WAITSFIELD, VERMONT…
Long before the Griswolds and the “Vacation” trilogy of movies, the family trip had a certain painful nostalgia for people that could only be appreciated many years later—usually when they had their own families and attempted trips of their own. Resort Maps, creator of customized travel maps in more than 90 cities and towns across the U.S. and U.K. has some family travel tips that can help you optimize the pleasure of family trips and minimize the inconvenience.
“In a perfect world, every family trip goes smoothly and years later your memories center on where you went—Disneyworld or the Grand Canyon—rather than little Joey getting sick on the plane or on his sister in the car. But we all know the world is not perfect,” said Peter Hans, president of Resort Maps. “There are some things you can do to prepare for the mini ‘disasters’ that happen on your journey so they don’t impact the rest of your trip.”
Some of the areas to focus your pre-travel preparations include:
· Attitude – expect a few snags and glitches both in packing and getting to and from your destination. By adopting a roll-with-the-punches approach, you really can keep the molehills from becoming mountains.
· Drugs – there is never a drug store around when you need one. Keep this reality in mind when packing. Make sure to pack some travel size containers of cough syrup, cold or allergy medicines. Benadryl, in particular, is very helpful in getting sick children to rest comfortably on a flight or long car ride.
· Baby wipes – even if the kids are out of diapers, wipes come in handy for a variety of quick clean ups.
· Zip lock bags – make sure to carry a variety of sizes, which can have numerous uses. Oversized bags come in very handy for packing wet clothes.
· Night lights – do not forget them, particularly if you’re sharing a hotel room. A bad night for one of your kids means no sleep for the entire family and that certainly can impact fun activities.
· Scheduling – if you’re kids are younger, leave around the time they usually nap. This might buy you some extra quiet time for the drive. If flying, you may want to weigh the pros and cons of flying overnight. Sure, it will impact your zzz’s, but it may beat entertaining a pre-schooler for six hours on a daytime flight.
· Flying – utilize resources like SeatGuru.com to strategize where you want to sit (e.g. windows, aisles, front of the plane or back). Maybe you want to split the kids up to minimize the possibility of bickering and fights.
· Games, toys and other entertainment – ultimately, the key to traveling with children means keeping them occupied. Whether it’s playing their favorite DVD in the car, a deck of cards for the car or plane or finding some fun travel games (www.momsminivan.com has a list of 101 Car Travel Games and Road Trip Ideas for Kids), keeping your children entertained for as long as possible is the real difference maker in a good or bad trip.
“For many people, the memories of trips they took with their families last a lifetime. You’d be amazed at how a little bit of pre-planning, including having the right map of the town or city where you’ll be staying, can go a long way towards ensuring that the memories of your family trips center on the fun you had and the places and things you saw,” said Hans.
Resort Maps are colorful, hand-drawn maps of resort towns and cities. Free to area visitors, each map advertises restaurants, accommodations, retail stores, factory outlets, recreation and attractions, real estate and other local services. Each advertiser is represented with a display ad surrounding the map, including a color-coded grid locator and a building drawn, highlighted and labeled making it easy to locate. With landmarks prominently displayed, Resort Maps are an easy and fun way to find your way around town whether you are visiting, new to the area or you just want to know what’s happening around your town. And kids love them so you can add Resort Maps to the list of things that will keep them entertained.
For more information on Resort Maps or to inquire about ownership of a Resort Maps franchise, please visit www.resortmaps.com or call 802-496-6277.
About Resort Maps
Headquartered in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Resort Maps has been creating and publishing advertising maps in the northeastern U.S. since 1986. In 1993, Resort Maps expanded its reach by creating a franchise model for distribution of its colorful, hand-drawn maps of resort towns and cities. Today, that network of franchises grown to nearly 90 Resort Maps in publication in the US and the UK, with several more in the process of being published. Nearly 20 million Resort Maps will be printed and distributed in 2009.
For more information on Resort Maps the company and/or the franchise opportunity, visit www.resortmaps.com or call 802-496-6277.
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