I heard this on NPR the other morning on the way in to work. A reporter was interviewing a group of people in St. Louis and one of them said this:
"Rosa sat so Martin could walkAmen.
Martin walked so Obama could run
Obama is running so our children can fly"
The following email came to me while I was at work the other day. It was from Tinsley. To put it in context, I should say that we've been contemplating getting a dog. It's been almost three years since Wookie died and we feel like it may be time to fill her shoes, so to speak.
It just occurred why I need us to have a dog.Amen.
I have wondered much why I would want an additional source of chaos, feces, noise,
debris, etc... because that really does not make sense. However,
I just put both our kids down for an enforced nap at 11:30. They both totally hate me right now
and are drowsily plotting their next move. I can hear one of them rustling ominously this very moment.
But a dog NEVER does that. Not even terriers. (Cats might.)
A dog's only agenda is love, and maybe stick. And food, but let's face it, compared to being shrieked
at over peanut butter & jelly vs. peanut butter & honey, dogs culinary needs are pretty easy to handle.
Kids make you constantly aware of what a [beep] you are.
I don't even have to compare dogs to that. You know.
Selfish? Maybe.
Balm for the soul? Absolutely.
So I just had to sit here and tell you.
And they lick everything but a few veggies off the floor.
god bless dogs.
Our roving Oregon reporter, Constance Van Flandern, has updated us with the details of this year's Slug Queen Festival. At the time of her previous post, the details of the coronation hadn't been smoothed out, shall we say. The Festival begins in a little over a couple of weeks on Aug 15, but
"Don't worry if you can't make it to Eugene until after Labor Day--you'll be just in time for the new Slug Queen Art Salon opening reception at the New Zone Gallery (164 West Broadway), August 15th, 2008 at 5pm. There will be live music, art, an d activities for the kids"
There are a lot of reasons to do less damage to the environment. There are also a lot of ways to do it. Here are three ways to use less gas and support local economies at the same time. After all, the money you put into your tank doesn't really trickle down to the locals does it?
1. Drive fewer miles, spend more time in local places
Often some of the coolest things are right around the corner. The Statue of Liberty and Cape Cod National Seashore are within a day's drive of FamilyRoadtrippers HQ . Even closer to home are Mystic Seaport, Norman Rockwell's museum, and Mark Twain's house. Other people travel half way around the world to visit your corner of the globe, why not get acquainted with it yourself?
Tip: this can help the kids better understand their geographic region, and do better in school.
2. Skip the sushi, eat local favorites.
Maine Lobster, New Orleans gumbo, Cuban sandwiches in Miami, and a Philly Cheese Steak. What could be better? Omaha beef? (Yup). Not a whole lot more to say here. The Barbecue is best anywhere between North Carolina and Texas. New York City has Chinese/Cuban restaurants. New Mexico? Green Chilies! Seattle? Beer and coffee.
3. Be a Hipermiler!
These people are amazing. They get better gas mileage that you and I get from the exact same car. How do they do it? Six steps and a little patience.
How do you green your road trips?
The ongoing Family Road Trippers geographical scavenger hunt!
Find this ruin somewhere in Mississippi. A little off the beaten path, but near the Mississippi River.
As always, if you can identify this place, we'll send you a free barf bag!
I had driven through every state in the US except Hawaii, Mississippi, and Alabama. I drove a little bit of the gulf coast of Mississippi last fall, but that was it. Never really explored the state. We did it last week at the end of a roadtrip from Nashville to New Orleans and back. To avoid some nasty weather, we drove west and then north, and then east rather than driving northeast into the storm.
The eye-opening part was realizing exactly how depressed and downtrodden parts of our country are. After visiting the Windsor Ruins, we continued on into Port Gibson. This is where the eye-opening began. Port Gibson is a living ghost town. The buildings downtown are mostly deserted and decaying. Being overgrown by vines and shrubs and crumbling to the ground. This was once a proud little town, I suspect before the Civil War, but now, it’s being left behind. We bought gas at the local station and were approached (politely) for spare change in the parking lot. From here, it kept up. As we drove through rural Mississippi towns, we saw schools abandoned and overgrown. While the farm land we drove through is some of the richest in the world, downtown areas were derelict and deserted except for a tire store here and there. It was this way up to Memphis, where it continued right on up to Graceland.
