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Cl4 - Sunday, March 18, 1984 - North Shore News

PACK UP THE KIDS

Joys of family trave

ANT TO hear a phrase guaranteed to
make a Mother’s blood run cold? How
about, ‘‘Hey, honey! Why don’t we throw
the kids in the car and drive down to Texas this spr-

ing?””

«Mother instantly: flashes-back to- the last

“‘throw the kids in the car’’ episode, complete with
18-hour marathons on the highway, Junior kicking
the back of the seat, little Mary whooping-up her

oa

"

breakfast and the dog getting lost in Tulsa.

*“Togetherness’’ becomes a
four-letter-word to a family
crowded into a station
wagon, at lunchtime in the
middle of the Nevada desert.
On the other hand, a sensibly
planned family car trip can
be a great way to see North
America pleasantly and
economically. And, the time
to go is now, before your kids
reach their mid-teens, com-
plete with heavy curriculums,
after school jobs and
boy/girlfriends.

PACKING

The trunk of the average
family car won't close on
four or five large suitcases.
Soft satchels and kit bags
pack well and fit into corners
of the trunk. It’s a good idea
to pack two empty draw-
string bags for laundry. The
perfect laundromat has a
hamburger stand on one side
and a playground on the
other. If the stuff is pre-
sorted the job’s half done.

Include zip-lock plastic
bags for damp bathing suits
and bring along a _ beach
towel for each person. Motels
never have enough towels for
both showers and swimming.

The Automobile Associa-
tion has an excellent supply
of maps (free to members).
Major freeways such as 1-5
are speedy but boring. Can
you find an alternate route
for some of the trip? Fre-
quent stops make the drive
more pleasant for everyone -
study the ‘‘points of interest’’
section of the map and do a
little homework before you

Kids don’t have much pa- .

tience with parents ‘‘sleeping
in.”” If the sun’s up, so are
the kids. The best family trips
get an carly start and quit
before three in the afternoon.
The selection of motels is bet-
ter - by dinnertime all the
cheapies with swimming
pools have been grabbed and
you'll be faced with a carload
of cranky pcople demanding

that you ‘“‘take the next
vacancy, no matter what it
costs.°*

FEEDING THE TROOPS

If you're rich, your only
problem will be finding dc.
cent restaurants. ff you
aren't rich you'll be looking

travel-

by Barbara
McCreadie
ee
for alternatives to spending
$50 a day in highway hash
houses. We found a system
that worked beautifully and
cost no more than eating at
home.

‘] packed a small styrofoam
cooler, plenty of paper and
plastic utensils, a small elec-
tric kettle (or a coffeepot)
and a portable barbeque.
Every day we stopped early in
the afternoon and while Dad
and the kids went for a swim,
I headed for the  super-
market. The secret was buy-
ing just exactly enough for
one barbeque, breakfast the
next morning and a picnic
lunch. Some days we ate
either breakfast or lunch in a
restaurant but the only time

we skipped our barbeque was
if it rained. There was always

Careers in Travel
We can open the door to
the exciting world of travel

for YOU!
DAY & t VENING COURSES

in

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May 25 - June 15

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a public park with picnic
tables available and the kids
got a chance to run off all the
energy that they’d bottled up
all day. We had a frizbee and
a set of badminton racquets
as well as some inflatable
balis and toys for the pool.

Milk and juice as well as
the pi
time in the cooler, well pack-
ed with free ice. If you
haven’t room for a cooler,
the milk and juice can be
stored overnight in a plastic
wastepaper basket but you’ll
have to skip the picnic lunch.

ON JHE ROAD

If you’ve got two kids,

each gets a window seat. lf

you’ve got three, one has to.

sit in the middle and the
fight’s on. The only fair way
is to have a regular seat rota-
tion every few hours. As
parents, you’ve got to set
some firm rules and enforce
them.

- Seatbelts are mandatory

- Any kid that kicks the back
of Dad’s seat gets left behind
at the next stop.

- No food or drinks in the
car. Why? Aside from the
mess involved, you can entice
all sorts of unwelcome
crawlies - even cockroaches.
Gum is better forbidden -
stick to Lifesavers unless you
enjoy prying lumps of goo
out of hair; upholstery and
ashtrays. I do keep a thermos
of ice water in the car on hot
days.

If your kids are bored,
they’ll fight. If they fight, the
driver should pull off the
road A.S.A.P. and get the
problem sorted out. It’s
hazardous to try and referee
while you’re barreling down
the road. BORED?

Keeping kids occupied in a
car is easy - as long as you
plan ahead. | provided each
of mine with a small satchel
with a scrapbook (aren’t all
kids scavengers?), Scotch
tape, pens, pencils and pencil
crayons. Felt pens are messy
and crayons melt. Depending

on the ages of the kids,
sticker books and puzzle
books are handy.

1 also kept a surprise bag -
all sorts of goodies that could
distract bored kids. One of
the best surprises was a book
called ‘‘The World’s Corniest
Jokes’” - ‘‘What’s red and

ch_spent their —_ white-on the-outside and -grey—

on. the inside??? Campbell’s
Cream of Elephant soup.
Real high-class material. |
raided Woolworths for cheap
prizes and awarded them for
car games.

The favorite game was a
variation on car bingo. We
made a list of ten or fifteen
things to look for along the
way - simple stuff like Coca-
Cola signs, Motel 6,. police
cars (helped keep the driver
out of trouble, too), yellow
VW beetles - the winner was
the first to complete the list.

We had a lot of fun on
those family trips.

DISCOVER THE ORIENT

WITH DAVID SKILLAN.

(He’s tived there, worked
there and escorted
numerous tours there). Join
his ORIENTAL ODDYSSEY
to TOKYO, SINGAPORE,
THAILAND, HONG KONG,
the beautiful MALAY island
of Penang (Pius an optional
excursion into CHINA,
stopover in HAWAI). 21
thrilling Days. 2 Departures:
30 June, 24 November, 1984
$3085 00 per person For
details and brochure
contact

MERIDIAN TRAVEL LTD.
1065-475 W. Georgia
Vancouver 734-1017 or
688-7286

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WAIKIKI

Air only

WAIKIKI $504

8 Days, 7 Nights, Air & Hotel

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5 Days, 4 Nights, Air & Hotel
TORONTO $299
MAPLE LEAF

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| 736-3555

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4480 Oak Street
Vancouver, B.C.
V6H 3V4

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