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Family vacations

When was the last time your family did something fun together?

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Are we almost there? Chicago : what to do and where to go with the kids
[text, Lori Meek Schuldt ; edited by Amy Lyons].
Guilford, CT : Globe Pequot Press, c2009.
Statement of responsibility from p. [64].
     
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Are we almost there? Boston : what to do and where to go with the kids
[text, Marcia Glassman-Jaffe and Morgan Jaffe].
Guilford, Conn. : Globe Pequot Press, c2009.
  1. Statement of responsibility from p. [64].
  2. Cover title.
  3. "Featuring a popout map"--Cover.
  4. Includes index.
  5. Be a kid again -- Lay of the land -- Boston Common and Beacon Hill -- Downtown and Financial District -- Quincy Market/TD Banknorth Garden -- North End -- Waterfront area -- Copley Square and the Back Bay -- Huntington Ave./Fenway/and beyond -- Charlestown -- Calendar of kid-friendly events.
     
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Are we almost there? Los Angeles : what to do and where to go with the kids
[text, Laura Kath and Pamela Price].
Guilford, Conn. Globe Pequot Press, c2009.
  1. Statement of responsibility from p. [64].
  2. Cover title.
  3. "Featuring a popout map"--Cover.
  4. Includes index.
  5. Be a kid again -- Lay of the land -- Downtown Los Angeles -- Hollywood -- Griffith Park -- Universal City/North Hollywood -- West Hollywood -- Westside -- Beverly Hills -- Burbank -- Pasadena -- Venice Beach and Marina del Rey -- Santa Monica -- Malibu -- Long Beach -- Calendar of kid-friendly events.
     
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Are we almost there? San Diego : where to go and what to do with the kids
[text by Laura Kath and Pamela Price].
Guilford, CT : GPP Travel, c2009.
  1. Statement of responsibility from p. [64].
  2. Title from cover.
  3. "Featuring a popout map"--Cover.
  4. Includes index.
     
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Paris
[written by Sheridan Becker and Kim Barrington Narisetti ; contributor, Erzsi Deāk].
Laurel, Md. : Urban Crayon, c2008.
Cover title.
     
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Take your pediatrician with you : keeping your child healthy at home and on the road
Christopher S. Ryder.
Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.
Dr. Ryder offers expert advice on keeping children safe and healthy at home and on the road. He includes detailed instructions for creating a children's medical care kit to use at home or while traveling as well as descriptions of common childhood illnesses and accident prevention.
     

Maybe it is time for a family vacation.  Whether it's an overnight excursion or two weeks far from home, make it an experience that everyone will want to repeat.

Camping's good for families...Adults enjoy watching the outdoor experience through a child's eye, renewing all the discover and joy that "first" always bring.

(from The essential family camper)

Television makes impulse vacations look easy. But careful planning will make a family vacation better.

Involve the entire family

  • Parents can choose a few destinations and then let the kids vote where it would be fun to go. 
  • Plan the vacation with something for everyone.  With kids who like to swim stay at a motel with a pool. Teens who are St. Louis Cardinals fans would enjoy a visit to a major league park.

Assign tasks to each family member

  • Keep the spirit of adventure going. Let the kids and teens request maps or details about hotels, airlines, and attractions.

Take games for family members to enjoy on the road or at the beach

Make the time spent in the car easy on everyone.

  • Travel when the kids feel best.
  • Keep trip diaries
  • Stock the car with games and snacks.  Today's CD/DVD players make car trips more enjoyable for everyone.

Bring your child's favorite toy

Ease the fears first-time flyers by taking the kids to the airport before the actual travel day.

  • Arrive early on the travel day and take advantage of most airlines pre-board opportunities for families.

Consider lost luggage part of the adventure

Be flexible

  • Detour to visit something advertised as the "the largest..." or the "the first..." 
  • Be ready to laugh at a situation--luggage will be found, flat tires fixed, and rainy days will offer other fun activities.

Now is the time to consider the family vacation; call the family together and let the fun begin. 

Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff