Traveling with Tots: A Survival Guide

Another article that backs up what we've said for a long time now: skip the dvd player, remain flexible, and lower your expectations. For more tips, read out 10 Tips for Road Tripping with Kids

This one is from Kiplinger's :

Traveling With Tots: A Survival Guide
Whether flying or driving with a young one, a little preparation can go a long way toward saving you money -- and keeping your cool.

About 300 miles into an 800-mile road trip to Florida this summer, I decided to tell my 3-year-old daughter -- in a daze from watching hours of Dora the Explorer -- it was time to turn off the DVD and try to sleep. That's when the meltdown began.

It was 11 p.m., we'd been in the car seven hours (thanks to unexpected traffic jams and numerous pit stops) and we still had about 100 miles to go to the town where we had reserved a hotel room.

But the 3-year-old's crying woke up the 1-year-old, and there was no choice but to stop. We drove from hotel to hotel until we finally found one with a vacant room -- a honeymoon suite with a king-size bed. On the bright side, the in-room hot tub and glow-in-the-dark planets on the ceiling were a big hit with my toddler.

Maybe you've been there, too -- not the cheesy hotel, but in a car or plane with small children, clinging to the last threads of your sanity. And you shudder at the thought of going through it again this holiday travel season. Or maybe you're planning to travel with baby for the first time this year and you're lying awake at night in terror at the thought.

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