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Today we have a special guest from the Travel Channel, Tracy Gallagher. We are very honored to get her tips and ideas on traveling with kids, especially as many of us are planning our family trips to visit relatives or just leisure travel for the holiday season, which is so so rapidly approaching! Read and enjoy!
Family Travel - Tips and Ideas by Tracy Gallagher, the Travel Channel
Planning Family Travel
Do it! Think out of the box when it comes to destinations…challenge yourself beyond going to Hawaii or Disneyland. Of course, those are fabulous destinations, but mix it up a bit and the rewards will be worth the extra effort usually. Use the Internet! Sites like www.Hanes.com/kids aren’t just for shopping; they give all sorts of packing lists to help you prepare ahead of time.
Also – plan time in the day to relax. As adults we try to pack in all the sightseeing – with kids it is better to let them choose one thing in the day and then have some rest. I could go on and on, but it’s best to look for my shows or book!
On the Road
Encourage your kids to layer up so they’re not only comfortable, they’re ready for any extreme temperature, from air-conditioned airplanes to the over-heated backseat of a car. Hanes is my “go to” brand for comfort and durability…. just the right amount of comfort and style. Soft and tagless, these pieces are life-savers in ridding our travels of in-seat squirming.
I also always pack an extra t-shirt and pair of pants if I can – depending on how much room you have in your carry-on, and how many items airlines these days let you carry! That way when kids spill, or get dirty (and believe me, they will!) you have the items you need to change their clothes, yet keep them comfortable.
Keeping the Kids Entertained
For road trips, we have found that music is a great way to bring the family together. The kids spend much time listening to the music and singing along with us…and sometimes we talk about the songs!
Get your child excited for the destination, Thanksgiving or the Holidays at the end of the year. One of my favorite tips (especially when space is an issue like on an airplane) is to create customized travel ‘survival kits’ for each of my children. Grab an old paper bag from the grocery store, put their name on it and fill it with all sorts of age-appropriate and festive goodies to keep them occupied.
Warding Off Homesickness
Encourage your kids to bring something on the trip that reminds them of home; a pillow, blanket, doll, picture, etc. Children love routine and the security of their favorite “lovey,” so they’ll feel at ease on the road with a piece of home within arm’s reach.
Personal Fun Family Travel Anecdotes
Over the past summer holiday, we thought we would spend time in the great outdoors with our three kids. We rented a Winnebago and took to the mountains. We hadn’t even been on the road an hour, when we got a flat tire! It took an extra four hours to find anyone who had the correct tools to change a tire the size of these RV tires! Keeping the kids occupied was a challenge – luckily we were with another family – it just shows you, sometimes the things that go wrong are funny when looking back on it.
How the Internet is Affecting Parenting
The Internet has helped me tremendously – many times I have used it to help keep my kids stay healthy. I don’t necessarily diagnose them on the Internet, but by researching any symptoms I am much more equipped to ask my doctor the important questions, and make sure he or she doesn’t miss anything. My youngest son was recently bit by a bunch of fire ants on a weekend, so I checked on the Internet how to treat the bites.
It is also a wonderful tool for getting great ideas for crafts, birthday parties, etc. And then, the best part, shopping for my family on the Internet saves me so much time – and sometimes money! For us busy moms, it is a life saver.
Finally, it is also a source of good laughs…a reminder that in the busy days of parenting, it is healthy to keep a sense of humor, Moms can bond together on website communities, trade stories…or download funny parenting clips and share them with friends.
Happy traveling!
- The Moms' Buzz
This was a courtesy of www.hanes.com/kids. Our thanks to Hanes for having approached and considered Moms' Buzz a proper media channel to post the tips and ideas of travel expert, Tracy Gallagher.
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A bit about TRACY GALLAGHER. She is one the Travel Channel experts who offers a wealth of insider information for every aspect of leisure travel, from family vacations in the United States to exotic trips around the world. She is best known as the host of the upbeat interstitials that have aired for years on the Travel Channel to promote various aspects of the network’s programming. She has hosted a series of shows and specials, including the daily strip Travel Daily, The Short List, World’s Best, Islands For Rent, The Best of Rio, Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List, and the family travel show Are We There Yet?.
As an expert, Gallagher offers tips and ideas to help people become proactive travelers. During her time on Travel Daily, the daily travel news and information that she co-hosted, Gallagher interviewed everyone from in-the-know journey junkies to well-known travel writers.
On her My family travel show “Are We There Yet” aired recently on the Travel Channel, and she just wrapped production on a kids’ party show for Fine Living. She is also currently working on a family travel book and wrote an article on Family Travel for www.Hanes.com/kids.
Her upcoming book, “Have Children STILL Travel!” and in the beginning of 2008 “Cool Kids Parties” will air on the Fine Living Channel.
