The Travel Moms Ultimate Book Of Family Travel

The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel Thinking about planning a family vacation? Need a few suggestions? Look no further than Emily Kaufman's book; The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel: Planning, Surviving, And Enjoying Your Vacation Together where you'll find helpful tips and family-friendly destinations. "Family vacations are the source of some of our most cherished family memories. From the first camping trip, to the first visit to Disney World, to a magical return to a favorite beach resort, vacations spent with our kids present us with special time together when our normal routines don't hamper or distract us," says Emily Kaufman, aka "The Travel Mom" and travel contributor for ABC-TV's Good Morning America.

What makes a great family vacation? Spending it without those you love. When thinking about our next family vacation a picture began developing in my head. Beautiful sandy beaches, the kids laughing in the background, everything was perfect, and then the ball dropped. Amy threw the sand bucket at Jimmy after he crushed her sand-castle. A moment later Dad calls for reinforcement. Frustrated and tired, the kids bicker all the way back to the hotel.

Sound familiar? Once I shook off the chills I picked up Emily Kaufman's new book; The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel: Planning, Surviving, And Enjoying Your Vacation Together. With just a little hope I found a quiet corner of the house and settled down with a cup of tea to read. While reading I noticed how time "The Travel Mom," Kaufman dedicated to searching for fun, affordable destinations that make family vacation enjoyable. Within just a few pages I felt some of the dread slipping away as I read her fresh ideas and suggestions. A Vacation Planning Work Sheet? Emily Kaufman makes a great suggestion in her new book The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel; create a vacation work sheet.

I thought this would certainly be more fun than making boring list of chores and groceries. Here are a few of Emily's suggestions to consider when making your list: 1. What is your travel mood: energetic, quiet, or a mix of the two? 2. Do you want to visit a warm or cold climate, or does it matter? 3. Do you and your family enjoy doing a lot of activities, such as sightseeing or touring? Or do you want to spend time primarily resting? 4.

Do you and your family enjoy the outdoors, or do you prefer full amenities? 5. Do you already know your dates of travel? 6. How old are your kids, and do their ages preclude some trips? 7.

Do you want to stay in a hotel, small inn, or bed-and-breakfast, or do you want to rent a condo or house? Reading through The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book Of Family Travel you'll find easy to understand steps to help you figure a budget, (Always helpful) select a destination, suggestions about accommodations, and decide on the best mode of transportation. The numerous lists of destinations (winter travel trips to beach vacations) and excursions (kayak adventures to hiking) are very helpful. They're also great for coming up with new ideas for vacation one may not have considered before. Kaufman emphasizing the importance of the planning, "we like to think that a good vacation is one that just happens, miraculously and serendipitously. We tend to imagine that planning might actually take away from the relaxing break from routine that vacation is supposed to represent. Nothing could be further from the truth.

" With tips like packing a "boredom bag" with snacks and games for long car rides or bringing a carry-on with a change of clothes for you and your kids on a flight, Kaufman gives you invaluable advice and fresh ideas to ensure an enjoyable trip for the whole family. The Travel Mom's Twelve Golden Moment Rules Sometimes we need a few rules to keep us on track. Here are Kaufman's: Don't Overschedule Leave Work at Home Take a Deep Breath! Give Your Kids Your Presence Slow Down Take a Hot Bath Take a Day Off Don't Overindulge! Manage Your Expectations Respect Nature Picture This Veer Off the Beaten Path Are You Ready To Start Planning? The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family Travel: Planning, Surviving, and Enjoying Your Vacation Together is a welcome comprehensive guide which offers an abundance of fantastic destinations and excursions, plus the tools and resources needed to customize a vacation that suits your family's interests and budget. As Emily says, "Let these destinations inspire you, excite you, and lead you to the vacation of your dreams. Now just do it! Choose it, plan it, and go for it!" is a welcome comprehensive guide which offers an abundance of fantastic destinations and excursions, plus the tools and resources needed to customize a vacation that suits your family's interests and budget. As Emily says, "Let these destinations inspire you, excite you, and lead you to the vacation of your dreams.

