| There is nothing as incredible as a family vacation | | | | when you get to the airport, lead them in |
| somewhere exotic and far away. The only trouble | | | | activities that can be quietly active. Have a |
| with that is that the most exotic and far away | | | | competition for who can do the most jumping |
| locations are, well, far away! You may feel great | | | | jacks (just watch out for other passengers) or |
| once you have removed yourself from the | | | | otherwise allow them to tire themselves out. You |
| hassles of home, and the farther away they are, | | | | can keep this up on the plane, walking in the aisles |
| the better it sometimes feels, but getting there | | | | a little when the seatbelt sign is off. Do not skip |
| can be especially stressful in itself, and it is really | | | | naptime for young kids in hopes that they will |
| difficult when there are children who are going to | | | | sleep on the plane, though. Often with children, the |
| be coming along for the ride. | | | | more tired they get the harder it is for them to |
| There are ways to break up your flights when | | | | fall asleep. Then you will just have a cranky child |
| you are traveling over a single continent, with | | | | on your hands. |
| multiple stops in multiple places to make your | | | | Make sure that you have some of their favorite |
| vacation that much more varied and keep your | | | | quiet activities on hand, whether it is coloring |
| kids from losing interest or from getting bored | | | | books, toy cars (if they can play relatively quietly |
| because they are sitting for too long in one place. | | | | with them) or stories. Don't let your children carry |
| If you have kids and you are crossing an ocean | | | | these special activities on, but rather dole them |
| for your vacation, though, there are not really | | | | out over the course of the trip, giving them a |
| many convenient ways to break up your flight | | | | new thing to do each time they become bored or |
| and let your kids relax and unwind a little, as | | | | overactive with their current activity. |
| anyone who has ever traveled from the United | | | | Another great idea for keeping your small children |
| States to Australia well knows. Keeping your kids | | | | entertained is to make a point of buying them a |
| entertained for these long periods of time can be | | | | special toy like a stuffed animal, just for the trip. |
| a difficult challenge. | | | | Hopefully they will spend much time making much |
| If you are going to be on long flights with your | | | | of their new toy, and less time thinking about |
| kids, there are things that you can do to help | | | | having to sit still. |
| things run as smoothly as possible. For one thing, | | | | |