It’s easy to think you know what poverty is, but even the hardest-hit towns in our state, Connecticut, are lightyears ahead of these towns in Mississippi. How did it get to be that way? In New England, when you outgrow a school, you don’t abandon it, you convert it into offices or housing, or you tear it down. Buildings don’t rot to the ground, at least not on the scale we saw in between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee.
Quite a surprising drive.
First Winner of a big Thumbs Up: Derosiers Market in Freeport, Maine. I've been getting ice cream here at Derosiers since I was about five years old. My Dad just kept stopping there. Guess what I'm doing every time I drive through Freeport?
Yup, stopping for ice cream at Derosiers.
This most recent trip, the gal scooping the scoops was smart enough to downsize the kid's scoop sizes, and nice enough to only charge us for one scoop. Because they were small scoops.
And she was a teenager! What gives?
More than 10,000 Page Visits!
Wow.
I hate these silly kinds of blog posts, but I'm sorry, I can't help it. We hit our ten thousandth page view since we started this blog, a year and a half ago.
Right now, we're averaging over a thousand visits per month. More than 1,500 last month, a little over 1,000 in March, and over 800 in both January and February.
Thanks for your interest. We've got some great stuff coming in the next few weeks: we're currently in the middle of a mini road trip and I'll begin a list of gas stations that won't let your 3 year old daughter use the bathroon (please add to out list as this is really a public service) and a super pumped up information barrage of Natchez Trace Trail info.
In the meantime, sorry for the self serving entry, but thanks for visiting.
When you pull a kid from class for a week, you disrupt the lesson plan of the teacher and slow your child 's progress. But travel can develop strong family ties and provide a richer learning environment than any cement building in a kid's home town. If you develop an educational agenda, you can make roadtrips a fun and enriching experience.We've got some repeat visitors out there in places we don't get to visit often such as California, Minnesota, and Hawaii. But more surprisingly, Australia and Iceland. Surely there are things these folks can contribute to FamilyRoadtrippers.com
How do we know this? We recently discovered Google's Analytics tool. Wow. Before a few weeks ago, we'd been relying on the counter to tell us how many page visit we get. This tool breaks it down by visitors, pages per visit, page visits, average time on site and percent new visitors. But again, there's more surprising stuff. It shows you where in the world people are visiting from, by country. And by state, and by city. For sheer page views, The USA wins hands down with 201; Canada is second with 10. But for time spent on site The Philippines smucks the rest with 7:15, for pages per visit, Russia wins at 4.0 with Iceland close behind at 3.5.
Who'd a thunk it?
Anyways, A man named James wrote in a little while ago wanting to post a trip review of a Vancouver to San Francisco roadtrip; look for it soon. James will be our second guest blogger, the first being 'escargot' form Fodor's Forums. We'd love trip reports, travel tips, or other write ups of family road trip adventures around America and the globe.
If you'd like to participate, email us at familyroadtrippers@gmail.com. Writing ability isn't much of an issue as I make my living as a magazine editor coaching non-writers to write technical articles. If plumbers, electricians and architects can do it, so can you!
Happy trails!
From Yankee Magazine recently...
Family Adventure Spots in New England
Whitewater Rafting Deerfield River, Northwestern Massachusetts>Mountain Biking Kingdom Trails, East Burke, Vermont
Sea KayakingWickford Harbor, Rhode Island
Camping Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine
Biking Province Lands, Provincetown, Massachusetts
Canoeing Umbagog Lake, New Hampshire
Stephen Jermanok, travel writer and father of two young children, reveals his favorite family adventure spots. Some of them may surprise you. Get ready for New England's best adventures in whitewater rafting and biking in Massachusetts, mountain biking in Vermont, sea kayaking in Rhode island, camping in Maine, and canoeing in New Hampshire.
