Unless You Live Right Near Disneyland Then When You Organize Your Holiday, You Know That It Means You Are Going To Have To Take Into Account How To Get There. There Are Two Issues That You Need To Deal With. The First Is What Transportation Method Youll Use And The Second Is How You Will Keep Your Young Children Amused On The Way. There Is No Denying That Traveling With Children Is A Whole New Test Of Your Parental Ingenuity.Do The Scoutgirl Guides Thing And Be Prepared With Backups And Lots Of Distractions. Who Knows Maybe By Following These Tried And True Tips Youll Arrive Triumphant At The Other EndOK, Maybe Not Triumphant But Perhaps Youll Manage To Keep Your Cool The Whole Way And That Is Something!Here Are 12 Things You Need To Carry With You And Not In The Trunk Or Luggage Hold:1.A Change Of Clothes For Each Child And Socks (it Can Get Cold On Airplanes And The Socks Provided Dont Come In Any Size Other Than Big).2.Extra Clothes For You In Case Of Spills.3.Tissues (can You Ever Have Too Many Where Young Children Are Concerned?), A Few Empty Plastic Bags (to Contain Any Smelly Nappies And Dirty Clothes) And A Face Washer. Take A Ziploc Bag For The Face Washer So That When Its Wet, Not Everything Else In Your Bag Gets Damp.4.Variety Of Snack Food (cereal, Sultanas, Crackers, Fruit Etc) In Ziploc Bags. If Youre On A Plane, The Food Never Comes Quickly Or Often Enough And If Youre In A Car, You Can Guarantee A Child Will Be Hungry 15 Minutes After You Departed.5.Drink Bottles Disposables Are Handy But Sometimes Having The Comfort Of A Familiar Drink Bottle Makes It Worth Taking Your Childs With You. It Depends A Bit On The Child And How Adept They Are At Drinking From A Regular Bottle. 6.A New Toy For Each Child Something They Havent Seen Before And Wont See Until You Get Going And They Start To Get Restless. Make It Something That Isnt Noisy, Doesnt Take Batteries (or If It Does, Take Some Spares), That They Can Interact With, That Doesnt Require Your Involvement To Put It Back Together If It Falls Apart And That Isnt Made Up Of A Million Pieces That Can Get Lost Down The Back Of The Seat. A Tall Order I Know But I Can Tell You From Experience That Its Worth Spending A Bit Of Time Choosing Something That Fits The Bill.7.A Couple Of Books, Preferably One Or Two New Ones. 8.Balloons They Dont Take Up Much Space And Are Perfect For That Transit Stop That Seems To Take Forever. There Is Nothing Like A Child Chasing A Balloon To Make Everyone Feel That Bit Better And Lighter About Life. The Other Thing To Do With Balloons Is To Blow Them Up And Then Let The Air Out Slowly With The Opening Directed At The Child. My Children Love This. They Squint And Turn Their Faces Away And Then Double Up With Laughter And Shout More, More. Again This May Require A Bit Of Discretion Because The Noise Of An Exhaling Balloon Can Be Loud And Well, Unbecoming.9.Bubble Mix Another Space Saver That Works A Charm. Best Saved For Outdoors.10.Drugs. Im Going To Get Controversial Here As I Know This Isnt A Choice Everyone Is Comfortable With But Drugs To Help Children Sleep, Especially On Long Haul Flights, Can Be An Absolute Lifesaver For You And The Child. Taking Children Across Many Time Zones In A Steel Capsule With An Uncomfortable Chair For A Bed Isnt Their Choice For A Good Nights Sleep, So Make It Easier For Them By Helping Them To Get Some Rest. It Means You Will All Arrive In Better Shape. 11.A Favourite Toy Or Sleep Buddy (preferably Something Small) Can Be An Enormous Comfort To An Over-tired Or Stressed Child. 12.And Lastly Dont Forget To Take Something To Read For Yourself. You Never Know They May Sleep Or Watch A Movie And You Could Be Left Wondering What To Do With Yourself. Nothing Too Ambitious Or Bulky. A Magazine Or Short Story Should Do The TrickWhat Should You Put It All In? If You Have To Do Any Walking, A Daypack Is Best Because It Wont Slip Off Your Shoulders, Leaves Both Hands Free And Has Lots Of Compartments So You Can Find Things, Like Your Wallet, In A Hurry.If This List Sounds Like A Lot To You, Believe Me When I Say That Being Prepared Can Make All The Difference Between A Never-ending Ordeal And An Unusual, Possibly Pleasurable Way To Pass Time.Happy Traveling!
