Make sure to pack their favorite sleepy-time item such as a teddy bear, blanket or anything that makes them feel safe. This will give your toddler a little taste of what they are used to. Familiar items can help soothe your toddler at nighttime. If you forget to pack the items, it may be worth your time to pick up a similar comfort item at the store to help with the soothing process.

Try to keep the same bedtime routine that your toddler has at home. If it is bath, story, and sleep at a certain time of night, then do the same order at the same time in the new environment. Keeping the routine the same will help get them in the mood to sleep. Make certain to tell grandparents the bedtime routine so that they are familiar with routine to make bedtime much easier on the whole household.

If you are still potty-training and your toddler hasn’t quite grasped the nighttime routine, pack the extra pull-ups. It will provide an extra measure of security for sleeping in a new bed. Otherwise, pack a waterproof sheeting to put under the sheets in case of an accident. Your toddler might not be aware of where the bathroom is in a new place especially after they have fallen asleep in the new bed.

Don’t forget to bring the night light. It is especially important that toddlers can see at night so they don’t get as scared if they wake up in the middle of the night. It will also help them locate the bathroom for a night time potty run.

Even all of these tips won’t guarantee a successful night of sleep in a new bed. The best thing that you can do for your toddler is to get as close to as you can to what they are used to.

• First of all, when you are traveling, pack as lightly as you can.  I know that people think they should pack for every possible thing that can go wrong, but that is just unnecessary.  If at all possible, don’t check bags when traveling on planes.  You can carry on some pretty large bags and get away with it.  For two days of traveling, I packed two t-shirts, a pair of shorts, a dress shirt, dress shoes, slacks, a belt, and pajamas.  Oh and toiletries, a book, my phone and iPod.  That’s it.  You really don’t need much.  Most things at a hotel are provided for you.  Packing lightly also allows you to travel rapidly.  Just this trip, we moved our flight up by six hours, so I was able to pack in 20 minutes.  Without any checked bags.  I have spent enough time running through airports with my grandmother to know that checked bags spell disasters.  You can lose them so easily.
• I don’t want to state the obvious, but plan before you go through the TSA security check point.  If at all possible, you should manage to compact all your baggage together.  Instead of having full pockets, empty them into your bags.  It will make your life so much easier.  (Not to ramble, but I cannot stand the TSA.  It’s a fairly dumb system.  When I went through the check point today, I went through a scanner and then got my pockets patted down, because apparently the brand new scanners don’t do pockets…)  Well, anyway the checkpoints will be a hassle, so just play it cool and plan for an overstressed checkpoint run by morons.
• When traveling internationally, plan for even more time spent waiting. Not only will you get the excitement of the TSA at an airport, you also get the fun of the border patrol, too.  I have only traveled over land to Canada for international travels, and I found the border patrol much more efficient.  Now maybe that was because I was going to Canada, and Canada isn’t exactly streaming with terrorists.  Also, I was on a bus full of YMCA kids.  Oh, well.
• Once on the plane, it’s not too hard to keep your trip under control and fun.  Simply, don’t make a scene.  Put your luggage away, and do it quickly and efficiently.  And don’t kick the seat in front of you.  We are flying Southwest, so there are no classes, you just get to pick your seats depending on how quickly you checked in (except for business class, who have dibs).  If you have young kids, people will move to let you be with them.  And once on the plane, relax and play a game.  Just don’t be too loud or “make a scene.”

Traveling with the family can be a fun and exciting thing to do.  Just keep it all under control, and if you need help, follow these tips.

Driving 720 miles from South Carolina meant not only giving up my shorts and sandals, but possibly my sanity.  Thankfully, I am blessed with a great wife who is a planner.  She took care of almost everything for our daughter.  My job was to figure out how and when we could get there with the least amount of pain.

