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This month we are hosting our first Traveling Moms Instagram meme and we would love to have you join in the fun!
“’Cause down the shore everything’s all right.” ---Tom Waits, JERSEY GIRL Some see the Jersey Shore as a travel destination, a place to take the family for a couple of...
Thomas Jefferson advised the we should have a revolution every 20 years. He meant government, but the idea applies to anything: If we don’t continually rethink how we do what...
Teens sometimes get a bad rap. People think they’re hard to please and harder to travel with. But the key to traveling with teens—and keeping the whole family happy—is to...
Planning your family vacation can be overwhelming--where to go, what to do, how to get there, you name it. There are a lot of details to planning a summer vacation....
Air travel can be stressful nowadays with long lines, flight delays and cramped seating. Add luggage, children, strollers and even pets to the mix and you have a veritable powder...
Summertime's almost here – time to start planning your summer travels! We've taken the guesswork out of your planning by seeking out advice from top family travel writers from across...
Summer vacations for some families mean active adventures, while for others the summer is a perfect time to start exploring college campuses. Imagine being able to do both in one...
Midwest winters can seem endless. The payoff? Perfect summer temperatures! Each year I vow to savor every minute of the warm weather. Although I can’t put everything on hold, I...
Playing in the mud, getting splashed with paint, lighting up the night or getting chased by zombies all add a little excitement to the typical 5K race. Fun runs are all the rage and a great way to get newbies involved in running; or to give veteran runners a change of pace. Most fun runs remove the [ ... ]
Head over to Universal Studios Hollywood for 2 new rides and an expanded Studio Tour! It’s a perfect mmer Vacation Idea.
PLUS! Right now when you “y a Day you get the rest of 2013 FREE”!
Prepare for Battle! ansformers™: The Ride-3D NOW OPEN!
King Kong 360 | 3-D, created by Peter Ja [ ... ]
As a runner, I wanted to pay my respects to the Boston Marathoners; as an environmentalist, I didn’t want to use a lot of gas to go to ston.
We had no choice but to drive to Boston to pick my daughter up at college; the self-same daughter who refuses to eat industrialized food or buy clothing pr [ ... ]
We, the Year 3 class of Ajman Academy in the United Arab Emirates, wrote this article in order to help parents know what to expect in Thailand when travelling with kids. Since we are 7-9 years old, we researched what to do in Thailand from a kid’s perspective. We had to do a lot of thinking and re [ ... ]
Recently, I had the opportunity to teach my Year 3 students of Ajman Academy all about planning and taking a trip.
In our school, we follow the PYP model of education, where we break our year up into six blocks, each one focusing on a transdisciplinary theme and central idea. Within each idea, there [ ... ]
Dell Rapids is a beautiful and quaint piece of Americana history with its Pink Rose Quartz buildings from the local quarry. Along the banks of the picturesque Big Sioux River since 1871, this small community of 3,650 is located approximately 15 minutes north of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This l [ ... ]
Opened in 1953, Dan Hotel Tel Aviv was the first luxury hotel in Israel and has maintained its status as the “Grande Dame” of Tel Aviv hotels ever since. Part of a 14 hotel chain operating in Israel, the Dan Tel Aviv hotel is in a category of its own in service and opulence in the Israeli hospit [ ... ]
Keeping family travel plans a secret from the kids is a fun way to see the surprise on their faces when we take them to a new place or to visit a favorite relative. It's also handy when travel plans don't go as planned or are disappointing. We recently had arrangements to travel to an attraction our three- and five-year-old would (and have in the past) loved visiting. However, due to a miscommunication, we were unable to go. If we had told the kids first, their disappointment would have put a damper on the entire weekend trip. But, since we hadn't told them we were going, we didn't tell them what they missed and went on with the rest of the trip.
We did, however, feel compelled to make the trip extra fun for them, to make up for what we had originally planned.
Other ways to deal with a change in plans include the following.
Make Family Travel Fun with Special Activities
Our original plans included a hotel stay, which the kids always enjoy. We still went to the hotel and spent extra time splashing with them in the hotel pool, another activity they love. Then we went back up to our room and enjoyed a movie on the DVD player, complete with popcorn.
Relax the Rules for Family Fun
When we travel as a family, we try to relax the rules a little bit for everyone to have more fun. Instead of worrying about eating healthy, we might indulge in dessert or an extra helping. We also popped the aforementioned popcorn, something we usually don't give the kids due to the possible choking hazard for the little one.
Bedtime is also a little later when we travel; everyone stays up a little later to play or relax and enjoy the time away from home.
Have your plans ever changed and made you unable to do something your kids were counting on? How did you – and they – cope?
Teresa J. Shaw is editor of the Free in 50 States section and writes about traveling as a working mom for Traveling Mom and on her blog Working Traveling Mom. Follow her on Twitter at @TeresaShaw
As the price to fly continues to rise, and the inconveniences rise, more and more people, and especially families, are turning back to the good, old-fashioned road trip.
My pa [ ... ]
Rhode Island may be a small state, but it celebrates summer in a huge, family-friendly way.
One of the best known free warm weather events is the annual Waterfire celebration, [ ... ]
Police, Fire and EMS Appreciation Days return in May. Police officers, fire fighters and EMS employees can receive a free single day admission to LEGOLAND Florida, along with [ ... ]
