C10 - Sunday, July 22, 1984 - North Shore News

FAMILY VACATIONS

Should you take tots travelling?

here’s been a lot written about travelling with kids and I’ve certainly volunteered a few opi- nions myself. It still puzzles me when I see families toting infants and toddlers on ‘‘vacations’”’

far from home.

It’s no pleasure for either the parents or the child and yet people seem to think that their infant will never forgive them if they leave the little screamer home in his own bed with a competent sitter.

We left our oldest when she was two with our next- door neighbors while we took a week’s vacation. | fretted and worried the whole time, calling every night to make sure our little treasure hadn’t slipped into a fatal decline. When I was assured that she was Safely tucked into bed I’d try to sleep myself, tormented by visions of house fires. Some vacation.

And was our daughter hap- py to see us when we got back? Hell, no. She was furious when | brought her back to our house - no other kids, no ‘‘Woggie’’ (the neighbors’ patient mutt) and nothing but a carload of new toys to play with. | was all for giving her back to my neighbors and going on another holiday.

Taking older children - and 1 think age eight is about right to start major overseas vacations - is great, provided that your kid hasn’t been understudying Cheeta.

Every time I made plans to take one of our girls to some foreign country I tried to in- terest them in books about our destination. Just because I drew a complete blank doesn’t mean that you will! Luckily, they wanted the books when we got home.

I also drew a blank when | tried to have them study foreign languages before trips. That doesn’t mean that they didn’t pick up enough of the language on the spot to chatter like magpies while | was still trying to figure out the correct pronunciation to ‘‘Hay alguien que hable in gles?”’ In other words, ‘‘ Does anyone here speak English?’’

Kids may not get ““A’’ in anthmetic but they soon

catch on to foreign moncy, at enough $ to

least well say,

BREAST SURGERY...

can be a traumatic expenence to know [ve been through tt tao

fve just opened o master tomy boutique on the North Shore ten blochs south of lions Cate Hospital

Im o registered nurse with a certifivate tor fitany breast pro stheses | cary many stes of forms and bras because a real ly good fits very important

Your comtort and confidence Is city Come

Please plone ftw oo private fitting

A,

tae Mastectomy Boutique

237 St Georges Ave . North Van

984-8308

budget beaters

by Barbara McCreadie

**Hey Mom, can | have one of those round things with the hole in the center to buy some gum?’’ They’ll also make you feel like the village idiot when they tell you, ‘“‘Mom, you can’t leave that for a tp - you gotta have two

NEW ZEALAND » $1210.00 NEW YORK $499.00 LONDON $759.00 QUEBEC CITY $456.00

MEXICO CITY $399.00 Did you know7 We’re open 10am-5Spm

London s69¢

Deluxe Mini Cruise $169]

trom Fast, Friendly, Reliable Service

North Shore Independent Travel Agent

Time Out Travel 1126 Lonsdale

North Vancouver 987-5244

of those to buy a chocolate bar.’’

Another thing that really impresses travelling kids is how the kids in other coun- tries dress. Sure, jeans and T- shirts are international but when it comes to dressing up there are many differences. When I! took our eight year old to Europe, all her skirts were knee length. Every female kid in Europe looked like a dowdy old lady (to me!) with skirts closer to the ankle than the knee.

My kid knew darn well she looked out of style and was only happy when | bought her a pair of shoes that all the little Italian girls were wear- ing - sort of a ballerina style with bows on the toes. She wore them once when she got home - all her friends laughed at the fancy shoes and there wasn't enough money in the Bank of Canada to get her to put them on again. So much for $30 worth of Italian leather.

One of the things | worried about - needlessly, as it turn- ed out - was foreign foods. Would our daughters’ dehcate Canadian digestive systems tolerate a complete change of diet? I’ve got to conclude that kids have the digestive capacity of billy goats.

The only time any of them .

got sick was when my middle daughter and I were on an ex- otic foreign vacation - in

Hawaii! We both picked up a case of food poisoning on Molokai. This is the same kid that trotted through Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Holland with me, all in five weeks without ever missing a meal.

