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Are We There Yet? A Survival Kit for Summer Vacation

by Colleen Langenfeld

Make this your best family vacation yet by using a little pre-planning designed to keep everyone smiling!

Does summer travel with the kids send chills down your spine?

Relax!

Make the travel as much fun as the destination and your kids won't even want to leave the car!

Planning ahead is the key. Hold boredom at bay with these simple ideas:

- A small goodie bag labeled for each day of the ride. 'Something new' always works wonders!

- Make sure some of the fun is interactive with you, the parents. After all, time spent with you is the best reward of all.

- Let your child help with preparing some of their 'vacation toys'. A much-wanted treat that MUST wait until travel time to enjoy will be greatly desired.

- Plan appropriately. If your child gets carsick while reading in the car, don't pack a bag of library books!

- Have plenty of extra batteries for toys and gadgets that require them.

- Listen to audio tapes or CD's together. Classic stories and sing-alongs really pass the time.

- Assign a 'little someone' the task of watching for the right fast food restaurant when it's lunch or snack time. Their face will be glued to the window!

- Teach a craft or hobby to your kids. Just make sure the supplies can withstand traveling.

- Swap a few household toys with another traveling family for fast, frugal fun!

- Crossword puzzles, Trivial Pursuit(TM), and chatting over a book like 'Guiness Book of World Records' are all games that can be enjoyed as a family with a minimum of supplies.

Need more ideas?

- http://www.activitiesforkids.com/travel/travel_games.htm has a list of tried-and-true travel games.

Enjoy your summer vacation, but most of all, enjoy your family!

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