TRAVEL

Traveling with tots
can be trying

I WAS shopping in Lynn
Valley the other day and
wrote a cheque for my pur-
chases.

When | offered my ID, the
clerk juste grinned and said,
“Don’t bother, Barb, but will you
do me a favor?”

A few years ago I wrote a col-
umn on travelling with kids. At
the time, the young man didn’t
pay a lot of attention to the ad-
vice. .

“1 didn’t have any kids then
and {| just got a good laugh out of
the idea of anyone dumb enough
to even consider a ‘vacation’ that
included a carload of brats.’’ he
said wryly.

Doesn't time have a way of
playing jokes on us? Now the man
is the father of two and intends
taking his family to Disneyland
for spring break. The favor he
asked was simple — re-run the
advice!

Here goes, but please remember
that the little kids | could write
about so graphically back then are
charming adults now, It’s difficult
to remember Brian snarling into
the back seat, ‘‘The next kid who
kicks my seat gets to walk home.”*

Infants and toddlers don’t enjoy
travel. It does no permanent
damage to their egos te be left at
home with a competent sitter and
I'd recommend that route. By the
time kids are five, however, most
of them are ready to hit the road.

Before venturing on a tong trip,

i's wise to da at least one
weekend run to establish some
ground rules — and to find out

how well your kids adjust to trav-
el. You may find out that you'd
be better off staying home.

Once you've decided to take a
longer trip, involve the kids in the
planning. This is a gocd time to
introduce them to maps and
guidebooks.

If you haven't already done so,
take them to a couple of restau-

Barbara
WicCreadie

TRAVELWISE

rants for dinner. Coach them on
acceptable standards of behavior
before you have to cope with a
travelling circus.

I insisted that all our kids did
their own packing. We drew up
lists of necessary items but it was
their own responsibility to stow
the stuff.

Remember, on a long trip re-
packing is necessary — perhaps
every day. Do you want the job?

Satchels are a better choice than
suitcases for kids. A kid can carry
a satchel, but a suitcase is usually
too big for a child to manage
unless he drags it. The trunk of
the average car holds more satch-
els than suitcases.

Provide a laundry bag and col-
Ject the family laundry every
night. Don't attempt to. bring
enough clothes 10 last the entire
trip — resign yourself to a visit 10
a laundromat every four or five
days.

Do your kids have some special
toy or blanket that they sleep
with? If so, don’t feave it home!
You won't enjoy the job of con-
vincing an overtired five-year-old
that ‘‘Bunnykins’’ will sleep just
fine without her.

Travelling with kids is a whole
lot different from an adults-only

See Make page 46

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