Tag Archives: kids and travel

Holiday Travel With Kids: Know Before You Go

If you are loading up the kids and heading to grandma’s house in New York State for the holidays, then you might want to do some quick measuring first. Not to see if your minivan can accommodate all the extra gifts you are hauling. Rather, state troopers want you to use your measuring tape on your kids. The New York State DMV recently expanded its child restraint law to include all children under the age of eight. Meaning, kids less than eight years old must be restrained in a child carseat or booster seat while riding on state roads. The … Continue reading →

Entire Family Gets Kicked Off Plane—What would you do?

Imagine spending thousands of dollars to fly yourself, your pregnant sister and your four young children from Detroit to Seattle, but instead of getting to your final destination without incident you end up at a police station in Phoenix and details of your horrific encounter are splashed in newspapers from coast to coast. Hard to fathom, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Wendy Slaughter just a few short weeks ago. Slaughter, her four young children, and her expectant sister were traveling on a Southwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Seattle and had gotten as far as the Phoenix Sky … Continue reading →

10-Year-Old Boy Talks His Way Onto Flight

It appears as though he has a promising career as a used car salesman, but he’ll have to get out of juvenile detention first. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen the security tapes myself. After all, with all the post 9/11 security measures in place at airports around the world it would seem next to impossible for anyone to get onto an airplane without a boarding pass… right? Apparently, not if you are 10-year-old Semaj Booker. According to police, the Seattle boy successfully talked his way onto not one, but two flights last year and a few … Continue reading →

Kid-Friendly Hotels Getting Friendlier

Toys and goldfish delivered to your room, goodie bags at check-in, kid suites, and baby sitting services—now that’s my kind of hotel. Hotel chains such as Embassy Suites and Omni, which consistently rate well with business travelers, are stepping up efforts to please pint-sized guests–just in time for the busy summer travel season. In fact, Embassy Suites (which is a Hilton-owned chain) recently launched a children-only website — embassykids.com — where kids can build their own online drinks and omelets and print out packing lists and coloring sheets. Meanwhile, Omni Hotels has started giving out free backpacks with small toys … Continue reading →

Back-To-School Road Rules

Today our 5-year-old neighbor completed his first day of school. He’s been waiting for this day since the middle of summer. Each day since his mom bought him his new backpack (more than two weeks ago) he has come over to remind my 3-year-old daughter that he is “going to school to make a lot of new friends.” So today when I saw him standing outside posing for pictures by his mailbox wearing his brand new backpack I couldn’t resist grabbing my daughter and walking over to wish him well on his big day. Turns out we ended up walking … Continue reading →

In Flight Diaper Changing Etiquette

No mother takes pleasure from having to change a messy (not to mention smelly) diaper on board a crowded flight filled with strangers. But, believe me the alternative would be much more unpleasant. Imagine having to deal with a putrid smelling odor and the uncontrollable wails of a 10-month-old. Talk about flying the unfriendly skies. A travel forum I frequent recently took aim at parents who change their child’s diapers on airplane seat cushions and tray tables. (By the way, who changes a child’s diaper on a tray table? My 3-year-old’s Cabbage Patch Preemie doll barely fits on tray table. … Continue reading →

More Fallout From The Benadryl Flight Attendant Saga

In a previous blog I wrote about the incident involving a mom, her chatty tot, and a frustrated flight attendant who suggested that the mother use Benadryl to quiet her talkative toddler before a flight. The widely publicized event ended with the mother and her child getting booted from the flight. In the days since the incident irate parents from around the world have sounded off about the Continental ExpressJet flight attendant and the audacity she had to recommend sedating the chatty child. But, they weren’t the only ones. A number of doctors also went public with their thoughts about … Continue reading →

Educational Vacation Destinations

The school year may be over, but the learning shouldn’t stop… sound familiar? My dad used to use that line on me as a kid. It was his way of trying to convince me (and my brothers) that our summer days would be better spent at the museum rather than at the local pool. In previous blogs I have offered many suggestions for summer vacation destinations, though I will sheepishly admit many of them fall under the amusement park/water park category. That said the following more-educationally-friendly destinations (my dad would be so proud) are ones you may want to add … Continue reading →

Planning Your Vacation Via The Internet

When was the last time you stepped foot into a travel agency? With the dawn of the Internet and the tens of thousands of travel resources available online, travel agents seem to be a dying breed. My aunt retired from the travel industry last year after spending more than 20 years as a travel agent. She was, by all accounts, the only person anyone in my family dealt with when it came to booking a trip. Now she’s spending her days on the golf course and we have all begun turning to the Internet to secure our travel plans. Now … Continue reading →

Even More Tips To Remember When You Travel With Kids

So you decided to brave the crowds and hit the highways, skies and rails this holiday weekend? With the price of gas edging ever so close to the $4 mark around here, my family has decided to sit this Memorial Day weekend out. Yes, we are one of the millions of Americans who will be spending the holiday attending festivals close to home. Which means I will not be planning, packing, driving, flying, or sailing with an overtired 3-year-old in tow (like I did two months ago). However, for all of you brave souls who will be heading out on … Continue reading →