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Auto
& Travel
Links to Auto & Travel On-Line
. Traveling
with the Kids
Links to On-Line Help for
the Long Journey  Back
before summer, we ran a number of these links for those who were planning summer
vacations. But the fact is, with many folks' plans for the holiday season
involving car trips to the relatives or elsewhere, it seemed like a good time to
offer them again.
Of course, when it comes to traveling with
the kids, nothing can take the place of patience ... and
remembering that, however weary you may be, the kids can probably best
you. But a glance at these sites may just help you find a tip here or a
trick there that can prevent things from going downhill fast when nerves get
frayed and the drive begins to seem interminable. That said,
then, we don't mean to imply that everything you'll find here will be equally
useful ... nor that browsing these sites will prevent any mishaps,
eruptions, or worse. But an ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of
cure, and many of these sites offer advice based on the experiences of families
which can't be a whole lot different than yours or ours. ... In
addition, we're going one step beyond our more usual 3-link limit, thinking
that, when it comes to long road trips with the kids, all the help one can get
is just about right. So, in the hope of helping your holiday
travels avoid those bumps and glares inside the car, this month's links offer up
some sage advice on Traveling with the Kids. ... Happy
holidays. ... And bon voyage!
Family
and Kids Traveling Tips
This offering comes from
FreeTravelTips.com and lists dozens of features on specialized tips for
traveling with the kids and more. ...
.
Among
the major categories, you'll find a wide variety, with many articles in
each, including: Planning Your Trip, Packing, Picking A Kid Friendly
Hotel, In The Car, several sections on Traveling By Air, Going To Theme
Parks, Going To Restaurants, and Cruising With Kids.
.
Not
everything here is beyond the ken of most parents. But you might find
a tip on something you hadn't even considered, and that makes this site
worth the visit.
Rating: ***1/2 [3-1/2 Stars]
. Family
Travel Forum
The Family Travel Forum [FTF] is an eclectic
collection gathered together in this apparent monthly, so things will change
with each issue. ...
.
On our
visit, one of the headline attractions was entitled "Great Shakes at
State Fairs." And while the listing was somewhat limited, the
idea was worthwhile. Much of the site seems devoted to zeroing in on
specific vacation packages or itineraries that are suitable for family
travel, so, in addition to things like the State Fairs, you'll find theme
vacations like one devoted to Sea Turtle nesting, another for an
archaeological dig in the Dakotas, and plans for "Museum
Sleepover" vacations. But the range also extends beyond that to
more traditional ideas & destinations. On the help end, there are
always articles aimed at making traveling with the kids a little easier,
like this month's feature on hotel accommodations when an an infant is
along, or the notion of 'vacationing at the in-law's'.
.
If
you'll be traveling with the kids, FTF is definitely worth a visit, both for
vacation ideas and tips.
Rating: **** [4 Stars]
. Family.com
Travel
More itinerary-oriented than the rest, nonetheless,
Family.com's offering does include a couple of very useful sections,
including "Road-Tested Vacations" and a series of Travel
Checklists, including: Weekend getaway packing, Car trip essentials, Plane
trip essentials, Theme park needs, Beach trip packing, and More. ...
.
Most
impressive, though, is their Article Library {the link is in the left-hand
column}. Jump there and you'll find what they promise --
"thousands of family ideas & activities."
Rating: **** [4
Stars]
. Smarter
Living -- Taking the Kids
This link connects to the Bio page of
Smarter Living columnist Eileen Ogintz, who writes the regular weekly
feature called "Taking the Kids." ...
.
Links
to her weekly columns appear on the right and are archived back one
year. If you don't find something useful here, we'd be very surprised.
Rating:
**** [4 Stars]
A Note About Links to Auto & travel On-Line
The
amount of info on the web is enormous, as anyone who's ever tried to run a
search can attest to. To put it all in context, best estimates say that
only a fraction -- maybe 20 - 40 % of what's out there -- is actually making its
way to the search engines. Well, here at DownStreet,
we'd like to try to help. So each issue, we post a few links in Auto &
Travel to sites that might interest you. Sometimes the links will be
related to one another ... sometimes we'll just offer up a somewhat
random sampling. Sometimes they're about Vermont sites, sometimes
not. Of course, while we can't vouch for the fact that
every link we provide will be of interest to everyone, we do our best to filter
out the noise and the bustle and focus on quality sites. ... In that
light, we hope you enjoy these sites as much as we have. . *******
******* If you know of any links
that you think are worthwhile, why not send them along to ...
links@downstreetmagazine.com
... If we agree, we'll be happy to include
them in an upcoming issue to pass the word along. ...
Thanks. *******
******* .
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