Planning the perfect family vacation

							Title:
Planning the perfect family vacation


Word Count:
881

Summary:
An all inclusive famioy resort hote
l features entertainment, activitie
s, and dining, for all members of t
he family. Many include children's
clubs and activities targeted to di
fferent age groups from infants to
teenagers. These resorts make plann
ing the perfect family vacation a s
nap. Everything is done for you. Th
ey take all the guess work out of v
acation planning.


Keywords:
online travel


Article Body:
Some all inclusive resorts for the
family even provide vacation nannie
s, supervised day-care, and/or baby
sitting. Others may have a teen dis
co. Children stay free at some reso
rt hotels. Others offer a deep disc
ount for children. Some can accommo
date larger families and allow up t
o 3 children and 2 adults in a room.

An interesting note: There's a new
trend online in "get it together" v
acations: making it easier to book
trips for friends or family members
 who live in different cities but w
ant to meet up for a holiday. Disne
y, for example, introduced online b
ooking features about a year ago to
 help family members and friends co
nverge upon Disney World for some "
togethering".

Many all inclusive family resort ho
tels have adult-only restaurants an
d areas, children-only and adult-on
ly pools, and water parks. The Inte
rnet is your ideal source for infor
mation and booking. There are many
 sites available. And, you'll be pl
eased at the number of discounted p
ackages available to you when you g
o online.

If you decide to take a family trip
 and not go to one of the all inclu
sive resorts, keep these things in
mind. The leaky diapers, the flat r
efusals, the tablecloth pulled off
at the restaurant... It's true; tra
vel with small kids has its perils.
Yet, years later, family trips are
often our best memories of our kids
' young years and just may be the m
ost perfect family vacation ever!Th
e years pass quickly, so enjoy your
 time together now.

<B> Seven Essential Tips</b>

<B>1.</b> Prepare. Take lots of sna
cks, drinks, amusements, (see below
) on long plane rides - and, really
, everywhere you go.
<B>2.</b> Pace. Don't try to do to
o much! Schedule one major activit
y per morning, or afternoon; if all
 goes well, you can perhaps slip in
 a second activity. (Don't mention
the second activity until you're ce
rtain, though - avoid disappointme
nt!)
<B>3.</b> Pacing also means allowin
g extra time in the day for some do
wn time, and some wild time: kids n
eed rest periods, and they also nee
d to run around and let off some st
eam.
<B>4.</b> Pre-empt: offer snacks an
d drinks before kids get too hungry
 or thirsty. Take a break before th
ey're overtired.
<B>5.</b> Also: watch out for those
 small but tell-tale signs that you
r kids need a rest: that change in
tone, that particular frown...
<B>6.</b> Patience: and more patien
ce. Patience actually saves time, i
n the long run: it's far quicker to
 muster an extra five minutes of pa
tience than to spend fifteen minute
s coaxing a three-year-old out of a
 snit. Remember: even the bad momen
ts of your travels with wee ones wi
ll look very precious, once they've
 grown into large-size kids!
<B>7.</b> And perhaps most importan
t of all: Play. Have fun with your
kids!


Preparation is key when planning th
e perfect family vacation requires
air travel--whether you're rich, po
or, young, old, or if you're strict
 oror not you are probably dreading
 long plane rides with babies and t
oddlers. Relax: it probably won't b
e as bad as you fear.
<B>How to Survive Plane Rides With K
ids: </b>

<B>1.</b> Bring plenty of snacks an
d juice boxes: it may be a long tim
e before the flight attendants can
bring food or drinks.
<B>2. </b>For bottle-feeding babies
, bring ready-made formula (small s
ize), or powdered formula and bottl
ed water.
<B>3.</b> Bring three more diapers
than you think you'll need. And zi
p-loc bags for any soiled clothes.
<B>4.</b> Bring baby-wipes even wit
h older kids, to clean up dribbles
down shirt-fronts, spills, etc.
<B>5. </b>For babies, bring several
 changes of clothes, and extra clot
hes for yourself if possible ( - th
e worst can happen).
<B>6. </b>An extra t-shirt for olde
r kids can come in handy too - see
ms to be easy to spill drinks on pl
anes.
<B>7. </b>Keep your stroller until
the last possible moment (usually r
ight until you board the plane): i
f your flight is delayed, your chil
d can sleep in the stroller. Umbre
lla strollers are handiest.
<B>8.</b> With toddlers, expect to
spend a lot of time walking your ch
ild up and down the aisles on the p
lane!
<B>9. </b>Bring along some plastic
food containers, to keep half-eaten
  or untouched meals for later -
Bring closable drink containers too
.
<B>10.</b> Take plenty of amusement
s: inexpensive novelties - in thr
ee layers of wrapping - work wonde
rs. (See list of "stuff to bring on
  trips" below.)
<B>11.</b> With tiny kids, expect
to spend pretty much every minute t
aking care of them. Forget that in-
flight movie; you can watch it when
  they're nine or older. (Sheer luxu
ry.)
<B>12. </b>If you need water or jui
ce for your small child, don't hesi
tate to walk to the kitchen area an
d nicely request it.
<B>13.</b> Don't give out your loot
  (treats, toys, etc.) too soon! Ma
ke sure to hold back enough surpris
es to last the whole trip.
<B>14.</b> To avoid ear pressure pr
oblems, have babies either nurse, o
r suck their bottles during takeoff
s and landings; small kids can suck
 on a candy or chew gum.

By land, sea or air-—planning the p
erfect family vacation will be far
easier for you if you turn to the I
nternet for ideas, travel packages
and the lowest prices available. W
hatever you do, it would be wise to
 plan and book your reservations ea
rly.