Traveling with Children What should I bring along on the trip when packing for kids? Pediatrician's name, regular and emergency phone numbers. Extra eyeglasses or contacts if you have them. Medications and prescriptions. An address book with your child's friends' names and addresses so they can send out postcards. A nightlight to help light up an unfamiliar room. If you are traveling with an infant, don't forget to bring a bottlebrush and some dish soap. Baby wipes. Your child's favorite toy, if it is small enough. Their blanket, if they are still of an age where a blanket is a close personal friend. Updated pictures of your children incase they wander off. You'll need pictures so others can help you look for them. Consider packing each complete outfit in separate clear bags. Keeping an entire outfit in a bag will allow them to pick out one complete outfit so they'll have everything they need ready in one place. It will help keep them from digging through all the clothes to locate all the parts of their outfits. Use freezer bags with a seal for all their little stuff so it doesn't end up mixed in your clothes. Make sure you completely label the inside and outside of their luggage with complete contact and itinerary information. Extra shoes and an extra swimming suit. Should I take my child on a hotel tour when we first arrive at the hotel? It will help them feel more comfortable in their new surroundings. It's a good opportunity to introduce them to the people at the front desk, who could help them if they have a problem. Let them know the people will change, but someone behind the desk can help them if they need it. To help them to not get lost and make sure they know their way back to your room. So you can show them the fire exits, stairs and fire extinguishers. You can explain the pool area safety rules to them What does my child need to know about the hotel's bill? To avoid surprises at check out, explain how the room's mini-bar works, their use of in-room movies and telephone calls. If you don't want these services, you can ask for the items in the mini-bar to be removed and in-room movies to be blocked. Make sure the front desk is aware that the hotel's staff has removed the mini-bar's items. Tell your children that if they try to sneak something, the hotel's billing system will catch them and that you'll find out about it. If you have older children, come to an agreement on how to use the phone, specifically long distance calls. Can I enroll my child in a frequent flyer program? Yes. Most programs accept children as well as adults. Enrolling your child in a frequent flyer program will earn them points for miles traveled. There is often no cost to join; so you may as well get them started early earning those free points. What can I do to help prepare my child for their first experience with flying? Since a first flight can be a scary experience for anyone, spend some time preparing your child for the trip. You might consider role-playing games. Take them through a check-in and security check. Set up a row of seats and run them through a take-off. Make sure you include engine noise and turbulence in the games so they know that these things are normal and will be comfortable when they experience them on the plane. Read them some books with traveling themes. They'll be more interested and at ease with the whole process. If you fear they will suffer from motion sickness, see if your pediatrician can provide something to help. If you fear flying yourself, try to buck up and not pass that fear onto your child. If they see that you are scared, they may also develop a fear of flying that will stay with them as adults. Youor child's first experiences with flying will probably help or haunt you both on future trips. What type of documentation will I need if I'm taking my child out of the country? They usually need the same identification that is required of an adult. If the travel requires an adult to have a passport, the child will also need a passport. If the child is traveling out of country with only one of the child's parents, you'll probably have to provide written permission from the other parent that the child may leave the country. You'll probably need a notarized statement from the other parent, but you'll want to check with the airline for their policy on this matter. Without the proper paperwork, the airline may refuse to board your child. All travel documents are the responsibility of the passenger. You can find out more about passports/visas for your children by going to the website: www.travel.state.gov/foreignentryreqs.html For more information call the Travel Organizers or fill out our quick quote request form and one of our travel professionals will respond shortly. Call any one of our three offices: Denver Tech Center - 303-771-1178 Southglenn Mall Area - 303-730-7777 Downtown Denver - 303-383-5050 Travel Organizers/American Express who has been in Denver for over 24 years can help you make reservations with just one call. ---------