 If you are a parent, you may know that taking trips with kids requires a little extra planning; if you are a grandparent, you may be doubly familiar with this sentiment. Traveling with little ones can be a rewarding experience for everyone involved - it just takes a slightly different approach from planning adult-only travel.
Thinking ahead is key. First off, children are often scheduled in myriad activities, so even just finding the time to take a vacation can take some doing. If you’re a grandparent taking your grandchildren without their parents, you will be coordinating with the parents’ schedules; you may also need a letter of permission from the parents if you are taking your grandchild out of the country. Aside from those initial logistics, it’s a good idea to try and make the actual traveling process - the planes, trains, and automobiles part - as smooth as possible. You can apply for the TSA pre-check program to minimize your time waiting in airport security lines, select your seats to ensure that you are sitting together and in the seats you want, book nonstop flights to decrease layover times or transfers, and arrange for ground transportation ahead of time so that you have fewer logistics to think about when you arrive in a potentially unfamiliar location. Your travel agent can help you get all of these things in order. When it comes to the destination itself, plan now to make things easier later for both you and the children with whom you’re traveling. Even the most seasoned travelers can get turned around in a new place; being responsible for children at the same time can compound the stress of the situation. Booking a guide for your activities can help take some of the pressure off your shoulders. Also, building in down time and giving the kids some space (whether that’s an adjoining room or a workshop for kids) will keep everyone in better spirits. Introducing children to traveling at such a young age can be a fantastic way to give them exposure to new cultures and worldviews, while at the same time deepening the bond that you share with them. All it takes is a little planning, which is something I’d be happy to help you with. Let me know when you’re ready to begin planning your next family adventure!
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When you’re planning a trip and dreaming about all of the wonderful memories you’re going to make with your cherished loved ones, the last thing on your mind is a pandemic. No one wants to think about emergency situations before, during, or after travel, but they’re a reality that every traveler should prepare for.  The winter season brings with it many wonderful things: occasional dustings of snow (for those of us who live in the South and consider snow a novelty), the opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the clothing we’ve had in storage for the last six months, and of course, time to travel to new places. In addition to the summer months when the kids or grandchildren are out of school, winter travel between Christmas and the new year is also prime time for leisure travel. Now, we’re a little more than a week past that peak winter travel time, which means we’re in the off season for travel to Europe. For many major cities in the Old Continent, “off season” only means that there are fewer tourists, but not much less to do! If you’re thinking about taking a trip across the pond between December and March, give these winter packing tips a read before you go.  I’ll say it: travel would be much simpler if we all just spoke the same language. That would significantly cut down on language-related miscommunication and entirely eliminate the irrational fear that someone within earshot is speaking about you in a language you can’t understand. While a world with one language would probably easier, we would lose the vast cultural knowledge that is contained within our diverse tongues, and with that, we would lose a part of what makes each culture unique. Instead of wishing the differences away, why not embrace them by adding to your language repertoire? Before your next excursion to a land far away (or maybe your next stroll down the international cuisine aisle at the grocery store), be sure to take a look at the following language learning tips and tricks.  All right, you have your list of places that you absolutely must see at some point in your life. But what happens when those destinations on your bucket list are also in everyone else’s file of can’t miss locations? Should you simply not go for fear of being swept away in the throngs of people? Or can you still go and see those places on your list, even with the omnipresent tourists?  |
Author: Debra HarrisAs founder of Life’s Journey Travel, I’m deeply passionate about creating custom travel experiences that allow my clients to truly savor the journey. 
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