Ahh to be so lucky on your next trip - Photo by emrank

But what to do when your kids are tired of videos? Yes, as shocking as this seems, it can happen.  Or worse, the DVD player suddenly quits working (try explaining beforehand that kicking the screen is not a good idea).  You need travel games – fast.  Here are some of the tried-and-true mobile options that just may make your next car ride a little less painful. And all you need is a notepad and pencil.

Tic-Tac-Toe
This one is self explanatory, but your child will probably need to be school-aged to play.  And some kids get headaches when reading or writing in the car.

Hang-Man
You kids have to be able to spell for this one.  Again, watch out for signs of motion sickness, which become more prevalent when reading or writing in the car.

License plate ABCs
Each member of the family looks at license plates for the next letter in the alphabet. This game is great for preschoolers learning their letters – and older kids who are competitive.

I Spy
There is one rule to playing this game: the item you spy really should be in the car – and visible to all occupants.  Otherwise you can pass it long before anyone can guess what it is.

Skip Counting
Even little kids can play this game.  Start counting by twos, then try fives or tens.  For older kids, ask them to do more difficult options like sevens, nines and 13s. This helped my oldest daughter learn multiplication in kindergarten.

Counting 18-wheelers
Or white cars, black trucks, whatever is of interest to your kids at any given moment.  Bonus: this game teaches sorting and counting skills in a fun way.

What’s your favorite go-to car game?  We’d love to hear from you.

By Anna Philpot

For those parents lucky enough not to know, the most common allergy culprits are cow’s milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soy. Reactions can range from the relatively minor sneezing, itchy eyes, and nasal congestion to anaphylaxis (which can lead to blocked airways, cardiovascular collapse, and even death).

The bigger the restaurant chain, the more likely they’ve dealt with food allergies in the past.  Some large-scale choices include Applebee’s, Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday.  Recently, Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill began offering gluten-free menus to entice this growing number of potential diners (which sits at about 2 million). But large chains aren’t the only establishments shedding ingredients to draw in new patrons: Many places offer vegetarian, gluten-free or vegan menu items. Across the nation, everything from the doughnut to pumpkin pudding is being updated and reinvented as more restaurateurs and families become allergen-savvy.

Here are some more tips to help you eat out safely:

Research options online.  Many restaurants list their menus on their web sites with
special diet dishes clearly labeled (i.e., “gluten free”)

Tell your server immediately. Part of a server’s job is to be the liaison between the diner and the kitchen.  If you’re more comfortable, get “Allernotes,” which are preprinted sticky notes that list your food allergy ($8.50 for 100).  A server can include the note on your order. Another option is a business-card-style allergy card, which are available free online.

For serious cases, tell the manager about your special needs (you may even wish to call ahead). Because your dining experience is a top priority, many managers will personally check on your order before it is brought out, which offers an extra quality-control step.

Get out there and enjoy!

By Anna Philpot

Flu season is in full swing. With many families looking to travel at some point during the next three months, it’s important to consider your illness plan. Granted, this isn’t the first item most people tick off their list as they are packing for Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. But given the high likelihood of someone falling ill this year, a sick plan should be considered with care.

Photo by luna76

• If you are traveling a significant distance from your home, go over your insurance policy to see if a hospital or clinic nearby is “in network.” If you can’t tell from your policy – my company’s web site is not easy to navigate – then call the company’s customer service line before you depart. Make sure you write down not only the name of the clinic but also the date, time and person you spoke with (you never know if this will become necessary).
• While on the phone, find out if your policy has a 24-hour number manned by registered nurses. Write this down, too. You may need a professional to call if you’re unsure you need to visit a local doctor.
• Take your insurance card(s) and your doctor’s phone number. Some doctors offer after-hour services (for a fee) that may be worthwhile because your physician is familiar with your family. One caveat: the younger the patient, the higher the likelihood your child will need to be seen.
• If you want to be extremely organized, write down what medication each person takes on an index card. Be sure to include any vitamins and over-the-counter supplements as well.
• Take a day’s supply of essentials with you: Children’s Advil, nasal spray, cough drops….as annoying as the liquid rule is for flyers, it’s better to have some of a needed med than to try and find a pharmacy at 3 a.m. Or worse, try to find “Children’s Motrin” in a foreign language in a neighborhood you’ve only ever seen by day.

