A question for you re: families & travel safety

[Alicia64]

Hi Everyone,

I'm starting a blog on travel safety for families. It's not live yet, but I'm getting there.

I was wondering if you would share the one travel safety tip you wish you'd known . . . when you first started traveling with your kids. I'd love it if you'd PM or send me an email: Sunni (at) calweb (dot) com.

Tip suggestions might be:

• how to avoid resort fees

• the importance of bringing bug spray

• how to deal with TSA and kids when flying

• how to keep the kids from bugging you on long car rides

 

The blog includes how to save sanity, money and our health (bad wording, but you get the idea).

And I will give you full credit and full credit to your blog or website or book or store front. (Or if you want to stay totally anonymous, I'll do that too.)

I've known many parents who had an awful travel experience. I've also read about too many travel-tragedies. (I know we can't escape every problem, but I also hope to bring more safety awareness to the traveling parent.)

I've also had my own problems. Years ago, a restaurant owner -- I'm not kidding -- stole the purse I accidentally left in the booth. The police had to be called. I learned to always turn around and do a full eye-sweep of a restaurant table or any venue we're leaving. I look underneath and on every chair.

Thank you for any and all tips!!

Alicia

[itsheresomewhere]

I don’t bring bug spray on most trips. So if I saw that title, I admit I would assume that blog was preachy and not read it.  Kind of along with safety tips.  Stuff happens even to the most traveled or safety wise  people.

Personally, I love blogs with actual reviews of the areas.  Tell me about the off the wall places you have visited. Places in touristy areas that are more local known.  Reviews of food places that are not chains and not mickey D’s.  

[mommyoffive]

If I am going by plane I am not bringing bug spray.  I would pick up while I am there if I need it. 

 

I am a bit confused since you said this blog was about travel safety and yet a lot of it doesn't seem like things about safety to me. 

 

[TechWife]

Well, dealing with TSA is easy. The rules are readily available on the TSA web site. Follow the rules. Tell your kids to follow the rules. The end. Most travelers make it through TSA with absolutely no issues whatsoever, it's not really worth a blog post unless you're trying to get away with something, and then it's not worth writing about, IMO.

Resort fees and car activities aren't related to safety - maybe you're thinking of just a general travel with a family tips blog?

ETA: I've never brought bug spray on a non-camping trip in my life.

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Wow, people sure don't know how to encourage one another, do they?  OP, this sounds like a fun project for you.

When we went to the Philippines we certainly did bring bug spray.  As well as anti-malarial tablets.  My travel tip - for young children crush the anti-malaria tablets and add to something like mashed banana.  The tablets are very bitter and the sweetness of the banana helps to hide that. 

Have you done a lot of traveling? 

[SKL]

Can't really think of much in the way of safety.  Swimming lessons?  Sunscreen for light skin?  Stay in groups?  If it looks too good to be true/free, it is?  Don't leave your kid to watch your computer bag at Disney?  Know if you need coins for the toilets?  Teach your kids about squatty potties?  Don't drink the water unless you're in Costa Rica?

Travel light, keep a change of clothes & toothbrush in your carry-on.  DS and in-flight movies for the kids.  Sign up for international cell service and inform your credit card companies you're traveling.  Eat whatever you want (kids too) because life is too short.  Walk it off.

[Sneezyone]

Travel safety tips? I don’t do anything extraordinary but my kids are older now.

When they were little I had what DH affectionately dubbed a ‘Mary Poppins’ bag from which all manner of handy things emerged. It included bug spray, single dose Benadryl and Tylenol packs, bandaids, alcohol wipes, etc. Not anymore. I don’t even check to make sure everyone has the requisite number/type of clothing items. I hand ‘em the list and if they don’t have it, it’s their loss. I make sure everyone has their own travel backpack and it stays packed with sunglasses, neck pillow, travel blanket, headphones, book, pencil, notepad, and charger(s). All we have to do is add fresh snacks/gum and devices. 