Option one was to fly from our small airport to our hometown small airport.  It would have been quick and I think the little one would have enjoyed it.   Then, as I stated before, my wife was gathering all the necessities, and an infant does not travel lightly!  Therefore, we were looking at a mortgage payment in bag fees alone.  Next.

Option two.  Drive home.  Another great gift of mine is foresight, and I saw twelve hours of a fussy baby and a stressed wife.  Then my wife came up with a great plan: drive through the night.

On D-Day (drive-day) we went through all the same motions and routines of putting the little one down for the night.  Then instead of laying her in the crib she went into the car seat.  I had some music on my iPod, and she snuggled right in for the ride.  She slept the entire way, except for a brief awakening when I stopped for gas.

If you have the ability to stay up all night, this is the way to go.  I simply stayed up the entire night the day prior, slept all day, woke up, packed the car and hit the road.  If you are not used to staying up all night, try a night or two at home first to see how alert you are.  Day wakers, there is nothing wrong with driving a while and then stopping for the night.

• The first problem I listed was not listening, specifically to the adults in charge.  Now, this problem is very common, even outside of vacation.  There is no perfect cure for it, which makes it as problematic as it is.  The best solution I can think of is simple, but harsh.  When a child or children doesn’t listen, lay down a swift and effective punishment.  Now this could incite an even larger rebellion, but it is more likely to end the problem.  Simply outweigh the reward from not listening with a punishment.
• The next issue, stress, is very similar to not listening because both lack a definite cure and can be hard to handle.  Like I said in the last article, leaving people together for several days is bound to cause stress.  Once someone is overly stressed out, they will probably break down or get into a fight.  At this point, telling them to calm down WON’T WORK!!!  Instead, do everything in your power to stop it before it happens, like setting up compromises, getting cots in hotels, etc.
• Now, as for rule differences, this is the only one with a simple answer.  Whomever is in charge should lay down a universal set of rules for the trip so that there is not anyone trying to make claims that certain rules do not apply, as of reason x.

This is the final installment of my epic saga, in which I detailed my travel with grandparents, common problems, and their solutions.  So, I leave you with one last thought: if a child is a major trouble-maker and could cause a very serious problem (like really not listening), does he/she deserve to travel?

• I am listing this issue first because it is most definitely the most serious: not listening.  This is a very broad topic because it could range from a minor discrepancy all the way to total rebellion.  I have never seen a major case of not listening, but minor problems are very common.  For example, while in Orlando, my cousin “did not hear” my grandmother say “stay with us”, and ran off, cause my grandparents to panic.
• This next topic is by far the most common: stress.  If you spend a period of one or more days in tight confines with your family, you most likely will end up stressed out at each other.  This is nearly unavoidable, but you can try to minimize it so no one ends up at someone else’s throat.  This problem happens almost every trip and is nearly unavoidable.
• Finally, there is one problem that is pretty much grandparents’ travels specific: rule differences.   When only my sister and I traveled, this didn’t happen because we had always lived under the same roof, so the same rules.   Once, my cousin came along, though, this began to happen.  For example, we were each given a bottle of soda for the week.  Well, he was a only child, so he was not used to it, and began to drink ours, too.

Those are the big three problems when traveling with grandparents (and other adults).  There are many other minor ones, but these are the biggest.  Next time, I shall provide the cures. Adios.

First of all, I am going to provide a little history on my vacationing with grandparents, as this will tie into a few of my tips.  However, I am going to avoid naming names, but there will ultimately be five of us: my grammy, my grampy, my sister, my cousin, and me.  We began vacationing at a young age (I believe early/mid elementary school age) and did not travel far, but still stayed overnight.  We went to places like Lake George, NY, and Cape Ann, MA.   The summer between fifth and sixth grade, we flew to Orlando, Florida .  This was the first time I flew with my grandparents and the second flight I had ever been on (in some ways, I was very sheltered as a child).  The next year, my cousin had his “coming of age” and went with us to Old Orchard Beach, Maine.  The next year, the five of us flew to Washington, D.C. for a five day trip, where the were some minor discrepancies that I shall speak of in Volume 2.  Finally, this year, we traveled to Orlando again, staying for a week, with a few more problems coming up and again, to be mentioned.