From the Chicago Tribune a while back
Family travel all about 'quality time'
BY ALFRED BORCOVER Special to the Tribune November 18, 2007
It's all about QT. Kids are busy with soccer, basketball, baseball, music lessons, video games and camp, not to mention school. Parents are overburdened at work and equally busy on weekends trying to hold lives together. QT -- quality time -- with children seems to be catch-as-catch-can. And pretty soon months have rushed by without the family having fun together.That's where family travel comes in. Not just jumping in the van and sightseeing helter-skelter, kids rolling their eyeballs every time you drag them into a museum. But doing things kids want to do, having a shared adventure blended with an educational experience. Or just splashing around together at a lake or ocean beach.
Travel with children has been on a steady climb since 2000, and even more so in the last seven years. According to Washington-based Travel Industry Association figures, the number of leisure vacations with children has risen nearly 14 percent, to 208.3 million trips in 2006 from 183.1 million in 2000. Some of these trips are taken with grandparents.
"From 2001 through 2004, the primary reason [for the growth] was the residual psychological impact of 9/11," said Peter Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership, an Orlando-based travel research and marketing firm. "People became far more introspective. Money, which was the focus of the late 1990s, was no longer all important. All-important was quality time with loved ones, a sense of parental guilt.
"Yesawich continued: "We began to see another reason [for family travel]: work habits that have become increasingly frenetic. The workday has gotten longer because of technology -- cell phones, PDAs and ceaseless e-mails. If you look at households where you have mom, dad and kids, 60 percent of those are where mom and dad are both working full time."
Yesawich said a pressure-cooker basically has evolved because mom and dad are struggling to keep up with their work obligations, "which means they feel guilty they don't have time to spend with their kids, which in turn translates into the conclusion, 'well, when we get three or four days to take a vacation, the kids are coming along.'"About those vacations. Yesawich said the No. 1 family getaway involves visiting friends and relatives. Beyond that, he said, priorities include anything that has to do with water -- beach and lake vacations and water parks, followed by theme parks and cruises, increasingly popular with families.
About 80 percent of vacationers in the U.S. take at least one trip a year by car, especially true for families who are cost conscious. Only half of vacationers fly. When you're traveling with kids, you look for the best deals, he said.
But what's truly essential when planning a family vacation is involving the kids. What you don't want are bored children and constant kvetching. When Yesawich conducted his annual National Leisure Monitor survey in January, sampling 1,882 leisure travelers, he found that kids play a significant role in determining where the vacations will be taken, where the family will stay and what they're going to do. "Kids go online and help plan vacations," Yesawich said. "
Kids save part of their allowance to participate in vacations. They are invested emotionally in the trip. One out of every two decisions is influenced by children, which is quite remarkable."For families looking for special shared-experience vacations, package vacations are growing as quickly as the whole travel-with-children boom. While growing, tours and family adventure packages are a "very thin slice" of the family travel market, Yesawich noted. Overwhelmingly, people are packing up the family car for their trips, he said."
Over the last three years alone, the family travel end of our business is up 30 to 40 percent," said Dan Austin, director of Austin-Lehman Adventures, an outdoors adventure-oriented tour operator based in Billings, Mont. "It makes up about 50 to 55 percent of our business." Austin-Lehman's family tour packages focus on the Pacific Coast and Northwest, California, the Rocky Mountains and the Southwestern U.S. A few go to Central and South America, and one to Africa. All have physical components such as biking, hiking, kayaking and rafting as well as cultural activities."It's a way for families to maximize what little time they have," Austin said. "
Whether it be with us or whomever, a package tour, where you've got experts who have vetted the places to stay, the proper trails and routes so you're not taking a lot of misdirections, is going to give you the most bang for your buck."As for kids, Austin said, they're in the outdoors and experiencing new things. "We wear them out a little bit. They may go for four or five days before they realize the place their staying doesn't have TV." (www.austinlehman.com; 800-575-1540)
Paula Weissman, a 44-year-old stay-at-home mom from Long Grove, said she found Austin-Lehman on the Internet while searching for family vacation ideas when her children -- now 15, 13 and 11 -- were too young for such adventure trips. When the time was ripe, Weissman and her husband, Ken, now 47, a businessman, took their kids, who love the outdoors, to Yellowstone. "It integrated physical activity, a diverse itinerary with seeing, learning and doing. We didn't know what to expect. We were exhausted at the end of each day." Undaunted, the following year they went to Alaska and then the Canadian Rockies, trips etched in their family memories.Tauck, a tour company since 1925 and most notably for seniors, jumped into the family travel pool in 2002 with six offerings, said Joanne Gardner, marketing manager for Tauck Bridges, its family brand. The family market has been growing by 15 percent a year, she noted. Starting in 2008, the Norwalk, Conn.-based firm will add four more programs, bringing its portfolio to 13 all-inclusive multigenerational packages on four continents. ( http://www.tauck.com ; 800-788-7885.)
