Kid-Friendly Travel

Travel + Leisure magazine tallied their annual survey of parents for the 'best resorts for parents and kids'.
Disneyland's Grand Californian made #3, but I'll bet numbers one and two will surprise you.
Keep in mind, this list is just of resorts. Resorts can make vacation plannning a lot easier. Kind of a one-stop-shop, if you will. Many inlcude beach and golf on-site, and are in areas with lots to do off-site. They also include kid-friendly restaurants on-site. Some parents like to make use of the child-care facilities to enjoy a few romantic hours alone. Others are looking for non-stop family time. It's been my personal experience that the Disney resorts cater to both of these camps.
To view the list click here. If your favorite didn't make the list, tell us what it is in the comments below.

Copyright Stephany Wiestling 2006-2008. All rights reserved. www.kid-friendlytravel.blogspot.com

Our reciprocal museum membership back home got us in free here, so we went 3 days in a row. The first two days I had to drag Toddler out kicking and screaming. "Wait! I want to see something else!" he wailed at the top of his lungs. Luckily, he wasn't the only child to do this upon exiting. As you can guess, kids really like this place! The third day, I gave him more warning. I said, "OK, it's time to go. What would you like to do again before we go?" After going through the rabbit hole again, he walked out calmly and bubbling about how much fun he had.

The number one thing to bring on any trip is a positive attitude. You laugh, but when the heat rolls in, the kids are cranky, and the lines are long, it can be hard to find that smile. Keep telling yourself, “We’re here to have fun.” Do you really need to ride every attraction at the theme park? If you’re not having fun, are you really getting your money’s worth?

When going to a theme park, I find that it helps to have a loose itinerary for each day. We plan a couple of must-do’s for each of us before we leave. Then, everyone has a couple of want-to’s that we try to fit in once we’re there.

Another biggie: keep meals and sleep times as normal as possible. Bring along some healthy snacks like cereal and dried fruit. Freezing juice boxes works well on really hot outings. My toddler likes to drink them while they’re still a little slushy. Of course, bring plenty of water.

If you’re an umbrella stroller fan, bring it. I’m not, so I bring our regular stroller. I like the cup holder/snack tray for parent and child, and the roomy storage underneath. Mine is light and folds pretty easily. I’ve never had any trouble bringing it on trams or monorails, etc, where it needs to be collapsed. As an added bonus, I like how sturdy it is so we can use it as a luggage cart at the airport and hotel.