Traveling with grandparents is a a great experience, helping build family bonds, but can have some downside and cause some problems, which I shall mention in Volume 2 and provide some tips to solve them there, too.

Vacation, when the kids are off the clock from school, I’m off from work, and my lovely wife is enjoying having someone else do the cooking and cleaning.  Everybody’s away from their normal jobs, except as parents.  We’re still on the clock in our 24/7 responsibility to be good parents.

It took me several years of vacationing with children to develop a reasonable balance.  We went through the “it’s vacation – anything goes” trip, which brought out the spoiled, pampered inner child in my son’s outer child.  We went through the “rules are still rules” vacation, which ended up being such a tug of war that it tarnished the fun of being on vacation.

Somewhere in the middle we found that balance, where we recognize that vacation time is special time without completely abdicating all parental responsibility.  There are grand teaching moments on vacation and there are reckless abandon vacation moments.  There are rules that still need to be followed and there are rules that can be set on the shelf for the week.

So if you’re heading off for a vacation with the kids this summer, take the time beforehand to talk to them and set the expectations that you have for the trip.  Bedtime rules may be bent almost beyond recognition, but you’ll be standing firm on the requirements to be polite and treat others properly.  Whatever your relaxed vacation guidelines are, if you agree on them ahead of time you’ll be better able to act in unison as parents and enforce those rules that need enforcing and look the other way when appropriate.  Do this simple thing and the vacation will be more enjoyable for everyone.

• Go hiking.  Hiking in almost all places places is free, except for some parks.  The best part about hiking is that there’s such a wide range of hiking trails that you can find one suitable for everybody. Find a local park for a more laid back hike, or if you’re feeling like a challenge, try taking on a mountain.  You can pack a lunch and some waters in a backpack.  Also, bring along a first aid kit with bandages and antiseptic cream just in case.
• Go to the beach.  Who doesn’t love the beach? As far as I know, everyone I know goes to the beach at least one during the summer. Between the nice, warm sands, cool waters, and glorious sun, the beach is a fun place to be.  For those who enjoy a metallic skin tone, tanning is an option, while others can fish.
• Go to see a free movie, show, or event.  Check the newspapers, web, and local magazines for fun, free events happening in your area.  With the summer in full swing, there will be concerts, film festivals, and arts shows all around. Also, on the 4th of July, there will be plenty of fireworks shows.
• Explore a local city.  There is a lot more to do in a local city than you’d think. There are museums, parks, and similar attractions. Your city can be full of fun, so go explore it.

Fuel for drive to the mountain: $20. Packed lunch: $5. First-aid kit: $7. Having fun this summer: Priceless!

Camping comes in a variety of different forms, and finding the perfect campground near you is a simple matter of searching. Though doing so can be a lot of fun, camping doesn’t have to be completely without utilities. Some camping grounds offer extremely nice facilities for showering, washing dishes, and other daily necessities that some might find impossible to ditch for an extended period of time. If it has warm water, you might be a bit too spoiled, but if it’s your first time camping, it’s definitely a start. Bring board games and cards rather than electronics and batteries. You could consider planning in some extra activities like kayaking or fishing. Be ready for some frustration, because the weather never seems to cooperate with camping plans, but also be ready to get to know your family a bit better. (For the kids this often means learning just how loud the parents snore, but this will help them appreciate their separate bedrooms back at home!)

It seems that families today are tending to favor electronics and things like exciting new IMAX films over the more traditional activities like picnics and walks in the park. Businesses are doing well to lure in customers with flashy, colorful signs and cheaper-than-dirt deals. Why not take a step away from these tempting businesses and submerge yourself in a completely different world? Here’s my suggestion: go camping.