The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel
The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel
Thinking about planning a family vacation? Need a few
suggestions? Look no further than Emily Kaufman's book; The
Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel: Planning,
Surviving, And Enjoying Your Vacation Together where you'll find
helpful tips and family-friendly destinations.
"Family vacations are the source of some of our most cherished
family memories. From the first camping trip, to the first visit
to Disney World, to a magical return to a favorite beach resort,
vacations spent with our kids present us with special time
together when our normal routines don't hamper or distract us,"
says Emily Kaufman, aka "The Travel Mom" and travel contributor
for ABC-TV's Good Morning America.
What makes a great family vacation?
Spending it without those you love. When thinking about our next
family vacation a picture began developing in my head. Beautiful
sandy beaches, the kids laughing in the background, everything
was perfect, and then the ball dropped. Amy threw the sand
bucket at Jimmy after he crushed her sand-castle. A moment later
Dad calls for reinforcement. Frustrated and tired, the kids
bicker all the way back to the hotel. Sound familiar? Once I
shook off the chills I picked up Emily Kaufman's new book; The
Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel: Planning,
Surviving, And Enjoying Your Vacation Together. With just a
little hope I found a quiet corner of the house and settled down
with a cup of tea to read. While reading I noticed how time "The
Travel Mom," Kaufman dedicated to searching for fun, affordable
destinations that make family vacation enjoyable. Within just a
few pages I felt some of the dread slipping away as I read her
fresh ideas and suggestions.
A Vacation Planning Work Sheet? Emily Kaufman makes a great
suggestion in her new book The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of
Family Travel; create a vacation work sheet. I thought this
would certainly be more fun than making boring list of chores
and groceries. Here are a few of Emily's suggestions to consider
when making your list: 1. What is your travel mood: energetic,
quiet, or a mix of the two? 2. Do you want to visit a warm or
cold climate, or does it matter? 3. Do you and your family enjoy
doing a lot of activities, such as sightseeing or touring? Or do
you want to spend time primarily resting? 4. Do you and your
family enjoy the outdoors, or do you prefer full amenities? 5.
Do you already know your dates of travel? 6. How old are your
kids, and do their ages preclude some trips? 7. Do you want to
stay in a hotel, small inn, or bed-and-breakfast, or do you want
to rent a condo or house? Reading through The Travel Mom's
Ultimate Book Of Family Travel you'll find easy to understand
steps to help you figure a budget, (Always helpful) select a
destination, suggestions about accommodations, and decide on the
best mode of transportation. The numerous lists of destinations
(winter travel trips to beach vacations) and excursions (kayak
adventures to hiking) are very helpful. They're also great for
coming up with new ideas for vacation one may not have
considered before.
Kaufman emphasizing the importance of the planning, "we like to
think that a good vacation is one that just happens,
miraculously and serendipitously. We tend to imagine that
planning might actually take away from the relaxing break from
routine that vacation is supposed to represent. Nothing could be
further from the truth." With tips like packing a "boredom bag"
with snacks and games for long car rides or bringing a carry-on
with a change of clothes for you and your kids on a flight,
Kaufman gives you invaluable advice and fresh ideas to ensure an
enjoyable trip for the whole family.
The Travel Mom's Twelve Golden Moment Rules
Sometimes we need a few rules to keep us on track. Here are
Kaufman's: Don't Overschedule Leave Work at Home Take a Deep
Breath! Give Your Kids Your Presence Slow Down Take a Hot Bath
Take a Day Off Don't Overindulge! Manage Your Expectations
Respect Nature Picture This Veer Off the Beaten Path
Are You Ready To Start Planning?
The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family Travel: Planning,
Surviving, and Enjoying Your Vacation Together is a welcome
comprehensive guide which offers an abundance of fantastic
destinations and excursions, plus the tools and resources needed
to customize a vacation that suits your family's interests and
budget. As Emily says, "Let these destinations inspire you,
excite you, and lead you to the vacation of your dreams. Now
just do it! Choose it, plan it, and go for it!" is a welcome
comprehensive guide which offers an abundance of fantastic
destinations and excursions, plus the tools and resources needed
to customize a vacation that suits your family's interests and
budget. As Emily says, "Let these destinations inspire you,
excite you, and lead you to the vacation of your dreams. Now
just do it! Choose it, plan it, and go for it!"
What are you waiting for? "Choose it, plan it, and go for it!"
Visit the author's web site: http://www.thetravelmom.com to
learn more about the Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family
Travel: Planning, Surviving, and Enjoying Your Vacation
Together. It is also available at http://www.doubleday.com and
http://www.broadwaybooks.com.
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Read an excerpt from The Travel Mom Ultimate Book of Family
Travel, By Emily Kaufman....
ONE
Getting Your Kids Involved
Should you get your kids involved in the decision-making
process? That's a matter of both their age (they need to be at
least six to have a logical opinion) and you and your parenting
style. Do you typically invite your children to influence family
decisions? Do you often ask them for their input when choosing a
movie, deciding on dinner, or selecting their room color? If so,
then it makes sense that you would ask your kids for their input
on the type of vacation or its destination. On the other hand,
if you and your partner make all family decisions, then your
kids might be a bit perplexed if you suddenly ask them where
they want to spend their spring vacation.
For those of you who want to include your kids in the decision,
I will make one suggestion: Present your children with two or
three possible options. There's very good reason behind this
idea: Consider the havoc each morning at the breakfast table if
you said, "Okay, kids, what do you want to have for breakfast?"
Sally would say oatmeal, John would say pancakes, Hillary would
say eggs, and Patricia would say waffles. You not only open the
door to having to prepare four separate dishes, but you also
create chaos that is certainly avoidable. Get the picture? Just
as at mealtimes, you're in charge.
Incorporating the kids into the vacation-planning process is a
surefire way to get them excited about where they will be going.
Even more important, it may be a way to help improve their
self-esteem. Kids have little control over what happens in their
world on a day-to-day basis. So if you give them a chance to
feel as though they have some investment in family
decision-making, they come away with a greater sense of worth
and the belief that their opinion matters.
Once the location has been determined, get the kids involved in
the planning. The Internet is the perfect resource. Have your
kids visit Web sites on the destination and take a look to see
what interests them. Running a search through an engine like
Google or Yahoo using the keywords of the place you are visiting
can direct them to loads of great Web sites for fact-finding.
And they can ask friends and relatives about the destination,
too. You might want to give the kids a say about which amenities
they would like when you are determining your accommodations,
such as an arcade or a pool with a waterslide.
Consider allowing each of your kids to select one special
activity that the family will participate in. Make sure that
they understand that even if a specific activity that a sibling
selects is not their favorite, they must participate with a good
attitude, and everyone will do the same for them. If kids are
given a little input into the vacation plans, they will feel a
great sense of ownership.
You can also teach your kids some valuable lessons about budgets
when planning a vacation. Many children have no idea how much it
costs to visit a theme park or participate in other activities
when they travel. I recommend setting a daily limit on your
kids' spending and making sure they stick to it, with a firm cap
on what they can spend. Some people I know encourage their
children to earn money toward things they want to buy on
vacation, but I prefer to give them a set amount and let them
decide how to spend it. Souvenirs are included in this limit;
you may want to discuss the idea of souvenirs before the trip
begins, so you both clarify the kids' expectations (and
spending) and prepare them for these limits.
Excerpted from The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family Travel
by Emily Kaufman Copyright