At the high end of the family market is Oak Brook-based Abercrombie & Kent. "We've seen a 22 percent increase in the number of families traveling with us in 2007 compared to 2006," said George Morgan-Granville, president of A&K in the U.S. Its biggest increases have been to the Galapagos and Egypt. But its newest 2008 tour, especially hot for kids, is the Lewis & Clark Montana Adventure, which includes a night in a canvas tepee, and canoeing and hiking in the White Cliffs region with a local Blackfeet historian and guide. ( http://www.abercrombiekent.com ; 800-652-8607.)
Butterfield & Robinson (www.butterfield.com; 866-551-9090), best known for its bicycle tours, and Country Walkers (www.countrywalkers.com; 800-464-9255) now offer a wide variety of family trips geared for children -- with their parents or grandparents, of course.
There's a cool guide to pet-friendly travel guide at the Boston Globe's web site, here. Places to roam with Rover, dog-friendly parks in Boston, pet-friendly lodging, pet-friendly attractions, dog parks and trails, and Boston kennels.
Also, a photo gallery of travel pals.
In the yard of this really awesome place in West Hartford called the children's museum, I saw and went inside a hollow concrete whale that said facts about its self. But every time I went inside, it fell silent.Sounds like a good time.
Inside the museum there was a room called turtle town. And no wonder! There were turtles everywhere! Turtles! Turtles! Turtles! there were big turtles, little turtles, snapping turtles, box turtles, tortoises, every one you could think of! Eventually we had to leave turtle town.
In the next room, I almost fell down -- practically every thing was made of LEGOS! Boy did I have a fun time in there! But, sadly, we had to leave; my annoying sister convinced us to go back to turtle town.
After that, I got to pet a snake with really scaly skin. I didn't miss my turn! Later on there was this really awesome thing where I saw a scorpion underneath an ultraviolet light. (It looked white.)
After a while something even cooler came to my eyes. I actually saw a fake dinosaur that moved and roared! The last room was the gift shop. I bought a little lizard, a “grabit”, and a rock called snakeskin. They were all awesome! I sighed.
On the way home I had quite some fun thinking about all of the fun stuff I did at the museum. It was really fun, and I wish I could go there again.
Hot deals off the Fodor's TravelWire
5 Budget-Friendly Hotels in NYC
Finding a budget hotel in New York City isn't easy, but it's not impossible.
Here are five comfortable ones, centrally located and chock full of personality. 
Hotel 41.
Bamboo in the window beckons guests to the warmly lit lobby of the Hotel 41. This stylish hotel is not meant for family visits; rooms are tiny. Most standard rooms face a brick wall, but if you can get past the size and not-so-thrilling views, it's a cozy place to stay, with a bed showing off crisp linens and a TV hanging above the closet. Bathrooms are elegant, with half-glass showers, original tile on the floor, and Aveda amenties. Downstairs, Bar 41 is a dark sports bar-like hangout with rock music loudly playing. Find serenity in the intimate back room wine cellar. Pros: DVD player in rooms; some rooms have refrigerators. Cons: Lack of queen-size beds; small rooms. 206 W. 41st St. 212/703-8600 (ph.). 212/302-0895 (fax). www.hotel41nyc.com. 47 rooms. In-room facilities: safe, refrigerator (some), DVD, ethernet. In-hotel facilities: restaurant, room service, bar, concierge, laundry, parking (fee) no-smoking rooms. AE, MC, V. Rates start at $249.