Be prepared. Illness – especially in children – can come up quickly. For most, this will end up as simply another unnecessary exercise. But for the few who do fall ill while vacationing, these simple tasks will save a lot of hassle.

Safe travels!

Got a story to share? Tell us about getting sick while out-of-town.

By Anna Philpot

Photo by woodleywonderworks

I have traveled since I was a child. I still do and now run a travel company. I know a few others that never traveled much at all in their lives. They still don’t.

Traveling with kids broadens their horizons and opens up their minds to learning. They appreciate other people, other cultures and the entire world more so than those who stay in the same small community their whole lives. They see firsthand at what is possible for their future. Children who visit museums, historical sites, national or state parks, zoos, beaches and similar types of places all perform better in school. A visit to the Hoover Dam could inspire a future engineer. A visit to a science museum could create a future astronaut, inventor or doctor. A visit to a zoo can inspire future biologists or wildlife lovers. What do violent video games at home inspire?

I believe it all contributes to the ignorance and lack of understanding and tolerance that we still see today. We are a sum of our childhood experiences. It is important that summer vacations continue in the old traditions. Schools should be eager to let children out for family trips instead of stifling them out of concern for their government money. It is a severe fault that education is more concerned these days with test scores and attendance than actual education and thought.

The irony is that I’m citing that children who traveled did better on “tests” while complaining that we are too tied to them.

Photo by sylvar

Get out there with your kids. It does not have to be a cross country trip to the Smithsonian. Go to your local parks, museums or whatever you have in your town. Doing something on the cheap is better than doing nothing at all.

Top of the list has to be South Africa, with its extensive transport infrastructure and variety of touring options it’s a firm favorite.  For affordability, your best option is to do a self drive tour which will be both economical and allow you the freedom to accommodate the whims of younger travelers. Good quality guesthouses offer a home away from home and many larger hotels have a free child policy if they share a room with parents.

Not all private game lodges and reserves accommodate children, so if you are travelling as a family, be sure to check their child policy in advance. However there are some lodges in the Addo Elephant National Park that have specific family programs. This affords the parents an opportunity to enjoy game drives and bush walks whilst the children are taken care of by experienced guides. The children’s program includes activities that teach them about the different animals and their habits. The kids then get to enjoy a short guided walk in an area free of large predators and game drive on their own where they can spot birds and animals from the safety of closed vehicles.

Possibly not considered to be a true African destination, Mauritius is nevertheless a fantastic family destination. Warm temperatures year round and beautiful tropical beaches make it a place where the whole family can relax and have fun. Most of the resorts and hotels have kiddie clubs which keep the children entertained with daily activity programs. Perfect for allowing the parents an opportunity to relax on the beach knowing the kids are taken care of.

The other destination worth mentioning is Namibia. Whilst it is primarily a desert landscape, it has many interesting attractions.  A great way to explore with the family is to do a road trip. A two week itinerary will afford you sufficient time for game viewing in Etosha, visits to the high dunes of the Skeleton coast and exploring the cultural and historic sites in between.

One of the most well known Ohio attractions, which still qualifies as a bit odd, is the Goodyear World of Rubber Museum, which is found in Akron (about 30-40 minutes from Cleveland).  The museum features tours and displays such as moon buggy tires; near the museum, which is in the Goodyear plant’s headquarters, you can also find the Goodyear Airdock, which is the home of the Goodyear Blimp, a craft that hovers over large events and provides aerial views, for example, at baseball games. Visiting these sites will give you something unique to talk about when you discuss your vacation with friends.

A Christmas Story House

A local favorite in Cleveland is the ‘Christmas Story’ House, which was featured in the beloved film. According to my fiancé, who lived in the house at one time and was actually asked to move so that filming could commence for the sequel to the film, and whose father reputedly broke the original leg lamp, only the exterior of the house was used for the film. The house, however, has been restored to its appearance in the film, both inside and out. For film fans, this is a must-see stop on the Ohio odd tourist attraction trail.

Space fans will like being in Ohio; aside from being the home of the NASA Glenn Research Center, Ohio was also the childhood home of that building’s namesake, NASA astronaut and former Ohio senator, John Glenn. In New Concord, Ohio, space fans and history buffs alike will be amused with a trip to Glenn’s boyhood home and museum. The fun is Ohio is both varied and entertaining; plan unique stops on your Ohio trip for maximum amusement.

