The mere thought of traveling with kids is enough to send many parents scrambling for the aspirin bottle, but as my daughters often remind me, it’s not always such a picnic for them, either.
“Once you’re there, it’s fun. It’s the getting there,” my 11-year-old, Liza, points out as she makes the same face normally reserved for icky boys, really big bugs who hit the windshield and cleaning her room.
She and her 13-year-old sister, Maggie – the same kids who endure levels of pain that would make Marines weep outmaneuvering each other to get the front seat on the way to the grocery store and will stand in line for the opening of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies longer than it took to birth them – become torture victims at the airport. But then again, don’t we all?
Kids whose moms travel for a living come up with their own special ways of coping with the hardships. Here are Maggie and Liza’s Top Travel Nightmares for Tykes … and How to Deal.
The nightmare: Waiting
Deal with it: Standing in line? Chatty adults caught up in conversation, ignoring kids’ needs? Get them going on visual games like I Spy for the little ones or pick up Rubberneckers ($12.95,), a card game for about 9 and up (there’s also a junior version and a version for flying) that’s a combination of different games you’ve played before (find a license plate from Nebraska, find someone picking their nose, how many red cars do you see). Also, the statue game or seeing who can go the longest without blinking or holding a face can kill time. Bring nickels or other small rewards to keep up interest. And for much older kids, Maggie swears by the detachment of the MP3 player.
The nightmare: It’s hot
(usually said in a slow, whiny voice)
Deal with it: The portable mini fan. They cost about $3-$4 and come in an array of colors. Some even have lights or can be filled with water. “They are entertaining and cool you off,” Maggie said. “Bring a lot of batteries.”
The nightmare: Historic sites and
“so-called” landmarks
Deal with it: Say, for instance, and Maggie insists this is random, you are forced to go to a lot of gristmills while on a multistate bike ride through Civil War territory. “Kids get bored with this stuff easily,” she admits. Her solution? Hand-held electronic games that can be tucked into a hoodie pocket. Target sells Hangman, Connect Four and Checkers for about $10. Also, letting each kid have his own camera, even a disposable one, helps too.
The nightmare: Hunger, or as
they put it, “I’m starving to death”
Deal with it: Why Da Vinci’s next brilliant move wasn’t to put a vending machine next to the Sistine Chapel, kids just do not understand. So take snacks. For the airplane, freeze GoGurts and pull them out en route. Apples, individual applesauces and bags of chips and pretzels, fruit rollups and baggies of carrot sticks and grapes travel well. Also, when the kids are little, order their food first or an appealing appetizer immediately at the restaurant, or have snacks available there too, because travel schedules always push mealtimes off.
The nightmare: Homesickness
Deal with it: If kids have to leave behind a beloved pet or family member, photos can help. Also, a calling card for older children who can use the phone will enable them to call the person they’re missing at any time.
The nightmare: Fear of flying
or airplane boredom
Deal with it: Distractions can be key. Maggie and Liza started flying as babies and so were used to it quickly, but they got bored easily on longer flights. Having their own little carry-on suitcases helped; we would fill them with small toys, snacks, books, paper and crayons, often new things we had collected or bought for the trip. Just the joy of discovery took up some time, and then they were focused for much of the trip working through all of the stuff. And Maggie says, “You can’t go wrong with a deck of cards, and bring a rule book so that you have variety and there are fewer fights.”
We also think fondly of the aunt and uncle who bought them personal DVD players (decent ones can be had for about $60). With headphones, they can watch whatever they bring, helpful when the movie on the plane is annoyingly adult or one they’ve seen 20 times, or when there’s no movie at all. They also come in handy on long road trips.
The nightmare: Disrupted sleep schedules,
or as we call it, “Everyone is acting foul”
Deal with it: Winding down at night can be a challenge. If the hotel has a pool, that sometimes will help make everyone sleepy, as will a warm bath. Gathering everyone in one bed to watch a low-key movie or simply lie around to chat about the day can help make the transition. Younger ones like to be read to, and older ones can be encouraged to read to themselves and sometimes are willing to be read to, as well. “Get a book about a gristmill,” Maggie says. “That’ll put you to sleep.”
Travel editor Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-954-1599 or travel@denverpost.com.