Millennium UN Plaza Hotel New York.
For those who relish the idea of rubbing elbows with diplomats, you can't get much closer to the United Nations than the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel New York. Ask to stay in the newer East Tower, where you'll find modern earth-toned rooms (some with flat-screen TVs) and bathrooms stocked with Gilchrist & Soames amenities. West Tower rooms, while laden with tired furnishings, are good for extended visits because of their full kitchens. Squeezing in time to play at this hotel is easy. Guests can take a dip in the indoor pool and test their backhand on the indoor tennis court. Pros: rooms on the 28th floor offer terrific views; massage and sauna facilities available. Cons: no free Internet; no complimentary breakfast. One United Nations Plaza. 212/758-1234 (ph.). 212/702-5051 (fax). www.millenniumhotels.com. 87 rooms. In-room facilities: safe, kitchen (some), ethernet. In-hotel facilities: bar, no-smoking rooms, room service, tennis court, concierge, restaurant, pool, parking (fee), laundry service, gym. minibars. Rooms start at $229.
La Quinta Inn.
Smack in the middle of Koreatown and close to Penn Station, this friendly hotel in a beautiful old Beaux Arts building may be one of the best deals in town. Never mind the drab green and burgundy décor when your room features treats like free Wi-Fi, an iPod plug-in, and a bathtub. In the mornings, the free continental breakfast goes beyond the usual fare, with granola and oatmeal. Perhaps the best part about staying here is access to Mé Bar. In the evenings, both guests and locals head up to this year-round mellow rooftop bar for a cocktail in the shadow of the Empire State Building. Pros: self check-in machines; gift shop on the premises for necessities. Cons: no room service; no frills. 17 W. 32nd St. 212/736-1600 (ph.). 212/563-4007 (fax). www.lq.com. 182 rooms. In-room facilities: safe, Wi-Fi (no fee). In-hotel facilities: bar, gym, laundry, public Wi-Fi, parking (fee), no-smoking rooms. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Rooms start at $109.
Casablanca Hotel.
When entering the hushed Casablanca, it's hard to believe you're a stone's throw from all the Times Square hoopla. Like something out of its namesake film, a sultry Mediterranean feel permeates the Casablanca, from the mirrors in public spaces to the rooms' ceiling fans, wooden blinds, and dainty little bistro tables. Huge tiled bathrooms, many with windows, feature Baronessa Cali amenities. On the second floor, classical music plays while guests linger in the spacious, library-like Rick's Café for the complimentary breakfast buffet and wine and cheese evenings. Pros: access to the Theater District; all rooms are smoke-free. Cons: no gym (but hotel is near a New York Sports Club); heavy tourist foot traffic. 147 W. 43rd St. 212/869-1212 (ph.). 212/391-7585 (fax). www.casablancahotel.com . 48 rooms. In-room facilities: safe, refrigerator, VCR, dial-up. In-hotel facilities: bar, no-smoking rooms, room service, restaurant, parking (fee), laundry service, minibars. AE, DC, MC, V. Rooms start at $249.
Hotel Metro.
With its mirrored columns and elegant black-and-white photos in the lobby, the Hotel Metro, housed in an early-20th-century building, has a distinctive retro feel. Guests tend to hang out in the lounge, where coffee and tea are served all day, or in the adjacent library, a quiet nook with sofas and a desk. Upstairs, muted rooms with leather headboards and cushioned Art Deco chairs flaunt tall-ceiling bathrooms with Gilchrist & Soames products. In summer, the Metro Grill rooftop bar promises outstanding Empire State Building views. Pros: renovated exercise room has flat-screen TVs; iHome in rooms. Cons: no DVD players; no spa services. 45 W. 35th St. 212/947-2500 (ph.). 212/279-1310 (fax). www.hotelmetronyc.com. 179 rooms. In-room facilities: safe, Wi-Fi (no fee). In-hotel facilities: restaurant, room service, bar, business center, public Wi-Fi, no-smoking rooms. AE, DC, MC, V. Rooms start at $225.
