I must admit that I’m not a huge “Real Housewives of …” fan. Many of my friends (and probably many of you!) are, but it’s just not my cup of tea. That doesn’t stop me from taking and sharing good advice about family travel from two of the stars of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City”, Alex McCord and her husband Simon van Kempen. They are working on an urban parenting book, Little Kids, Big City: Tales from a Real House in New York City (With Lessons on Life and Love for Your Own Concrete Jungle) and (most importantly to me in regards to giving advice) they travel a lot. You can learn more about their family at the McCord van Kempen site. They actually have a great deal of advice to share, so I have broken it down into three separate posts. Below is Part I…
Picking the perfect location
The most important thing when planning a vacation is to choose a place that has plenty of activities to amuse kids but also offers a relaxing environment for parents. “Simon and I used to take Francois and Johan too once he came along, to Cannes every year, says Alex. We knew there would be countless carousels and new playgrounds for boys to explore which always kept them excited and occupied. And although it’s not for us, others swear by all-inclusive resorts.” Resorts with special inclusive programs for children can be wonderful because the programs help balance the time children spend immersed in a fun and child friendly environment with time they spend enjoying their vacation with their parents.
If one is looking to rent a house or apartment for your family, speak to a travel agent or just search a reputable Web site to find accommodations with a kitchen. Especially in these tough times, it is budget friendly to visit a local grocery store and cook meals at home instead of eating every meal at a restaurant or ordering in room service with expensive surcharges. “Renting a house or an apartment is great because it allows you to live like a local, which is an educational experience for the whole family,” says Alex.
Packing for the kids
Do not over pack. Gauge what may be available from a local grocery store or a pharmacy when you arrive at your destination so you can eliminate carrying those items in transit. Focus on the more important items to keep the children comfortable and content that may be inconvenient to find outside the States (i.e. swim diapers if you use them, prescribed medication). It is also wise to bring a carry on bag for the family in case luggage is lost. For example, if you are headed to a warm weather destination, throw some swim suits into a carry on, and other light weight clothes so that you don’t miss a day of fun while the airline searches for your luggage. In addition, if your children are on prescription medication such as Asthma inhalers, allergy medication, make sure you have these with you in-flight. With today’s travel restrictions, any liquid or aerosol medication that is larger than 3 oz. should be kept separate from other carry-on toiletries and declared to airport security. Visit http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/index.shtm for more information.
Pack one or two favorite toys to keep the children occupied while waiting at the airport and for long trips on the plane. Keep in mind that you will be carrying everything – in addition to your own luggage. “We always bring the boys’ favorite smaller toys for them to play with and we also play games in the airport or on the plane that occupy them,” says Alex. “Simon and I create a ‘surprise pack’ filled with random 99 cent store toys or knick-knacks the boys have never seen before. Depending on how long the flight is, we dip into the bag every half hour and pull out a new item! If it breaks or falls between the seats, it’s no big loss. Also, never forget the power that ‘found objects’ on the plane such as belt buckles, plastic cups, the flight map and the exit instruction card can have over youngsters. We spent a flight to Dallas creating puppet theatre with plastic cups and napkins.” If you are taking an extended vacation with the kids, you might even want to think about fed-exing items to your destination.
A mother’s natural instinct is to pack plenty of snacks and drinks while in transit for her kids. “There was a time when Simon and I traveled with packs and packs of milk and juice,” says Alex. “No matter where we went or how long the trip was, we always came home with extra and wished we hadn’t taken as much as we did. As we became more adept at traveling with the boys, we reduced the supply of snacks and drinks we packed and purchased them as needed.”
(Check back on Friday 7/31 and 8/7 for Parts 11 and 111.)