Hello new friends and Mommies of all genres! Since summer holidays are in the future for many of us, I thought I ‘d focus on family vacations in my first This Mommy Gig posting.
I inherited the traveling gene from my Dad, so early on I established the “we must leave home for at least one family trip” rule. Depending on available time and money, these adventures in togetherness ranged from the obligatory pilgrimage to Disney World to a week in Cape Cod to a long weekend in Vermont (within an hour’s drive of our home). 
Other family favorites included Ottawa and Montreal, Canada; Hershey, PA; and Boston, MA.
Through trial and error, I came up with some rough and ready guidelines for maximizing enjoyment and guaranteeing survival:
• Pack quick and nutritious snacks. A hungry child is not a genial traveling companion. Some good choices are snack-sized fruit cups, yogurt, mini-bagels & peanut butter, and, our special breakfast alternative, home-made oatmeal cookies with mini-chips. Air travel is a bit more challenging: make sure to purchase some kid-friendly items in the airport food court, even if your child claims he/she doesn’t want to eat. Once you’re airborne, your choices are slim and none.
• Bring a variety of activities. Notebooks, crayons, pencils and a deck of cards don’t take up much room but can be lifesavers if batteries run out on more sophisticated toys. On a car trip, insist on some interactive time even if your vehicle has a DVD player or the kids are toting iPods or cellphones. The idea is to reconnect as a family not travel as isolated units. Do some advance planning by checking out sites like Mom’s MiniVan and Family Fun for game suggestions and downloads.
• Whenever possible, stay in a hotel/motel with an indoor swimming pool. Since we didn’t have a pool at home, this was always a big treat for our kids – plus it added an end-of-the-day calming activity.
• Know what child-friendly attractions are in the area you will be visiting. Petting zoos and children’s museums are always fun. Don’t neglect to inquire about local parks and libraries, which frequently run special programs during school vacations.
• Limit your own online time, as well as that of your children. One of the main reasons I insisted on traveling was to have uninterrupted family time. That’s more difficult now than it was 20 years ago, but not impossible. Ban or curtail connective technologies during your time away from work and school. The bonds you form, the memories you create together while your children are young, will help all of you survive some of the more difficult teen years.
I’m sure many of you Mommies out there can add to my list. What tips and tricks do you have to make family vacations more enjoyable for everyone involved?