Kids have a sixth sense about food. Not many of them are hooked on custards and mayonnaise, they’re will- ing tO pass on raw fish and are happy with well-done meat. So what if they can’t eat an apple with the skin on? The melons are safe and besides, you can’t get those lumpy-looking ones at home, can you Mom?

I’ve never lost a kid, either. Believe me, travelling families can lose each other without much trouble. When we think of crowds, we pic- ture downtown on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. That's

Careers in Travel We can open the door to ine exciting wodd ot travel

for YOU DAY & EVE NING COURSES

TRAVEL COUNSELLING TOUR ESCORTING SALES & MARKETING COMPUTER TERMINAL

TRAVEL TRAINING CENTRE

like a walk on a deserted beach compared to any hour of the day in Sao Paulo or Rio.

We aren’t prepared, either, for the pushing and shoving in many foreign cities. It only takes a second for a crowd to separate a parent from a child, even in civilized places like the Vatican.

Although we never needed it, each of my travelling kids carried complete identifica- tion and memorized the name of the hotel where we were staying. They were told that if we got separated, stand still

and wait to be found, assum- ing that I'd be better equip- ped to find them rather than vice-versa.

The only gripe my daughters have about all the travelling they did“whén they were younger is that they’d like to do it all again! They remember a lot about the many cities they visited but mourn, ‘‘We missed so much because we were too young to know what it was all about!”’

True, but when they studied British history, they vividly remembered what the axe and block looked like!

Mini Cruise on The Nieuw Amsterdam! September 25th From $4169.00!!

Space is limited so call now.

929-791

2 (E*)

2221 Panorarna Dr. North Vancouver, B:C..V7G 1V4,

Ste 2.1583 Pemberton Ave North Vancouver 986-2221

Mediterranean Cruise

06 - 24 Oct. 1984 4 nights London including sightseeing and theatre Ff ty to Venice tor 13 day cruise on P & O SEA PRINCESS Ports include Athens Alexandna and Dubrovnik From $3575

(.0N per person sharing

Portugal/London

07 - 27 Oct. 1984

4 mghts Lisbon with sightseeing Full day motorcoach to the Aigarve with lunch at a Pousada en route 12 mghts apartment accommodation in the Algarve Return via London for 2 mghts inctuding sightseeing § «tensions available for pre Christmas shopping $1889 CON per

person sharing

South Africa/Kenya

25 Oct - 16 Nov. 1984

24 day tour inctuding 4 day safari and Durban Cape Town Johannesburg and also the Blue Train $5285 CON per

Orient

03 - 23 Nov. 1984 20 day tour visiting Hong Kong Chiangmar Bangkok Penang Singapore and Balt includes all Dreaklasts and dinners and special shows and sightseeing $3525 CON

person sharing

per person sharing

“P. LAWSON TRAVEL 4

Aneee saat with Verrepee feel Ag tre

We've been there

754 North Park Royall West Vancouver

922-4131

y /INN yy | \ \N NITA eUbe NI 7

Wa DECEMBER

rdairs SEA

North Shore Independent Travel Agent

ALE

*Must book by id 1, 1984

For departures between December 1-10. 1984 with retums by December 25, 1984

JAS, North Shore No L Independent

“ve = Travel Agents

For more intormation contact your nearest NITA Travel

Agent

NORTH VANCOUVER ALL WORLD TRAVEL 980-9581

LOB CROSSIE TRAVEL 960-6561

DISCOVER YOUR WORLD TRAVEL 980-4526

MERCURY TRAVEL WORTHWEST TRAVEL 987-6161

ORCHID TRAVEL 954-0381

PAVUN SPECIALIZED TOORS 929 7911

Penta kaiemremmmndoneenteeiel

TRAVEL woRip 987 2214

TURE OFT TRAVEL 987 S244

VENTURE TRAVEL 986 1377

WEST VANCOUVER

INCENTIVE TRAVEL 921-6131

PRIME TRATED 925 1212

ROSEWAY TRAYE, 920-4344

I) ee

Wardair. We're listening, dese