It would definitely appeal to me to know things about specific countries. Fine dining establishments that are kid-friendly, for ex. We had a lovely time at one such place in South Africa.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Another tip for the Philippines.  Bring Filipino pesos if you want to use a public toilet so that you can buy a couple of sheets of toilet paper from the bathroom attendant. 

[SKL]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Another tip for the Philippines.  Bring Filipino pesos if you want to use a public toilet so that you can buy a couple of sheets of toilet paper from the bathroom attendant. 

Or - and I meant to include this - stuff your pockets with tissue.  I learned this many years ago in India.  [smilie]  Even if you buy tissue from the attendant, they give you like 3 thin squares and it doesn't go very far.  [smilie]

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 minute ago, SKL said:

Or - and I meant to include this - stuff your pockets with tissue.  I learned this many years ago in India.  [smilie]  Even if you buy tissue from the attendant, they give you like 3 thin squares and it doesn't go very far.  [smilie]

Especially if you get traveler's tummy! 

Also in the Philippines.  You are not supposed to "flush" the toilet yourself if there is an attendant.  The attendant only does it for number two.  It's because of water scarcity.  And when they flush, it isn't usually from the tank, it's by dumping a bucket of water into the toilet to flush it down.  I made one attendant so upset at me for having diarrhea but really what was I supposed to do? 

[kitten18]

Not specifically for safety but some thoughts on getting through the airport. Getting through TSA with ease, adults will want to wear slip on shoes (with socks), keep all the items that need to be removed from your bag in one compartment (some airports are now requiring that iPads and all food be removed). My personal preference is to check as much stuff as you can, they fewer bags you carry through the airport, the easier it is to keep track of things. When my kids were small they each had a wheeled backpack and now they each just carry a regular backpack. A backpack can also be nice for parents so your hands are free and you don’t have to worry about a bag sliding off your shoulder. 

 

[kitten18]

47 minutes ago, TechWife said:

Well, dealing with TSA is easy. The rules are readily available on the TSA web site. Follow the rules. Tell your kids to follow the rules. The end. Most travelers make it through TSA with absolutely no issues whatsoever, it's not really worth a blog post unless you're trying to get away with something, and then it's not worth writing about, IMO.

Resort fees and car activities aren't related to safety - maybe you're thinking of just a general travel with a family tips blog?

ETA: I've never brought bug spray on a non-camping trip in my life.

 

 

That is really not true. TSA procedures vary a great deal from airport to airport. 

 

[kitten18]

4 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Regarding checked bags, make sure you know the weight/price for checked bags. I would probably try to avoid too much checked luggage because I'm cheap LOL
If I am packing two shoes, I will wear the bigger pair, but may wear the smaller pair through security and then swap them out afterwards. For example, if I'm going to bring boots I'd either do sloppy lacing (skip eyeholes) to remove them quicker or wear the tennis shoes in the airport til I got through security and then put tennis shoes in bag and remove the boots. The extra space in the bag would help if I planned on buying stuff at my destination. 

That’s true. We almost exclusively fly southwest so I forget about at fees. One way that I keep bags under 50lbs is to not use extra large suitcases. 

[SarahCB]

1 hour ago, TechWife said:

ETA: I've never brought bug spray on a non-camping trip in my life.

 

 

I just got back from the Dominican and I am very happy that we brought bug spray there. The mosquitos come out around dinner time and bug spray is insanely expensive at the resort. 

[SarahCB]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

If I am going by plane I am not bringing bug spray.  I would pick up while I am there if I need it. 

 

I am a bit confused since you said this blog was about travel safety and yet a lot of it doesn't seem like things about safety to me. 

 

 

That's a little snippy. 

I research whether I'll need bug spray before going. We recently went to the Dominican and bug spray was an absolute must. Plus, *everything* was crazy expensive at the resort. I'm pretty happy that some other blogger posted about the need for bug spray. Saved me a lot of money and potential grief. 

