Gray Line Wanderings Travel Blog

An Especially Untimely Visit to Bangkok during the Floods of '11. Photo by Author.

The mistake of visiting Southeast Asia during monsoon season or Northern Europe during winter is one that you only make once. You may not even realize just how much the weather can affect a vacation until you make a serious misjudgment. Traveling during unfavorable times of year can affect anything from opening hours to availability to comfort, but there are some advantages to visiting during the down season. Before you travel next, at least check this list, then check the weather to make sure you’ll get what you’re looking for from your vacation:

• Stuck in the Hotel Room - In some countries, the changes in season are so severe that even the locals head to the hills (or the beach) for some refuge. Be sure to check online for drastic weather conditions in the country you’ll be visiting to ensure that you time it right.
• Is Anybody Home? - Certain countries take what seems like a nationwide vacation during the “bad” seasons of the year. If you visit Spain in August, you can expect the majority of stores to be vacant or the hours of operation to be cut short so the vendors can escape the heat. Check in advance that the activities you want to do are actually available during the time you plan to travel.
• The Jumbo Suitcase - Traveling light is an amazing thing. The first time you travel with JUST a 10kg bag for your week long vacation, you might never lug a huge bag again. However, weather conditions mean the difference between packing winter parkas & rain boots -vs- tank tops & flip flops. If you want to pack light, it’s best to travel during times where no jacket is required!
• Your Crystal Ball – Check out BestTimetoGo.com for comprehensive advice about… well… the best time to go to your vacation spot.
• Finally… forget all my other advice - There is a good part about traveling during “unfavorable” times of year. NO tourists. Imagine yourself wandering alone through world wonders that are normally packed. Sure, you may be covered to your knees in mud, sweating profusely or unable to feel your toes, but it’s still kind of awesome.

Ever been trapped in a tropical storm or caught underdressed in a blizzard? Tell us about your most ridiculous weather story from your travels in the comments below or on Facebook! (Can’t access the comments? Click here for a link to the full story: The Highs & Lows of Traveling with the Weather)

Photo by Joe Mazzola

Yes, I’m crazy. Well, maybe not certifiably; but unhinged enough to think I can and should take my kids lots of places. Whether by plane, minivan, train or rental vehicle, I think it’s my duty to show my kids our world. From the get go I take them anywhere and everywhere I can to show them places that will give them a greater understanding of our world. I take them to places close to home, places dear to my heart and places that spark that spirit of adventure and wonder that lives deep in my soul.

People often ask me, “You took your kids WHERE?” and more often than not the answer is, “Yes!” The follow up question is almost always “How do you travel with small kids?” Well, dear friends, I’m going to share with you a couple of my tips. My top 5 to be almost exact. It actually takes more than just 5 tips to travel with small children. I would love to share with you all of my travel tips that I’ve accumulated through the years but here are 5 (or so) as an appetizer.

1. SNACKS – LOTS AND LOTS OF SNACKS – I’m talking enough to sustain a small village for a while. I’m also taking about the “good stuff.” Now is not the time to scrimp on the snacks. Bring the stuff they love, the stuff you don’t buy on a regular basis, the stuff they beg for in the market. We had a flight delay and a subsequent rerouting once that left us in an airport after all the retail shops had closed. I’ve never been so grateful for a stash of goldfish, skittles and bottled water in all my life.

2. ENTERTAINMENT – KEEP ‘EM BUSY. Get them something they’ve never seen before and it can be as simple as post it notes. An airline tray table and a package of post it notes can provide loads of entertainment. Kids can stick and unstuck those crazy fluorescent squares for quite a while. They can make patterns if you have multiple colors and when all of that fun is done – draw on them, make a picture that spans multiple post-its and BAM you have a puzzle for a toddler.

3. BE PREPARED – have extra everything – especially diapers. I repeat, always have extra diapers if you have a child that small. Once they became a bartering item, a currency if you will, on a trip when a flight of ours got cancelled leaving us stranded in Washington DC with 2 kids past bedtime. I traded diapers and wipes with a woman for jarred baby food. Her baby smelled and mine was hungry – problem solved.

4. KNOW YOUR GAME PLAN WHEN YOU ARRIVE – give the kids something to anticipate. My kiddos have always been thrilled at the prospect of scoping out their destination. We dream of what we will see and how we will see it. One easy way to get them excited is a ride in a motorcoach, train, trolley car, gondola or something that they normally don’t see in your own garage. One of my girls still talks about the trolley tour she took in Zurich. We loved feeling the fresh air in our faces in the open-aired trolley and learned a little about the city and its people. Ok, my husband and I learned about the city and its people – she tried to figure out how many pets she could spot.

5. PREPARE FOR THE WORST….HOPE FOR THE BEST – I always bring along current shot records and medical info from their last check up along with a small first aid kit with Tylenol, Motrin, a thermometer, band aids, Neosporin, etc. and a correct dosing chart for any and all medication per kid. Luckily, I have rarely had to use the kit. I think that’s because I have it with me at all times. The token trip I didn’t take it on, we ended up in a doctor’s office nearly 1,000 miles from home.

Ok so I promised 5 tips but I couldn’t stop at 5 so here’s a bonus one and arguably the most important:

6. HUMOR – if you don’t take along a large and healthy dose of humor you might as well stay home. Some of the best laughs of my marriage and my family have happened when we travel. How else could I have a photo like this one….

Author's Child Entering The Great State of Nebraska

What are your great travel tips with kids? Share your tips and tricks in comments below.