GETTING KIDS READY TO TRAVEL

You are relaxing in your apartment when a family member suddenly takes you by the hand. "It's time to go! Hurry up!" she says, hustling you into a waiting car. You drive to the airport with nothing more than the clothes on your back. You are rushed through security, then onto a waiting airplane. "Where are we going?!?" you ask, only to be told the name of a town you have never heard of. With no way to judge the passage of time the trip stretches interminably until you find yourself in a strange town, lying in an unfamiliar bed, being told to go to sleep.

Welcome to the way most young children travel.


THE TODDLER ITINERARY


We want our toddlers to know what to expect when we plan a trip. By this I mean a simple itinerary of where we are going, how we will get there and our accommodations. The speech, which we repeat daily in the week before we depart, sounds something like this:

"After we go to sleep and wake up for two more nights here at home we will take a taxi cab to the airport. We are going on an airplane to California because it is too far to drive. When we get there it will be night time. We will go to a hotel near the airport to sleep. The next day we will drive in a car to a home exchange. This is what your bedroom will look like at the home exchange. We will go to sleep there for five nights. Then we will go home on the airplane."

TODDLER ATTRACTIONS


We have found that young children are more interested in the physical environment near the home exchange. Instead of telling them about specific sites or attractions we will tour, we keep our descriptions focused on play spaces.

"The home exchange has a back yard with a swing set. It is near the ocean so we will go to the beach. There are children your age who live next door. We can see if they are home and you might be able to play with them. There is a playground across the street."

PRE-PARING PRE-READERS


Since our children are too young to read, we have found that photos of the exchange home and nearby features are invaluable in preparing for our trip. Our kids are always excited to see "their" bedroom. If the swapper doesn't mind it is very helpful to have a photo of the swap home's back yard, play equipment, or any nearby playground, duck pond, community pool, or other facility kids enjoy.


BIGGER KIDS NEED MORE INFO


Your kids are probably older than mine. At least, that's the sense I get from the many interesting comments sent in about how to prepare children for a home exchange trip.

Marilyn is a retired Early Childhood Educator. We are hoping to set up a swap with her for next summer. Here are some helpful ideas she sent (details changed to protect her privacy):

"In preparation for Ontario you could look up info about Niagara Falls and the Welland Ship Canal which allows boats to climb or descend the difference in heights between Lakes Ontario and Erie.

There is a great lookout point and canal museum with picnic area and playground I'll direct you to. The Welland Canal is one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

I remember a lovely book from when I was a child: Paddle to the Sea. It sure impressed me. It's available through Amazon.com and I'll have to get a copy for my grandkids too now that I remembered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddle_to_the_Sea

Niagara-on-the-lake and St. Catharines were end points of the Underground Railroad so this is another topic to read about."

These are great ideas for children in primary school. Doing some age-appropriate research on local attractions, and letting them pick some family excursions will help get them excited and prepared for the trip. And having all family members excited about your trip will make everyone's vacation that much more fun.


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