| The best family road trip ever
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| | key. For instance, if funds are limited,
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| is—impossible. I have been a
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| | “shoppers” in the family
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| seasoned journalist specializing in
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| | should know exactly how much is budgeted
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| travel writing for the past 13 years and
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| | for souvenirs.• One special thing
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| author of Consummate Connecticut: Day
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| | should be planned for every family
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| Trips with Panache (Cat Tales Press,
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| | member. This way, everyone has something
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| 2006). My professional globetrotting days
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| | to look forward to. For instance, when we
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| began, accompanied by my husband,
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| | drive to Bar Harbor, Maine, a detour is
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| collectively transporting my infant son
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| | made to get a scoop of lobster ice cream
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| (today 13) in a back carrier. A year
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| | for our son Marshall.• There are
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| later we had a baby girl in tow! One of
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| | tons of books, games, tapes and videos
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| the golden rules in traveling with
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| | for car travel. The best ‘travel
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| children, particularly under 10, is two
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| | kit’ I ever saw was created by our
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| activities a day; preferably one in the
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| | town’s (Easton, CT) library
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| morning and one in the afternoon. As a
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| | director, Bernadette Baldino. Other
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| family travel writer, we did an average
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| | libraries have these kinds of travel
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| of 15 activities a day—this was in
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| | totes for children available on loan. If
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| the days when infant-designated parking
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| | your library doesn’t loan such
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| spaces in parking lots and baby diaper
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| | travel kits, make your own using
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| changing stations in men’s
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| | Bernadette’s kits as prototypes,
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| restrooms didn’t exist. The good
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| | filled with things like clipboards,
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| thing was, we really learned how to
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| | crayons/markers, coloring books and
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| survive a road trip—the hard
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| | classic games.• The best games are
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| way.What amounted from the hundreds of
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| | the simple, creative games. Let’s
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| road trips that we took as a family was
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| | see who can spot an out-of-town license
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| the many practical things that continue
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| | plate. (Once an out-of-town license plate
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| to help us in our rigorous travels to
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| | is spotted, you ask the kids what the
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| this day.Frankly, we learned the hard
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| | capital of the state is!) My
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| way. On one of our earliest road trips,
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| | never-ending, best game ever? One person
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| driving to Virginia Beach, we
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| | thinks of a person, place or thing and
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| accidentally booked one of the seediest
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| | the others take turns trying to guess it
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| motels you could ever find in Delaware.
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| | by asking “yes” or
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| Of course, we didn’t stay, but it
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| | “no” questions.• Kids
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| wasn’t fun finding a hotel on the
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| | should realize that snacks are to satisfy
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| same night that some sort of funky
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| | hunger; not to stop or change
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| convention was in town and available
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| | uncomfortable emotions, fatigue or
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| rooms were far and few. And it was much
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| | boredom. (For those cranky or bored kids
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| later in the night than it should have
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| | see prior tip.) We all know what healthy
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| been, because our “short cut”
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| | snacks are—fruits, veggies, lots of
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| earlier that day had added on two hours
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| | bottled water. What I recommend is a
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| to our trip!The most important thing is
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| | lunchbox for each child. This not only
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| that in terms of a road trip, labels like
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| | gives the child a sense of control, but
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| “best,”
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| | also gives him or her a bit more
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| “ultimate,”
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| | distraction fumbling for food during a
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| “finest” should be avoided.
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| | car trip!• Always, absolutely always
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| When we preplan family trips with
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| | carry a ball and Frisbee in the trunk for
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| over-the-top expectations, we can set
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| | those impromptu times when exercise will
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| ourselves up. Yes, smooth trips
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| | benefit all passengers.• If
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| accomplished without a hitch are
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| | something negative happens, don’t
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| possible. However, usually, something
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| | label it “bad.” Once after
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| goes wrong, even if it’s dealing
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| | arriving at our hotel in Pittsburgh,
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| with one cranky toddler for a couple
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| | Pennsylvania, our tired Maxwell clan
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| hours. I’m not saying to hit the
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| | encountered the road blocked with a
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| road, thinking, awww, this is going to be
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| | tractor trailer and cars. As it later
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| terrible. I’m saying, hit the road,
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| | turned out, Jimmy Buffet and his band
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| not thinking in black- and-white terms,
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| | were staying at the hotel. After a
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| but in the gray areas. If possible, as my
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| | twenty-minute delay, we finally reached
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| husband always says, ‘don’t
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| | the lobby to find it swarming with the
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| expect anything and you won’t be
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| | country singer’s entourage. Right
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| disappointed.’Meanwhile, to help
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| | when things could have gotten heated, I
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| iron out a few of the bumps that a family
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| | said, “It’s an
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| can run into, here are some
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| | adventure!” From that time on,
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| pointers:• Avoid surprises later and
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| | every trip, no matter what happened, a
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| depart with everyone knowing, generally,
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| | positive light was shined on everything
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| what to expect. This only happens with
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| | by exclaiming: “It’s an
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| adequate time allotted for preplanning
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| | adventure!”Award-journalist Stacy
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| and research. Before a trip, even two
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| | Lytwyn Maxwell's web site is She offers
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| year olds can look at photos of the
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| | a free e-newsletter offering other nifty
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| destination over the internet or on
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| | kinds of advice for travelers--on and
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| brochures that give them a sense of
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| | "off" the road!
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| familiarity. Communication is also the
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