---Alia Akkam
Recommendations from the Travel Talk Forums
(View more, add your own)
"For the intrepid rough and tumble very budget traveler, I would recommend the Hotel Marrakesh on the upper west side near Columbia University at 103rd and Broadway. It is a basic hostel but only $32!!! per night. It makes a great arrival base if you get in at midnight and don't feel like spending $300 for a few hours of sleep." - recommended by ncounty
"I stayed at Quality Inn in Long Island City (Queens). It was cheap, pretty new and it is only 2 stops on the subway to Manhattan." - recommended by gard
"I'd add Stay the Night and the Park South." - recommended by NWWanderer
"Another Apple Core property, La Quinta's neighbor, the Red Roof Inn, should be on any list of NYC hotels for budget-minded travelers; it's newly refurbished, with about the same amenities and prices as La Quinta." - recommended by Anonymous
"My husband and daughter stayed the Bedford Hotel last March and got a good room, excellent service and a great rate. My husband and I stayed at the La Quinta about 5 years ago and it was a great choice for us. Small room, but quiet and they had a nice breakfast buffet. Plus it was in a great location for easy sightseeing." - recommended by longhorn55
To learn more about hotels in New York, check out the lodging section of Fodor's New York City 2008.
Excerped from Fodor's Travel Wire
An Insider's Guide to NYC
Tired of Broadway shows and the annual trek to the Met? Try one of these activities on for size on your next trip to the Big Apple.
Indulge: Get your Grom on
Turin-based gelato importer Grom opened this summer on the Upper West Side to high-decibel hype, small $5 servings, and hour-long waits. Five months on, the small cups are still pricey but the lines have shortened. Judge for yourself whether the full-fat milk, organic eggs, and artisanal flavors like pistachio, grapefruit, or lemon are worth the hype. The store's slogan, "Il Gelato Come Una Volta" (roughly translated as "Ice Cream as It Once Was"), proclaims its commitment to old-fashioned scoops. Warning: many a visit to the gelateria have turned into full-fledged Grom-a-thons.
Eat: Dine like a local
Walk beyond the blaring neon lights of Times Square and the pulsing crowds at Grand Central to find the restaurants where real New Yorkers dine. You can start by making a beeline for 50th Street's Toloache, (photo, right) a bustling new Mexican brasserie that has local foodies talking. Don't miss the chipotle-accented guacamole, the Negro Modelo-braised brisket tacos, or beef short ribs braised in pomegranate sauce.
If you're looking for a great meal around Grand Central Terminal, skip the restaurants in the station and head down the street to Benjamin Steakhouse, just a block south inside the Dylan Hotel. In this stylish space, outfitted with dark wood paneling, leather banquettes and cream accents, you can treat yourself to dry-aged prime cuts that arrive still sizzling, incredible "cream-free" creamed spinach, and extravagant seafood platters. Not in the mood for a big meal? Take it easy with a martini or a glass of Malbec in front of the crackling fire.
Rather than trying top zoom straight through from Portland to Acadia -- and miss some of the best parts of coastal Maine -- slow down, spend a night in Camden or Belfast.
Belfast is a nice little city in mid-coast Maine. Belfast is a whole lot less crowded in the summer, and it's closer to Acadia. One good place to stay, with a view of Penobscot Bay from every room, is the Comfort Inn, just over the bridge over Passagassawaukeg River on Rt 1.
The inn has an indoor pool, a "continental breakfast" and allows dogs for a mere $10 extra. They have suites, king rooms with kitchenettes, and regular rooms.
And there's a great little Thai restaurant across the street.
Here's a user-generated map of things to do in New Hampshire from Yankee Magazine's web site.
A pertinent news release from the University of Michigan:
Planning for Health Emergencies Eases Stress of Family TravelWhile family vacations can be fun, they can become extremely stressful if there are unexpected health problems, experts say.
Parents need to include preparations for possible health troubles in their holiday planning, says Dr. Stephen Park, an assistant professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
"We, as parents, pay a lot of attention to things like packing toys and packing clothes, but sometimes we don't pay as much attention to preparing for potential or anticipated health issues," Park said in a prepared statement.