Below are three basic things that you must be willing to do if you are going to have a good time on a camping trip:

1. Sleep in a tent

True camping means that you will be sleeping in a tent. While this may sound uncomfortable, there are many ways to get around this. With a high quality sleeping bag and/or an air mattress you can enjoy your time in the tent.

2. Are you willing to make your own food?

When camping there is no eating out, or relying on the local grocery store. Sure, you may bring some food from home but you will have to do all the cooking on your own. Are you up to it? Believe it or not, this can be one of the most rewarding experiences during your time in the wilderness. Simple things like hot dogs, chili and soup never taste better than when warmed over a campfire.

3. Showers

Okay, actually this is something that should be prepared NOT to do. If you are the type of person who has to shower twice per day and be clean at all times, a camping trip will test your mettle. You can find campgrounds such as at many State Parks and RV Parks that have nice bathrooms and hot showers. Some people might say that this isn’t really camping. But it may be a way to happily include more family members on an outing.

Remember this: until you plan a camping trip and spend some time in the woods you will never know if this is an activity that you enjoy. So get in the right frame of mind, find a campsite that suits your needs, and go for it!

Getting sap from maple trees.

After months of cold and blustery weather, spring is just around the corner. The temperatures are slowly starting to rise. For those of us living in the Northern United States, that means one thing; maple syrup season is almost here.

Maple production starts in March, when the days start getting warmer and the nights are still down below freezing. This stimulates the production of sap in maple trees, which is then harvested and boiled down to make maple syrup, candy, and other treats. The beginning of April marks the beginning of Maple Festival season. By that point, maple syrup producers have built up a huge supply, and are ready to sell.

Boiling the sap down to make syrup.

I spend all year looking forward to that magical weekend in the beginning of April when our local Maple Festival takes over a small town near here. There are pancake breakfasts, a talent show, a parade, bake sales, and a lot of great maple products on sale. People travel from all over the area, even some from other states, to join in with the excitement. We are celebrating not only another successful maple season, but also the start of spring.

I always try to stock up on these local products, knowing that they will be difficult to find until maple season rolls around next year. I feel good about supporting the local economy, and the prices are cheaper than I could find in stores. In fact, I’ll be buying extra syrup this spring, as last year’s bottle has been empty since December.

Maple Syrup: bottled and ready for sale.

There are maple festivals all over the northern part of the country. One of the biggest is located in Vermont, in a town called St. Albans. Their Maple Festival is scheduled for the last weekend in April. This event features a carnival and antique show, along with all of the traditional maple festival exhibits and sales. The website for the Vermont Maple Festival has directions, tourist information, and a full calendar of events.

The National Maple Syrup Festival, in Medora, Indiana, is a weekend of entertainment, and a great place to bring the family. There is a petting zoo, a children’s play area, and lots of fun games for the whole family to enjoy. This maple festival has a blacksmith exhibit, real butter churning, and several other demonstrations, making it a great destination if you’re looking for something unique.

The Marathon, New York, Maple Fest runs during the last weekend in March this year. This small New York town has been celebrating the maple season with a weekend festival for dozens of years. This festival features a tasting shack, bake sales, and a craft fair. The highlight of the weekend is the train ride, available from nearby Cortland, which goes to and from the festival multiple times a day. There are also pony, hay wagon, and helicopter rides.

These are just a few of the hundreds of maple festivals available around the country. These festivals are not only a great place to buy maple products, but also to enjoy the community that these events bring together. If you’re looking for a great way to spend a weekend, consider taking a trip to a maple festival near you.

Do you attend a local maple festival? What other festivals do you visit to celebrate the arrival of spring?

One of the main things under consideration when I decided to buy my RV was the ability to travel with a pet. It is very difficult to stay where ever you want to with a dog or cat. Some hotels accept them and some don’t but it is restricting either way.

If you have an RV, your pet can travel with you. You don’t need to hire a pet sitter or pay to put him or her into a pet hotel. This probably means you can go on a longer trip as well or at least have more flexibility. But there are some things to keep in mind.

Plan your stops ahead of time

Every dog is different in how they travel and how much noise they make. Maybe you have the rare dog that doesn’t make any noise. Most dogs will bark once in a while. And some will bark constantly when their owner is not around. You may not even know how disruptive your dog can be to others. This means you need to find pet-friendly campgrounds. There is no way to hide a barking dog. Many campgrounds don’t allow dogs at all and others have certain rules you need to follow. The same with state and national parks.

