With today's busy schedules and unlimited variations
in the make up of families, grandparents may find themselves
contemplating a vacation with their grandchildren, just to spend time
with them.. People are travelling more and later in life and
grandparents often live further away from their grandchildren.
There is no reason why grandparents and grandchildren couldn't also
enjoy a
As with travelling with anyone else, communication is
the key. Being prepared, listening, but setting boundaries, and
being young at heart, are vital when travelling with your grandchildren.
Here are some tips and suggestions that will hopefully make your trip a
happy and memorable experience for all of you, and one that will have
you smiling for years to come.
Click on the links or scroll the page to view the
tips:
GETTING ORGANIZED
See how the parents feel about it first. If
they're positive and supportive of your travelling with the grandkids,
it will set an easy and happy mood to start with.
Get input from the kids. Regardless of their
ages, kids do have definite ideas and everyone needs to feel that they
have some element of control. It is not necessary to adopt every
whim or wish; but, starting with mutual respect goes a
long way to making people feel important.
Have a group meeting to decide where, when and how
you are going. Of course, if you have a specific time and place,
this would be a great time to talk about it and make some tentative
plans.
Having a basic budget is imperative, so that
grandchildren get a chance to learn and understand the costs
involved, at least to a point. It makes it easier for the kids to
accept that perhaps not every desire can be brought to fruition.
If you have any doubts, or if you have perhaps not
had the opportunity to spend a longer period of time with them, you may
consider doing a day trip, or going on a weekend getaway with your
grandchildren. This will give you all a good idea as to whether or
not you would really enjoy spending a prolonged period of time together.
Another suggestion, depending on your relationship
with the parent(s), would be to go on a mini vacation together, making
sure of course to give everyone their private space and time. For more
information and tips on travelling with the parent(s) follow the link
below.
PRE-TRIP PREPARATION
Make sure that all vaccinations are up to date.
Depending on your destination, there may be special circumstances
requiring additional shots or other medications. It is imperative
that all certificates regarding vital information be in order, and that
you be aware of any special needs.
Ensure that you have all passports and
whatever tickets you may have pre-purchased, for example, airline,
cruise or other attraction tickets that you may need. It is
imperative that the children's ages be kept in mind when purchasing the
tickets; as different attractions and resorts may offer a variety of
ticket levels and varied prices for children of different ages, as well
as youth and adult fare.
Remember that when you are travelling with
children, and not both legal parents are present, you need to have their
consent. A letter signed by both parents consenting to your
travelling with the children, and preferably witnessed and notarized, is
your best insurance that you won't face disappointment and/or
embarrassment at the border.
If you are travelling with younger children you may
want to make sure you know how to use any equipment such as car seats
and strollers safely. See Tips for
Purchasing, Renting and Using Travel Equipment for Babies.
THE TRIP
Making sure that you pick an age appropriate
destination will make everyone happy. A theme park that is geared toward teenagers
and/or young adults may cause disappointment if your grandchildren
are too small to go on the rides or enjoy most of the attractions.
Similarly, if your grandchildren are older, they may not enjoy
an amusement park set up for pre-schoolers as much as one that has fun
things to do for their ages as well.
If you're headed for a resort or hotel, pick
one that is kid friendly. Many resorts offer wonderful and
exciting programs and fun things for kids of all ages to do. You
may wish to take some time for you, or just get some down time, where
you don't have to
worry about the kids, and still know that they are safe and having fun.
Also see All-inclusive Vacation Travel Tips.
Spread out the fun. If you have a week, it's
exciting to have fun things to look forward to later on in the week.
Together you could set
out a "flexible" itinerary, and perhaps choose one "major" activity or attraction per day.
This is a great way to ensure that everyone has the feeling of having
had some input, perhaps by allowing each individual to pick a special
event. Remember, it's still important that there be time left over for
the simple but fun things in life like swimming, playing, talking, reading or
whatever other activities you all enjoy; and, eating out can be it's own major
attraction. So, don't overload; but ENJOY! For tips on
eating out with children, click on the image and follow the link.
Summertime is a very popular time for travelling with
children, especially since school is out. See
Tips for Making the Most of Summer.
It helps kids to have boundaries
and a routine, including at
least approximate eating times and bedtimes.
Don't spoil them: You want them to be happy; but nobody can
be happy if there isn't at least a bit of respect. Without it your
dream trip could become a nightmare. Remember, you're trying to
create happy memories for a longtime to come.
Don't forget to take lots of pictures or keep a
journal. A quick tip -- take two horizontal pictures and then one
vertical each time -- it makes putting your photo album or scrapbook
together much easier and a joy to behold. Then set aside an
afternoon to go over the pictures and have a "remember
when" session. Depending on the ages and interests of the
children, they may want to help put together that photo album or even
create a scrapbook of their own. What an absolutely wonderful way
to keep those holiday memories alive. For tips on taking pictures click
on the image and follow the link. Also see
Tips for Making Holiday Scrapbooks.
Tips are offered as suggestions only
While we have tried to provide you with
a list of suggestions to help parents when travelling with
children to keep them safe, unfortunately, we can’t
think of everything and it is the responsibility of
parents to ensure their children’s safety.
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See the following sections for
specific tips:
For General Travel
Tips Click on
For Travelling
with Teenagers Tips Click on
For Tips on Eating out with
Children Click Below:
For Tips on Taking a Dude Ranch Vacation Click on
For Tips on Enjoying Live Theatre
with Children Click Below:
For Tips on Taking Pictures Click Below:
For Tips on Protecting Your Home Click Below:
For Tips on Using and Purchasing Travel Equipment
for Babies Click Below:
For Motion
Sickness Tips Click on
For Travel Tips - Children with Severe
Allergies Click on
For Car Travel
Tips Click on
For Train Travel Tips
Click on
For All-inclusive
Vacation Tips Click Below:
For Tips on Buying
Toys Click Below:
For Winter - Ski
Holiday Tips Click on
For Games to Play while
travelling, Click Below
For Amusement Park
Tips Click Below
For Tips on Tipping Click Below
For Travel Safety
Tips Click Below
To Return to Travel Tips
Click Below
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