He offered a number of health-related travel tips.
First, create a travel health kit that includes medicines that are regularly taken by members of the family, as well as medicines for sudden ailments, such as congestion or a rash. He recommended packing a fever reducer, an antihistamine, bandages and a topical antibiotic ointment, but advised against including an anti-diarrhea medicine for traveler's diarrhea. It's better to consult with your doctor to learn about antibiotics that treat bacterial infections that can cause diarrhea.
Parents also should consider specific features of the family's vacation, such as the destination's climate. For example, bring plenty of sunscreen for sunny locales, as well as aloe vera to relieve sunburn pain. If you plan to spend a lot of time outdoors, bring insect repellent, mosquito netting and poison ivy treatments.
Think about potential issues related to your mode of transportation. For example, air travel can cause ear pain. Feeding a small child during take-off and landing to generate a suck-and-swallow motion can help ease ear pain, while older children can get relief by chewing gum or blowing bubbles. If a child is prone to motion sickness, don't sit in the middle of the plane over the wings.
If you're traveling by car, you can help prevent motion sickness by discouraging your children from reading in the car or looking down. If they start to feel ill, they should focus their eyes on a point in front of them, Park said.
When booking accommodations, parents should research the location of the closest urgent care center, night-time care center and emergency room. Be sure to bring the phone number of your doctor, so you can call to get answers to medical questions.
Park also noted that traveling throws off normal routines, which can cause children to become grumpy and difficult.
"One of the biggest concerns of parents when they are traveling with children is not so much about health but about behavior. Parents need to relax as much as possible and plan ahead. Anticipate that children may be a little off while traveling, so be patient with routines," Park said.
More information
The Nemours Foundation has more about staying healthy while your travel.
A desk, a bedspread, and a willingness to improvise goes a looooong way.
One way to make kids happy in a hotel room while on a road trip is to let them jump on the bed. One way to get them to stop jumping on the bed, is to make a fort. Many hotel rooms have large enough desks to simple drape the bed spread over it for a fast fort with plenty of room for sleeping. On a recent trip we checked in to a room with a small desk. Tom wouldn't be able to fit sleeping under and parallel to the desk, he would have to sleep perpendicular to it. And that's not much of an adventure for a seven year old.
The solution? Add a chair. We tucked the bedspread behind the desk (against the wall), and stretched it out to drape it over a chair at the far end. There was still enough room between the bed and the chair to walk by, and with a suitcase acting as ballast, the chair is unlikely to tip over.
Tip: bring an LED headlamp for nightime reading.
Maybe the best pit stop in mid-coast Maine. Nay, the Best. Pit stop. in Mid-coast Maine.
Most of the way through an eight hour drive to Belfast, ME we stopped for dinner. Where you get off I-95 for Rt. 1 is Topsam, ME. A little over a mile from the exit is The Seadog -- a comfortable kid-friendly brewpub restaurant offering many yummy local brews, yummy burgers, yummy fish and chips and dining on the deck next to the Androscoggin River.
When we go there, which is oftener and oftener, I typically get a burger. Because I like a burger and a beer. But Tinsley always opts for the Tuna steak sandwich because it's on the menu. And she would feel foolish ordering a burger when she could have the tuna steak sandwich with radish sprouts and wasabi mayo. She likes it as rare as possible so that it's almost a sushi sandwich. Usually she's delighted with the sandwich. This time she said "Absolutely, the Best. Sandwich. Ever."
But what do you really think, Tinsley?
Fresh off the Fodor's Travel Wire, some stuff that's already on our list, but a bunch (of not really kid-stuff) that's not.
Washington, D.C. is the center of everything political in the U.S., and as such has never been short on intrigue and scandal. But beyond all the shenanigans you'll find a rare city, one that balances truly rich history and culture within a dynamic and ever-changing urban setting. Indeed, where else can you see a Gutenberg Bible, visit a spy museum, eat Ethiopian cuisine, view a Degas painting, and see a tarantula feeding all in one day? Here's a list of our favorite things to do in D.C. What do you recommend?