[Clemsondana]

When we flew and I had toddlers/preschoolers, I always took Rolos candy on the plane. Candy was a treat, and rolos take forever to eat for little ones since they have to work hard to chew the caramel.  We also took magnet-based toys - there were books with moveable letters or trains or cars.  For road trips, at some point I figured out that it was good to take several plastic cups along.  I could put snacks in them, or divide up lunch things, and the kids could keep them in their cupholders.  It worked better than having a 4 year old try to hold a box of nuggets and some fries.  We also tried to eat while traveling - we could cover a lot of miles (either in the air or in the car) while they ate.  Then when we had a break they could move around instead of finally getting out of the car seat, only to sit in a restaurant.  

[hellen]

When I'm traveling with just my 3 kids, the older two must walk together in front of me.  I hold the hand of the youngest.  This allows me to keep track of one group of kids instead of three separate kids.  They don't need to walk super close to me, but they do need to wait for me to catch up at every intersection.

I did lose them once in a very busy parade.  They turned around because they knew I was behind them and we met up again.  

[almondbutterandjelly]

This isn't so much a travel tip as a beach safety trip.  Respect the ocean.  We lose one out-of-towner (at least) every year because they go out in water that any local knows is too choppy to be going in.  If it's gray and cloudy and really windy, stay out of the water.  Or go in ankles deep at most.  Also, learn about riptides.  They will drown even the most experienced swimmer if you don't handle them right.  

[Alicia64]

2 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Wow, people sure don't know how to encourage one another, do they?  OP, this sounds like a fun project for you.

When we went to the Philippines we certainly did bring bug spray.  As well as anti-malarial tablets.  My travel tip - for young children crush the anti-malaria tablets and add to something like mashed banana.  The tablets are very bitter and the sweetness of the banana helps to hide that. 

Have you done a lot of traveling? 

I've (maybe) gotten mature enough where I don't react to the "this is dumb" stuff. At least, I hope. (Okay, mostly.)

Yes, I've traveled. And I kept seeing everything from bummer situations to sad situations which is what made me want to write this blog.

And, btw, LOVE your tip. Let me know how to give you credit!

And thank you for your understanding!

Alley

[Alicia64]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

Is this specific to air travel? 

 

 

Hi Elegant! No, not specific to air travel at all. I was just trying to give examples. I once had a son fall off the top bunk on a cruise, and I wrote about the importance of trusting our intuition. (I'd had a bad gut feeling, but figured the cruise people knew what they were doing.)

Alley

[Lang Syne Boardie]

9 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

 

Hi Elegant! No, not specific to air travel at all. I was just trying to give examples. I once had a son fall off the top bunk on a cruise, and I wrote about the importance of trusting our intuition. (I'd had a bad gut feeling, but figured the cruise people knew what they were doing.)

Alley

 

I think you've mixed up your lions. ? You are responding to 'heartlikea..." not 'elegant...'

[madteaparty]

I really don’t know what to say about safety. I just don’t think the world is that dangerous of a place. I mean the safest thing I’ve done in several months of travel is take my child out of an American public school. Sadly, she goes back when travels are over.

honestly don’t know what I could’ve done from home to make my travels safer. The malarials are much much cheaper whererever you are going that you need them in (I thought about importing some doxy into my lyme central area to be frank.

i can’t help the insane scooter driving in Thailand nor the fact that a cab ride in the Thai island is hanging on to the back of a truck...

swim lessons?

chewing gum for take off and landing?

 

[Alicia64]

4 minutes ago, HeighHo said:

Take a group photo in the morning.  That spares you having to recall what the kiddo is wearing today should he get separated from the group.

 

Good one!

[Alicia64]

10 minutes ago, Tibbie Dunbar said:

 

I think you've mixed up your lions. ? You are responding to 'heartlikea..." not 'elegant...'

 

Sorry lions!!

[Rachel]

I guess when we travel with kids I do about the same things as when we do local activities. The only difference is we are doing activities in a different location.

I do keep packing lists on my phone so we can pack quickly. My husband once gave me a 45 minute warning about a road trip and we didn’t know if we would be gone 2 days or 10. My kids were 6 and under at the time. The list was very handy!

