European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Travel 9 e u r of e travelling with children Means making frequent toilet stops whether you re driving the autobahn or exploring town on foot. The answer Man says be flexible when travelling with kids City editor we re Back and we re live with another segment of travelling with kids the Only Call in show that dares to answer the family travel question Why did we do this i m your Host Paul Cozby father of five Veteran of the Road. Let s go to the phones. Aviano air base you re on the air. I Paul. We love your show Here in Italy. Thanks much. What s your question Well Paul something strange happens Ever time we take a family vacation and i m hoping you can explain it. It seems no matter How carefully my husband and i plan it always takes us much longer to reach our destination than we anticipate. I mean if the map shows us it s about 180 Miles to Genoa that should take us about four hours. But it always takes so much longer. Why is that How old Are your kids we have a daughter 2, and a son 4, but we pin diaper change stops. The diapers Aren t doing it to you it s the 4 a year olo you re a victim of an immutable Law of travelling with kids. Experts Call it the make my bladder gladder simply stated if you pass a bathroom your child will need to use it. So the time it takes to drive Between two Points is directly proportional to the number of rest stops along the expressway. What can you do if you mean what can you do to change the Law. Nothing. What can you do to make your trip easier remember the first and most important Rule of family travel be object of your trip is to have a Good time and if you can t face a delay without blowing a fuse stay Home. Kids not Only Don t know How Long it s supposed to take to get there they Don t care How Long it s supposed to take. They want to be wherever you re headed the second you leave the driveway. Anything beyond that is All the same to them. You on the other hand of knowhow Long it s supposed to take. But it always takes longer. If it s not the bathroom it will be a Flat tire or a traffic Jam or any of a thousand things that can put the stops on your trip. Relax. You la get there. And you la get there in a lot better shape ii you just remember. Be flexible. That s the ticket Bye now. Of Baum older Germany what s your beef Paul that s great advice about being flexible but you re just telling us How to react to bad news. My wife and i want to be proactive when it comes to travelling. What can we do to avoid situations where Vav have to be flexible that s a Good question and it s got a simple answer plan for what won t happen. Whoa. How can i plan for what won t happen in t that impossible not in the least. In fact it s simple. Look How Many people head toward euro Disney from Baum older with nothing More than a map and Wishful thinking. They Check the distance and figure it to be about a five hour drive plus an hour for the gladder bladder syndrome. Leave at 6 . Arrive at noon. Right wrong first How often have you actually left your House at 6 . With All your family. Never. Me neither. There s an hour to add. Now How often have you arrived at your hotel and found absolutely everything in order and no work to do to get checked in never. There s another hour. How often has a five hour drive actually taken just five hour never Are we connecting Here planning for what won t happen is another Way of saying be travelling with a family is not like you and your wife hopping in the Jalopy the first year you were married for a weekend trip to the catskills. Kid travel is serious business. The a Day invasion took less planning. The Choice is yours make unrealistic plans watch them fall apart and arrive late and mad or plan for All the things that won t happen and then. Be flexible. You re learning. Of Raf Lakenheath England you re on the air. I Paul. The show s a Lifesaver glad to hear it. What s your question our problem in t the time it takes us to get somewhere because our kids Are older. It s when we arrive that we have a Tough time. The kids Don t appreciate anything we do for them. They complain nonstop and ruin our time As Well. What can we do what kinds of things do you do on a typical vacation Well last Spring for instance we took the night ferry across the Channel to the Netherlands and visited Amsterdam. We saw the big museum there and the tulips and All the windmills. Twas Lovely. Do you have teen agers yes two of them. Why do i think the word Lovely in t in their lexicon just yet. What do you mean i mean that i Combine museums tulips and teen agers and you know what i get what ,. A recipe for boredom. Did you go to any movies in Amsterdam they re in English. No. Did you go to an amusement Park?.no. ". Swimming nope. Bike Riding huh. Listen let me let you in on a Little secret your idea of fun and a kid s idea of fun Are completely different they like to laugh out loud a lot eat things that Are bad for them make farting noises in Public and above All be away from you. But t Don t like All that. You did when you were their age guaranteed. And that s what you have to do remember what it was like to be Young and see things through your kids eyes. How do we do that one thing is certain if you re an adult you be had experience at being a kid. If you can t remember what it s like ask your children. They la be More than glad to help you plan things they want to do. Then put their wants and yours together look at the number of Days you have and Presto you be got a vacation with something for everyone. But we won t be Able to do All i want. Well cry me a River. big boy the Point of a vacation in t to March lock step through your schedule it s to have fun. For everyone to have fun. And not just fun for a week or 10 Days. You re building memories that both you and your kids will 42 travel Europe May 19, 1993