On the Mall
1. See the original Spirit of St. Louis airplane that Charles Lindbergh flew from New York to Paris in 1927, and then learn how things fly at the National Air and Space Museum.
2. Watch films of flying saucers at the National Archives. (The films were used in Congressional hearings in the 1950s when people we're convinced that aliens had invaded the country.)
3. Gross out your friends at the Natural History Museum's Insect Zoo. Note: Tarantula feedings are Tuesday through Friday at 10:30, 11:30, and 1:30.
4. Twirl around the ice-skating rink in the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden.
5. View astonishing wooden masks at the National Museum of African Art.
6. Taste North, South, and Central American cuisine at the National Museum of the American Indian's Mitsitam Café.
7. Check out the sometimes offbeat portraits of 20th-century Americans (Warhol's Marilyn Monroe prints, a Time magazine cover of Madonna) on the third floor of the National Portrait Gallery.
8. Pose next to sculptures by Rodin and Henry Moore in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden and then venture inside to see one of the world's great collections of modern art.
9. Learn how to make money -- literally -- at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where paper money has been printed since 1914.
10. Follow the lives of those who lived and died in Nazi Germany at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Around Town
11. See giant pandas, elephants, and lions (and sloth bears and giant salamanders) at the National Zoo.
12. Top everything and anything with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, a U Street institution since 1958.
13. You have to plan weeks or months in advance, and you're only allowed into eight of the 132 rooms, but there's no denying the kick of touring the White House, if for no other reason than to fantasize about what you might do differently with the Green Room.
14. Watch congressmen and women debate, insult, and wrangle their way through the job of making laws in the Capitol's House and Senate chambers (check out www.senate.gov for info on free passes and how to set up a visit).
15. Pick up organic fruit and eclectic local crafts at the Eastern Market. (The main building suffered a fire in 2007, but visitors can still pick up fresh produce, flowers and crafts at the market's outdoor section.)
16. Order a pint and listen in as Congressional staffers gripe about their famous bosses at the Hawk & Dove, the quintessential D.C. bar.
17. Take a break from debate to contemplate the Gutenberg Bible, the lavishly sculpted Great Hall, and the splendor of the gilded Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress.
18. Indulge your inner James Bond with a look at 007's Aston Martin from Goldfinger, along with more serious toys used by the CIA, FBI, and KGB at the International Spy Museum.
19. Complete your Jackie O look at Nana, a D.C. favorite for its stock of new and vintage women's clothes, handmade jewelry, and cool handbags.
20. Take in the scene at Dupont Circle, where artists, power-lunchers, chess players, and Olympic-caliber bike messengers abound.
21. Scope out the art scene on the first Friday of every month, when Dupont Circle's art spaces are open late and score complimentary wine as a bonus.
22. Eat with your hands at Etete (1942 9th St. NW), the best of the city's Ethiopian restaurants.
23. View the heavens through one of the world's most powerful telescopes at the U.S. Naval Observatory.
24. Wrinkle your nose at the Corpse Flower, explore the jungle, gawk at the orchids, or stroll the paths at the new National Garden at the United States Botanic Garden.
25. Celebrate happy hour like a local on Capitol Hill at the stylish Lounge 201 (201 Massachusetts Ave.), where you can sip a half-price Martini on Tuesdays. Or grab a beer and half-price nachos until 6:30 at Bullfeathers (410 1st St. SE).
Stop in for a picnic lunch and explore the museum, craft room, and more than two miles of nature trails through the Dinosaur Park State Arboretum.
In
Five hundred footprints is nothing to sneeze at
The footprints were discovered in 1966 when excavators were digging out to set a foundation for a new state building. The workers found 2,000 footprints (500 of them are on display under the dome, the rest are buried for preservation). The tracks were laid down 200 million years ago.
Did dinosaurs eat walnuts?
In the early dinosaur days, most of the plants we see today were already established: conifers (cone-bearing), ferns, horsetails and ginkos. Missing were the flowering plants, whose pollen first appears in the fossil record about 140 million years ago, and who were prolific by 90 million years ago. The same
Cost: $5 for adults, $2 for kids ages 6-12, free for kids under 6.
Open daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Trails close at 4 p.m.
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