C9 - Wednesday, December 7, 1983 - North Shore News Kids and travel are more than a handful EVERY NOW = and again someone asks me about my theories on travelling with kids. To be brief, if they are awful at home,. they’ll be more so in Paris. If they are too young to know the differnce bet- ween pate de fois gras and fried liver, leave them with the = fried liver. Some of my most terrtble — and most splendid —. moments abroad havc been spent with kids. I still remember with horror the first long trip 1 experienced with our oldest daughter, then aged seven months. We took, just the two of us, CPR’s ‘‘Canadian’’ to Medicine Hat. Twenty-four hours in which I had twenty- two hours to reflect on the in- advisability of having kids, much less travelling with them. That kid had a screech like an air raid siren and used it generously. She decided that she might miss something if she fell asleep so twenty-four hours later ! emerged from our compart- ment looking like an explo- sion tn a garment factory. She looked just like she always did - very pretty — hiding a disposition like Dracula’s mother. Instead of taking the return train, my _ father sprung for an airline ticket. He drove us to Calgary, while my daughter screamed her guts out, parked us ona TCA Viscount going West, and breathed a sigh of relief. Good thing he didn't get to talk to any of the other passengers or the load factor or our plane would have dropped drastically Since then, I’ve seen and done mostly everything With kids, that is) I've wiped up “*sick’’ from the back of the car in Bend, Oregon, hung onto small hands in came! bazaars in Morocco, heated baby food on the car engine at BC. Ferrnes dock and supervised trading in Th yuana I’ve caught my middle daughter punching all the buttons” - on all the clevators in the Rio Sheraton and had all thre- gulping gelato in Italy They've swung on the catls of cruise ships, fallen asleep over the Andes and gotten WAIKIKI Alr only WAIKIKI $459 8 Days. 7 Nights Au & Hole! LAS VEGAS *279 5 Oays. 4 Nights At & Hotel RENO $199 5 Days 4.Nignts A & Hotel TORONTO MAPLE LEAF TRAVEL 736-3555 Reg Agent }37 3 travel- wise by Barbara McCreadie sick on champagne at Panama. They’ve been most- ly delightful, occasionally awful but always mine. There’s nothing greater than watching a kid handling the axe and biock in the Tower of London and asking, ‘‘Is this for sure, Mom?’’ No T.V. program has that kind of impact. Kids — from about age 8 — adapt marvelleusly to travel. Younger than that, they don’t justify the money spent on hauling them along. At eight, they can carry their own bag, do their own washing and eat at decent hours. They are still young enough to fall asleep on an airline lounge couch, old enough to be polite and wipe up the splashes in the ‘‘blue room.'’ They remember all sorts of stuff but only after eight Time zones, climate changes and different languages don't bother them. In a week you'll find your eight-year-old happily con versing with some elderly lady who speaks only Sicilian dialect. Nothing stops a kid. You don’t travel like single adults when you take kids Instead of dinner at nine, with candles and wine, you're apt to get the six o'clock special, probably the worst seats in the house and, 3t you're smart, a ‘‘later’’ bag Kids seem to eat everything in sight at six and are starving when you've got to order room service They rarely get sich, pro- bably because you watch what they eat a lot more closely than you would if they were at home. Smart kids learn real quick and ask ‘*Should | eat that?’’? My kids got addicted to Italian pasta, South American assados and fish and chips (British style) in a hurry. | think the all- time-favorite is a type of packaged jelly roll served in Genoa for breakfast. This stuff is still referred to as the **best breakfast in the worid’’ by our youngest. They also got into the habit of ‘‘chocolate’’ for breakfast and were sad to come home to milk-out-of-the-jug. Little devils had all conned the waiters into extra whipped cream! There’s a lot of short-cuts to travelling with kids. First, the basics. Any kind that’s old enough to leave home should be able to carry his own bag. That means you don’t stuff Grandpa's leather carry-alf with seventeen changes of clothing. Let the child have his own, lightweight bag on wheels. Let him supervise the clothing and participate in the original packing. After that, a's up to him... With supervision. Before you know it, your kid will be supervising you. | found that a list taped into the bag helped my kids account for everything in the bag. It helps if you provide a zip-lock bag for dirty laun dry it also helps if you begin by expecting the child to wash his/her socks and EXOTICA EGYPTIAN IMPORTS LOSING " Deeg bet PRG) bast. lath st North Vaiweivae Ose ALS Weekly Specials owe A” 299 1 25 per stem Roses Cut Mums Chilean Carnations exciting colors underwear. Yuu choose the best time for this manoeuver. allowing plenty of drying time. Hotel towels, = after everyone has had a bath, are Sorry - no delivery on these items great for squeeze-drying : bulky stuff like sweaters. | WES LAN FLORIST found my kids opting tor sandals with no socks after they’d wrung out a tew ina hotel sink Kids enjoy keeping track They write, paste, stick and otherwise hoard a lot of souventers. It keeps them oc- cupied in waiting lounges and on long flights. Each of my kids was proud owner ot a travel purse with a pocket big enough to collect napkins, place mats, matches and swizzle sticks. ® 1821 Marine Drive, West Vancouver 922-417, = utpfora 922-3968 DEAR BARBARA: I think you should warn your readers about some unscrupulous people who are advertising condos for rent in places like Paim Springs. These private rentals may be fine but occa- sionally crooks get in on the act and fleece the tourist. It is wise to check on the legitimacy of the rental either by telephoning the manager of the condo unit directly, or by contacting the tourist association for the city you intend to visit. ANSWER: Your point is a good one. I'd be a bit hesi- tant about sending large amounts of money out of the SHAVE KITS GULLIVER'S offers a wide assortment of shave kits. Featuring nylon soft- country before checking sided, the NEW “Hang it Al” carefully. 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