Now just do it! Choose it, plan it, and go for it!" What are you waiting for? "Choose it, plan it, and go for it!" Visit the author's web site: http://www.thetravelmom.com to learn more about the Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family Travel: Planning, Surviving, and Enjoying Your Vacation Together. It is also available at http://www.doubleday.

com and http://www.broadwaybooks.com. Presented By USA Travel Magazine Explore America's Backyard, and discover thrilling helicopter tours in Hawaii, bed and breakfast, spas, antique collectibles, fishing, hunting, whitewater rafting, roller coasters, concerts, poker games, national parks, civil war battle reenactments, the carnivorous Venus fly trap, and many more unique travel destinations and attractions. Visit us online at http://www.usatravelmagazine.

com or by mobile at: http://www.usatmm.com. Read an excerpt from The Travel Mom Ultimate Book of Family Travel, By Emily Kaufman.

ONE Getting Your Kids Involved Should you get your kids involved in the decision-making process? That's a matter of both their age (they need to be at least six to have a logical opinion) and you and your parenting style. Do you typically invite your children to influence family decisions? Do you often ask them for their input when choosing a movie, deciding on dinner, or selecting their room color? If so, then it makes sense that you would ask your kids for their input on the type of vacation or its destination. On the other hand, if you and your partner make all family decisions, then your kids might be a bit perplexed if you suddenly ask them where they want to spend their spring vacation. For those of you who want to include your kids in the decision, I will make one suggestion: Present your children with two or three possible options. There's very good reason behind this idea: Consider the havoc each morning at the breakfast table if you said, "Okay, kids, what do you want to have for breakfast?" Sally would say oatmeal, John would say pancakes, Hillary would say eggs, and Patricia would say waffles. You not only open the door to having to prepare four separate dishes, but you also create chaos that is certainly avoidable.

Get the picture? Just as at mealtimes, you're in charge. Incorporating the kids into the vacation-planning process is a surefire way to get them excited about where they will be going. Even more important, it may be a way to help improve their self-esteem.

Kids have little control over what happens in their world on a day-to-day basis. So if you give them a chance to feel as though they have some investment in family decision-making, they come away with a greater sense of worth and the belief that their opinion matters. Once the location has been determined, get the kids involved in the planning. The Internet is the perfect resource. Have your kids visit Web sites on the destination and take a look to see what interests them. Running a search through an engine like Google or Yahoo using the keywords of the place you are visiting can direct them to loads of great Web sites for fact-finding.

And they can ask friends and relatives about the destination, too. You might want to give the kids a say about which amenities they would like when you are determining your accommodations, such as an arcade or a pool with a waterslide. Consider allowing each of your kids to select one special activity that the family will participate in. Make sure that they understand that even if a specific activity that a sibling selects is not their favorite, they must participate with a good attitude, and everyone will do the same for them. If kids are given a little input into the vacation plans, they will feel a great sense of ownership. You can also teach your kids some valuable lessons about budgets when planning a vacation.

Many children have no idea how much it costs to visit a theme park or participate in other activities when they travel. I recommend setting a daily limit on your kids' spending and making sure they stick to it, with a firm cap on what they can spend. Some people I know encourage their children to earn money toward things they want to buy on vacation, but I prefer to give them a set amount and let them decide how to spend it. Souvenirs are included in this limit; you may want to discuss the idea of souvenirs before the trip begins, so you both clarify the kids' expectations (and spending) and prepare them for these limits.

Excerpted from The Travel Mom's Ultimate Book of Family Travel by Emily Kaufman Copyright © 2006 by Emily Kaufman. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. THE TRAVEL MOM'S ULTIMATE BOOK OF FAMILY TRAVEL, Planning, Surviving, and Enjoying Your Vacation Together, By Emily Kaufman, Published by Broadway Books, February 2006; Trade Paperback Original; $14.

95, ISBN 0-7679-2063-5 .

By: Melody Schubert