[kitten18]

1 hour ago, HeighHo said:

Take a group photo in the morning.  That spares you having to recall what the kiddo is wearing today should he get separated from the group.

Yes, I always did that at Disneyland, the zoo, etc. I would also try to dress them in the same color. 

[Alicia64]

11 minutes ago, Rachel said:

I guess when we travel with kids I do about the same things as when we do local activities. The only difference is we are doing activities in a different location.

I do keep packing lists on my phone so we can pack quickly. My husband once gave me a 45 minute warning about a road trip and we didn’t know if we would be gone 2 days or 10. My kids were 6 and under at the time. The list was very handy!

 

Wow, Rachel, you're a road-warrior! That's amazing! Can you add what kind of items that are on the list that you'd otherwise forget?

And where did you end up on that particular trip?

[HomeAgain]

I keep a card in my purse that has our emergency contact on it.  If they can't unlock my phone, the hospital can use that to notify family of anything.  When my kids were smaller I used to have a card on their car seat that had a permanent emergency contact, blood type, and birthday.  If my kid was too young to talk, I wanted his medical care to be as immediate as possible if I couldn't answer those questions.

We're going to a theme park this weekend.  The first thing we'll do is point out the meeting point if we're separated (Guest Services).  The rule of thumb is to "find a mama" if you need help.  A lady with kids is easier to find than a park attendant when their uniforms all change.

[Guest]

This is nothing monumental, and it doesn’t really come under the heading of safety, but when my DD was little (5, I think), we flew to Disney. She had a special stuffed animal dog that was required to go through the xray scanner at the airport. I wished I had thought to explain this to her ahead of time. She didn’t understand what would happen to her “buddy” and was crying. She thought they were going to cut it apart to look inside. If I had thought about it, I would have role-played this beforehand. 

Along the same lines, I had a friend who took her kid on a plane trip and he was terrified throughout the flight. When he finally confessed his fear, it was that he “would not have the courage to jump out of the plane.” Poor little guy thought everyone skydives off the plane! 

So those would be my advice nuggets - just explain procedures to kids so they have some idea how things work. Some kids are very sensitive to unfamiliar procedures and it can be frightening. 

[Alicia64]

6 minutes ago, Quill said:

This is nothing monumental, and it doesn’t really come under the heading of safety, but when my DD was little (5, I think), we flew to Disney. She had a special stuffed animal dog that was required to go through the xray scanner at the airport. I wished I had thought to explain this to her ahead of time. She didn’t understand what would happen to her “buddy” and was crying. She thought they were going to cut it apart to look inside. If I had thought about it, I would have role-played this beforehand. 

Along the same lines, I had a friend who took her kid on a plane trip and he was terrified throughout the flight. When he finally confessed his fear, it was that he “would not have the courage to jump out of the plane.” Poor little guy thought everyone skydives off the plane! 

So those would be my advice nuggets - just explain procedures to kids so they have some idea how things work. Some kids are very sensitive to unfamiliar procedures and it can be frightening. 

 

This is AWESOME!! This is exactly the sort of thing I want -- stuff adults would otherwise never think of! Thank you so much for sharing!

Alicia

[Cinder]

25 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

I keep a card in my purse that has our emergency contact on it.  If they can't unlock my phone, the hospital can use that to notify family of anything.  When my kids were smaller I used to have a card on their car seat that had a permanent emergency contact, blood type, and birthday.  If my kid was too young to talk, I wanted his medical care to be as immediate as possible if I couldn't answer those questions.

We're going to a theme park this weekend.  The first thing we'll do is point out the meeting point if we're separated (Guest Services).  The rule of thumb is to "find a mama" if you need help.  A lady with kids is easier to find than a park attendant when their uniforms all change.

 

Along these lines, my SIL used to write her cell number on her son's arm in case they got separated.

[Xahm]

13 minutes ago, Cinder said:

 

Along these lines, my SIL used to write her cell number on her son's arm in case they got separated.

That's the one I was going to say. 