Watch the weather and then plan

RVs are larger but they are still like a vehicle in that they get really hot inside. Your dog can die right in your home away from home. You have to plan your trips with this in mind. Don’t travel around the south in the middle of summer with a dog and expect to have leisurely nice dinners and tourist outings while leaving your dog inside in the parking lot. If you are stopping in borderline warm places, remember how much warmer it gets in the RV even when it’s nice outside. Through my observations, around 80 degrees is a good trigger point to start carefully thinking about what and where you are doing it. When it is 80 degrees outside, parked on blacktop, I have seen the temperature of my RV warm up to around 90 inside. Your dog will need more water and become more lethargic. Park in the shade and use your vents. Or upgrade your vents so they are thermostat controlled and run on 12 volt power. This where solar power can come in handy. I feel free to use my vent fan more when the sun is providing the power. You can also buy grids that fit into cab windows so they let air in and are still securely locked in place, protecting both your dog and property.

Know your breed

You can call it a prejudice if you like but there are certain dog breeds with a bad reputation. And many of those breeds are simply not accepted in many rv parks or campgrounds. If you have an aggressive breed, please ask about it when you are trying to make a reservation. You don’t want to learn the rules after you’ve arrived and have no other options. Many pet friendly RV parks will not accept certain breeds and they can’t spell everything out in guide books or big signs. It may be in the fine print somewhere.

Know your dog

Hopefully you know how your dog travels before embarking on a long trip. This takes time and a little practice to know for certain. Some dogs are great travelers from the start and others are just always nervous. Don’t buy an RV and immediately plan a two week trip with your dog. To speed up the adjustment time, bring their favorite things along. This may be a blanket, a toy or whatever makes them happy at home. Other than yourself of course!

Have a place of their own

It is not good to have a dog roaming loose around the RV. A free dog is not good for your own safety as well as your dogs. Just like with seat belts for people, dogs are more likely to survive an accident if they are secured. Your options include crating them, but you may not have the space for this. You may have an enclosed bed area or a bathroom that can restrict their movement. This keeps them out from under your feet but it is not necessarily more safe for them. The safest method is using a properly sized dog seat belt, if you can.

Take a break

Dogs enjoy a break from the highway, probably as much or more than people do. If a dog has to go, he or she is probably more antsy and nervous riding down the highway. Plan lots of stops to get outside for walks and breaks. I provide maps and listings for truck stops, rest areas and other stores to help with this planning.

Do you have any more tips that you’ve found useful traveling with your four legged friend?

So, what does it mean for a business to be family friendly? I have some ideas, and maybe you do too.

They Don’t Upcharge

Some places just love to make extra money off of the fact that we come with our kids. Charging extra money for children at hotels, even when they don’t need their own beds is an example. If we want to share our beds with a kicking little one, let us. Shouldn’t it be my problem if I am too cheap to get a room with an extra bed for my kids? Why charge extra just because they exist?

Kids’ Meals

I stayed at a (so-called) family-friendly resort in the Islands for 11 days and was excited about the prospect of kids’ meals to make my life easier. Not that I was going to cook anyway, but meals like that make the menu game so much easier for me. When they don’t have anything but a certain selection, they can’t complain and they tend to just go with the flow.

This particular resort had no kids menu. Not a sparse one, but no kids’ menu at all. What? A family friendly establishment with no special chicken fingers and fries meal? I just knew those people had to be out of their minds. They used the ‘family friendly’ term and lured me in, just to disappoint me.

Activities for Kids

A family friendly hotel that truly is friendly toward families understands that sometimes we don’t want to be bothered with our little ones. It isn’t that we don’t love them, but who wants to be around short people with runny noses every single minute of every single day of a family vacation? I need some me time sometimes, and a lodging that is truly family friendly should allow for that.

I’ve seen it all—video game rooms, toddler areas, baby-sitters, field trips, fun activities. These types of places have a way of making trips fun for kids as well as the adults who aren’t charged with the responsibility of entertaining them. Ahhh, yes. Daytime activities for kids have made plenty a vacation much easier for me.

I could go on and on. Establishments that are truly friendly have game rooms, employees that know how to watch their mouths, treats for the kids, don’t have drunks staggering out of the bar, and are overall kind people. Just because a place says family-friendly doesn’t mean it’s true. Maybe they should change their signs to “Kids Welcome … I Guess.”