Queuing with kids: family travel boredom busters
It’s the holiday moment you dread: a 2 hour delay at a packed charter airport, a cancelled ferry; tailbacks on the autoroute or a line round the block at the Uffizi. There’s only so far that shouting, begging and a game of ‘guess the next colour out the Starburst bag’ is going to get you. The Frommer’s With Your Family experts help keep your children’s boredom at bay.
1st thing: expect it. Plan for the unplanned delay: that means effective packing. Give kids their own bag and police its packing. Don’t let them fill it with toys, they’ll need some or all of:
1. pencils and paper. Not just for drawing, but also emergency games of Hangman and Noughts/Crosses. In a squeeze, build them a wordsearch from the roadmap or departures board.
2. ensure handhelds and portable DVDs are fully charged before you leave.
3. travel versions of popular games like Connect 4, Cluedo and Monopoly.
4. MP3s are not just for music: talking books help to while away the time.
5. if space is tight, remember colouring, puzzle and jigsaw books will eat up more young child-hours than a story.
But, but, but… what if you’re separated from the carefully packed kids’ bags? Reach for an instant solution:
On a plane: grab a copy of the inflight magazine for an instant treasure hunt. Make a list of 20 things (pictures, words) for them to find inside.
If your flight is delayed, start a game of airport alphabet. You go first: a is for aeroplane, and take it in turns. B is for baggage, and so on. Gets the kids looking and thinking.
A memory game like list tennis can work anywhere. When you’re out to eat and the food’s taking ages: take in turns round the table. I went to a restaurant and saw a menu. I went to restaurant and saw a menu and a waiter. I went to a restautant and saw a menu, a waiter and a chef. And so on until someone forgets.
Slow going on a continental motorway is ideal for number plate bingo. See how many EU countries you can spot cars from. List of all 26 abbreviations here: http://europa.eu/abc/travel/gettingthere/index_en.htm. Also find plenty more car games here: http://www.rac.co.uk/web/knowhow/going_on_a_journey/games/
Stuck in a queue for a gallery or museum, take it in turns to take the kids to the museum shop (they usually let you in separately). Buy them 5 postcards each and turn the trip into a treasure hunt, with an agenda set by them.
And if you have to resort to guessing the colour of the next sweet out the bag, go for Fruit Pastilles. There’s more varieties.
For further information, to request a review copy or arrange an interview with a Frommer’s expert, please contact Julia Lampam on 01243 770668 or jlampam@wiley.co.uk
ABOUT FROMMER’S
Frommer’s UK is the latest publishing venture from Frommer's, America’s bestselling travel guide series. Founded in 1957, more than 75 million books have been sold since inception, with over 2.5 million guides sold each year, reaching 7 million travellers.
Building on the honesty and accuracy that has made Frommer's the USA's leading travel guide, Frommer's UK are publishing travel books written by UK authors for UK readers. There are over 300 titles within the Frommer’s portfolio including Frommer’s Complete Guides, written by more than 175 travel writers from around the globe; the Unofficial Guides, which collectively have sold over 4 million copies worldwide; and the popular For Dummies series.
In Spring 2006, Frommer’s launched a brand new series of Day By Day city guides for leisure and business travellers. In October 2006, Wiley announced the acquisition of Whatsonwhen Ltd., a U.K.-based provider of travel-related online content, technology, and services.
In late Spring 2007 Frommer’s launched the With Your Family guides, written by UK authors aimed at the British audience. The countries and regions covered in the first six books are: The Balearics, Brittany, Croatia, Mediterranean Spain, Normandy and Northern Italy. All at £12.99 paperback
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