Also, as much as possible, pack light! If your two year old is melting down and your three year old is too exhausted to carry even her little backpack, the mound of suitcases that was difficult but manageable to get through customs becomes impossible and an inch from dangerous. (On the plus side, my experience is that, if this happens, people appear out of nowhere, move you to the front of the line, and help you get the suitcases through. No one wants that two year old to keep screaming, and I've found the kindness of strangers to often be amazing.) 

[Alicia64]

31 minutes ago, Cinder said:

 

Along these lines, my SIL used to write her cell number on her son's arm in case they got separated.

 

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

We're going to a theme park this weekend.  The first thing we'll do is point out the meeting point if we're separated (Guest Services).  The rule of thumb is to "find a mama" if you need help.  A lady with kids is easier to find than a park attendant when their uniforms all change.

 

Thank you HomeAgain for the great tip! I wanted to add: we walk to the very back of the park and start there (starting where the crowd isn't) and then we move forward. In other words, we're going against the crowd which makes the lines shorter.

Alicia

[Rachel]

2 hours ago, Alicia64 said:

 

Wow, Rachel, you're a road-warrior! That's amazing! Can you add what kind of items that are on the list that you'd otherwise forget?

And where did you end up on that particular trip?

It wasn’t anywhere exciting. My husband needed to drive down to a job site in the middle of no where Louisiana. If things were good we were going to spend the night and then head home. If not, we were hanging out until things were good. 

My packing list isn’t spectacular it’s just specific clothes, pull-ups, swimsuits, toothbrushes, etc. When the kids were younger I would have diapers, wipes, bottles, etc on the list too.  I actually just give my kids the list now and let them gather their own belongings and then I fold them and put them into the suitcase. 

[Miss Tick]

When attending a concert or sports event or similar crowded place a policeman friend of mine recommends having an inside meeting point and an outside one. 

This would have been handy when a large group of us went to an art museum and the fire alarm went off while some people were in the restroom!

[J-rap]

One bit of advice that comes to mind is to bring simple over-the-counter meds with you.  Meds for allergies, pain, diarrhea, constipation, etc.  Sure -- all of those things are available abroad, but they'll have different names and it's a different system.  Sometimes it's just a whole lot easier to have your own little first-aid kit from home with meds that you're familiar with.

[justasque]

8 hours ago, Rachel said:

I do keep packing lists on my phone so we can pack quickly. My husband once gave me a 45 minute warning about a road trip and we didn’t know if we would be gone 2 days or 10. My kids were 6 and under at the time. The list was very handy!

I also find having a master packing list to be useful.  Mine covers items to bring, and also pre-trip tasks like putting gas in the car (for a road trip), syncing my Kindle, and making playlists for my iPod (road tunes and podcasts for a car trip; soothing background music I can play through noise-cancelling headphones for air travel).
Over the years, I've also put together a travel toiletries kit that's always ready-to-go.  It contains the basics - toothbrush, shampoo, bar soap, comb, and so on.  When I'm packing it's handy to have this part almost finished; I mainly have to remove any items that aren't needed for the specific trip.  It's nice that I have doubles of things like the toothbrush, so I don't have to gather these things up after using them the morning of my trip.  When I get home, I rotate/refill the shampoo/toothpaste, and repack the bag so it's ready to go for the next trip.  Since I also keep a few of my favorite garments for travel in my carry-on, I'm not starting the packing from scratch each time.

[fairfarmhand]

Of you’re planning an amazing trip have a backup plan for photos. My brother just got back from a once in a lifetime. Tour of the Italian countryside and took a train from there to Barcelona. His cell phone died the day he flew into Rome. So no pictures. 

 

 

My cousin had had the same thing happe on a tour of India and Nepal. 

[73349]

I always put DS in a brightly colored shirt (typically his favorite colors anyway), and once he was too old for a backpack harness (which for him was 4) a necklace with our cell phone numbers on it. Even now, I buy exclusively red, orange, or yellow swimsuits for him so I can spot him in a second at a pool.

Before we walk out the door to go somewhere big/crowded/unfamiliar, kiddo has to take a pop quiz: close his eyes and describe his mom. I know I can describe him to someone helping me look, but can he describe me?

