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Are We There Yet?
Tips for Stress-Free Summer Travel
Millions of people hit the highways every year. With the vast number of road trips taking place during the summer when kids are out of school, parents are looking for ways to expose them to new places and ideas. The 2004 Travel Report estimates that 170.1 million trips (or 26 percent) taken in 2003 included children under 18.
According to "The Travel Mom," Emily Kaufman, who provides family-friendly travel tips on Good Morning America and The View, parents won't have to spin their wheels to make the next road trip stress free.
To ensure that your family's next road trip is fun and stress-free, Kaufman suggests the following tips on how to prepare for your trip and make it enjoyable while on the road:
Planning
- Plan your budget. Determine how much money to allocate toward family travel before planning a trip. Overspending results in tension and anxiety about unnecessary debt. Plan to spend a certain amount per day, and stay within that budget.
- Do some research. Investigate destinations that the family has yet to explore. Narrow the choices down to three.
- Decide on the destination. Sit down with the kids and discuss the options. Vote as a family for the final decision.
- Know what you're doing. Plan which sights the family will visit along the way. If possible, order brochures from each sight beforehand for additional information.
- Make a checklist. The checklist should include purchasing and or washing clothes, grocery shopping, making hotel reservations, car maintenance, packing, etc. You will also want to include due dates to stay on target. Divvy up the easy items (such as packing) among the kids.
- Check the weather report. See what the temperature will be like, and pack accordingly.
- Establish rules and guidelines. Tell the kids what is expected of them prior to the trip. Be clear about where they can and cannot go. Review safety tips with them, and set a plan in motion on what to do if they get lost.
