Planning
In January, we began vacation planning for the year. We planned a road trip to Edmonton in the summer to attend weddings and visit family and friends. We also wanted a tropical beach vacation. I asked our oldest daughter, 6, where she wanted to go and she said “Mexi-ho.” After correcting her pronunciation, I declared I wanted to travel somewhere we have never been. My husband had his usual require-
Serena Beck ment of getting to read a newspaper and have a coffee. My youngest daughter, not yet 2 at the time, wanted to swim and my son, 4, wanted sand. We decided that Kauai, Hawaii met all our vacation goals. Next, we researched the following: the cheapest time of the year to fly and visit, kid-friendly activities, and accommodation. Our requirements were to be walking distance to a beach and have a kitchen so we could save money by cooking most of our meals.
Packing
Our kids chose their own outfits—favourite clothes equals less meltdowns—and packed their own suitcases. They can count out days and outfits and even write out or draw their packing lists. If you’re lucky enough to have accommodations with a washer and dryer then you can pack half as much and pop dirty clothes in the laundry during siesta time.
Car Gifts
During my childhood road trips, my parents gave us car gifts. These can be used as a reward for good behaviour or to entertain everyone when you are delayed on, say, the Coquihalla highway for two hours. Some ideas for car gifts include: • Sticker books • Letter and number writing practice books • Reusable water colouring books • Tiny toys such as cars, dolls or Shopkins • Games: Connect Four, a deck of cards, I Spy, Bingo, Tic-Tac-Toe • Fidget Spinners
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A word of caution, some of these gifts may cause non-stop sibling arguments. I suggest similar gifts or even the same gift in different colors to keep the peace. To prevent the toys from falling or being thrown out of reach, hang a zippered cosmetic bag over the back of the seat, so everything is easily accessible. During plane travel, to save your sanity, I highly recommend a tablet loaded with games or movies. We rented one during our five-hour flight and the kids took turns using it.
they did and sent postcards to friends. We also took the kids for private one-on-one waterslide time. My husband took the kids for individual mocktail dates. Then he had a day of motorcycle touring and I went snorkeling. This balance improved everyone’s mood and helped us appreciate each other.
Culture Education
One of my favourite things to do while traveling is observing cultures and customs. For example, at our garden luau we discovered a tree similar to our Arbutus trees. A Rainbow Eucalyptus tree has bark that peels off to reveal many colours on its trunk. We Alone Time We had one rough day where the kids ate local food including roast pig and poi were not into driving around and touring. (cooked and mashed stem of a taro plant). Just as we have deer on Vancouver Island, However, we compromised by promising that they could decide our itinerary the next there are wild chickens on Kauai. They day. In the end, the kids fell asleep and my used to be in coops, but years ago during a hurricane the chickens escaped. While we were there, a chicken stared down my oldest daughter and then ran at her. She was terrified and screamed so loud that the chicken retreated. At the time, it wasn’t funny to her, but we laugh about it today.
Plan for the Unexpected
While we were all stuck in customs for an hour, playing Go Fish with our mini-deck of cards was a lifesaver. This was also a great way to teach our kids patience. We were delayed on our way home and ended up spending the night in Seattle. While we waited for a shuttle to our hotel at midnight, having clean clothes in the outer pockets of our suitcase and light jackets was handy. No matter what your mode of transportation, small gifts can be a real treat. Remember to schedule down time during your vacation, too. I once scheduled three playdates in one day and it was too much for all of us. If you’re visiting people, try to have all your guests come to you or meet in one central location. If you can, stick to husband and I enjoyed a quiet and scenic your usual bed time routine. To help you afternoon drive. The next day we visited two wind down, do yoga before bed or read playgrounds and a beach with a breakwater a book. Wherever your travel adventures lead you, try to stay positive, safe and calm and a calm swimming area. We learned that spending too much time and enjoy your time together. A situation together led to constant bickering in our may not be funny in the moment, but it condo. So my husband brilliantly suggested will usually be a great memory for your that we all take time to ourselves. This gave children down the road. everyone the opportunity to do what we wanted. My oldest daughter and I attended a private yoga class on the beach and went shopping while everyone napped. During nap time, our two older kids journaled Serena Beck enjoys writing and collecting our vacation by drawing pictures of what rubber duckies. http://aduckyaday.blogspot.ca/
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