When we separate to use bathrooms, we specify where we're going to meet ("by this water fountain"/"under that poster" etc.). Then we know we haven't missed each other and we're not blocking traffic while we wait.

[mommyoffive]

19 hours ago, SarahCB said:

 

That's a little snippy. 

I research whether I'll need bug spray before going. We recently went to the Dominican and bug spray was an absolute must. Plus, *everything* was crazy expensive at the resort. I'm pretty happy that some other blogger posted about the need for bug spray. Saved me a lot of money and potential grief. 

 

What is snippy?  Saying I don't pack bug spray?  

Or saying some of the topics don't relate to safety?  They don't.  I wouldn't want the blog to be called Travelsafewithfamily and then to not have much to do with travel safety.  Sorry I wouldn't.  When I read a blog I want it to be about what it says it is going to be about.

Now if you want to do a general family travel blog and you bring up on ways to keep your family safe from lots of things great.  

[TravelingChris]

13 hours ago, SusanC said:

When attending a concert or sports event or similar crowded place a policeman friend of mine recommends having an inside meeting point and an outside one. 

This would have been handy when a large group of us went to an art museum and the fire alarm went off while some people were in the restroom!

I am going to start using this with my all adult family,  Thanks\

[TravelingChris]

13 hours ago, J-rap said:

One bit of advice that comes to mind is to bring simple over-the-counter meds with you.  Meds for allergies, pain, diarrhea, constipation, etc.  Sure -- all of those things are available abroad, but they'll have different names and it's a different system.  Sometimes it's just a whole lot easier to have your own little first-aid kit from home with meds that you're familiar with.

And likewise, some things that are prescription in the US are over the counter in another country.  Some things we have in the US are illegal in other countries,  Sometimes, there is a much better drug available over the counter in another country. One thing to know too is that in some countries, everything is handled by a pharmacist though many things are not needing a prescription.  In other countries, there are things on the shelf.  At least with mobile networks, it is a lot easier to figure out.  Paracetamol is what we call generic Tylenol here (and which name is acetaminophen in US).  

Bring extra EpiPens, carried in a suitcase or other somewhere other than your personal bag.  My youngest was in NZ last year on Study Abroad and when her purse was grabbed, all her Epipens were with her.  The only thing she could get was a syringe and a bottle of epinephrine.  And it was super scary having her on that really long plane flight home with no epipen and no knowledge if someone would understand how to administer the medicine. Also, she has never administered an injection herself. 

If anyone has an allergy to any medicine. make sure you check again what names are used in that country. Many countries don't recognize brand names and again sometimes even the generic name is different.

[SKL]

When my kids were little in crowded places, I told them that if they lost sight of me, they should stand still and I would come back and get them.  I didn't want them wandering around trying to find a meeting place or asking for help and being taken God knows where and being terrified they'd never see me again.  It made more sense for me to simply retrace my steps once I noticed the kid was not with me.  (Obviously not much time would pass before I noticed, as parents are usually fairly aware of where their little kids are.  I don't believe unintended separation ever occurred except for one time in a WalMart.)

[Alicia64]

13 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

And likewise, some things that are prescription in the US are over the counter in another country.  Some things we have in the US are illegal in other countries,  Sometimes, there is a much better drug available over the counter in another country. One thing to know too is that in some countries, everything is handled by a pharmacist though many things are not needing a prescription.  In other countries, there are things on the shelf.  At least with mobile networks, it is a lot easier to figure out.  Paracetamol is what we call generic Tylenol here (and which name is acetaminophen in US).  

Bring extra EpiPens, carried in a suitcase or other somewhere other than your personal bag.  My youngest was in NZ last year on Study Abroad and when her purse was grabbed, all her Epipens were with her.  The only thing she could get was a syringe and a bottle of epinephrine.  And it was super scary having her on that really long plane flight home with no epipen and no knowledge if someone would understand how to administer the medicine. Also, she has never administered an injection herself. 

 

 

This is excellent. Thank you!

