15. Beat jet lag: stay up late
the first night. Get outside and do something active. Long walks are good.
Parks and playgrounds are great. Kids are usually so excited by their new
environment you can get away with doing a lot that at home might not work. One
caveat: most people forget — or don’t realize — that meal times can be way off
as well in a new time zone. If your child usually eats a big breakfast and
lunch but a small dinner at home. This can translate into no appetite at
breakfast or lunch and then ravenous hunger at 7pm and midnight. Have a good
array of healthful snacks in your hotel room on the first night.
16. Have a plan for the day.
It doesn’t need to be cast in stone – stay flexible and easy going — but you
should walk out the hotel door in the morning with a plan of where you’re
going, what subway or bus you’re taking, what attractions do you have planned
for the day? Perhaps obvious and natural to some but for me it wasn’t and once
I took the time to plan the day on the night before, everything became a lot
easier.
16. Check the website of the
attraction just before your visit. It’s amazing how often museums will have
closed for renovations, changed their schedule, or have a visiting show in
place of its usual exhibits. Sometimes these changes can be nothing more than a
nuisance. Other times they can ruin your plans for the day. Checking the
website in the days before your visit eliminates most of this uncertainty.
17. Ask your hotel concierge for
suggestions. Another obvious one that you nonetheless might skip because it
sounds so touristy and lame. But they often know little tips and tricks for
getting around the city and visiting attractions that can make your life a lot
easier. Depending on the style of hotel asking at the front desk will often get
you the owner or management who might have a monetary interest in directing you
towards a certain establishment or tour group. A concierge usually has no
connections at all and just give good advice.
18. Don’t do too much BUT don’t
do too little either. I think the biggest mistake parents traveling with
kids make is doing too little not too much. Get out there. Enjoy.
Experience. Wear the kids out and get them tired.
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