpropes, sidewalk chalk games or drawings, and stretching and moving around your various body parts.

Of course, if you decide to rent a car or hotel room, make sure to do that first at www.kingarthur.myttn.com where you can get some of the best rates available online!