The blog is about how to save sanity when traveling, our families health, and money. I guess I wasn't very clear from the get-go.

All of these tips are so good -- I hope more people post!

Alley

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh I have another tip. If you are in a country where you aren’t drinking the water, don’t forget products that are made with the local water. We scrupulously drank bottled water and used it to brush our teeth but then I let dd have a local popsicle from a vender. She threw up for hours and hours. After that, we only got factory made and sealed food products. 

[Alicia64]

5 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Oh I have another tip. If you are in a country where you aren’t drinking the water, don’t forget products that are made with the local water. We scrupulously drank bottled water and used it to brush our teeth but then I let dd have a local popsicle from a vender. She threw up for hours and hours. After that, we only got factory made and sealed food products. 

 

This is sooo good. And it goes for the islands off of Georgia (U.S.) too! I have never in my life smelled/drank such awful water. And, don't get me wrong: I LOVE the GA islands, but I bring a lot of bottled water.

[Cecropia]

We mostly travel by car, 8-12 hour trips a few times a year.  The biggest safety issue is me staying awake and alert, especially at night!  Caffeine, snacks and music only go so far.  I always need someone awake in the car to be available to help me if I'm getting tired, so my passengers make sure to stagger naps etc.  We have accrued a lot of mental games that we like to play: various memory games, 20 questions, I spy games, remembering song lyrics, trying to beat our record of how many different state license plates we can find, conversation starters, etc.  The older boys like to quiz me with Brain Quest for their grades (BQ is pretty small and portable).  There is a wide variety, with something that everyone likes.  It's nice because the games not only help us stay safe -- they give us some nice quality family time when my kids would normally be in their own worlds listening to headphones, reading, or playing DS.

[Farrar]

Don't assume that the carseat provided by the car rental will be any good. Or will even exist. Especially in a foreign country.

When my kids were little, we always used to Sharpie our phone number on their upper arms if we were going to be somewhere crowded. They knew it was there. Then, at some point, they knew it well enough. We taught it to them with a little tune.

Of course, that's useless when you lose your 5 yo at a sprawling Parisian amusement park. It was genuinely the nicest anyone was to me in Paris having to listen to my broken French. A nice French grandmother found him. "I just saw him lost and then I realized he was American and I thought, this poor child. And he was very brave and he didn't start crying at all until he saw you and... she can't understand a word I'm saying, can she?" I was like, no, I can! I'm just crying too hard! I have no tips about this except just to say that really it's just like in the US... in most of the world, no one wants to steal your children.

Oh, I thought of another - if your kids have to take a pill while traveling, like malaria meds, practice with a mini-M&M beforehand. Because putting that toxic thing in yogurt so doesn't work.

 

 

[Xahm]

I remembered another thing. I was worried about getting separated from my preschool age kids on the metro/underground. Since every station had a bench that was against the wall/ well back from the tracks, I told them that if they were ever away from me, get of the train at the next stop and stand on the bench. I would be able to see them easily and get them. We would point out these benches each time and went over the plan often. I think they were really disappointed they never got to do it!

[Alicia64]

54 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Don't assume that the carseat provided by the car rental will be any good. Or will even exist. Especially in a foreign country.

When my kids were little, we always used to Sharpie our phone number on their upper arms if we were going to be somewhere crowded. They knew it was there. Then, at some point, they knew it well enough. We taught it to them with a little tune.

Of course, that's useless when you lose your 5 yo at a sprawling Parisian amusement park. It was genuinely the nicest anyone was to me in Paris having to listen to my broken French. A nice French grandmother found him. "I just saw him lost and then I realized he was American and I thought, this poor child. And he was very brave and he didn't start crying at all until he saw you and... she can't understand a word I'm saying, can she?" I was like, no, I can! I'm just crying too hard! I have no tips about this except just to say that really it's just like in the US... in most of the world, no one wants to steal your children.

What a sweet, amazing story. Thank you! (I'm thinking of doing the conf. in Atlanta just because you'll be there!! Is there anything for homeschoolers of 15 yr. olds. Feel free to PM me.)

Alley