The Orbitz Family Travel Guide
Meet the new Orbitz Parent Panel, a group of Orbitz moms and dads coming together to share experiences and advice to help you plan an affordable, stress-free family vacation.
-
What's new this month:
- Spring Break: Monica's first all-inclusive resort and Liz's family-style Vegas.
- Sanity checklist: flight packing tips
- Handling tantrums at the airport or on the plane.
- Infant in lap: Are the savings worth it?
- Hotel discounts and offers at family-friendly properties.
We went looking for travel experts who were also doting parents and found them right under our nose. These Orbitz parents have plenty of experience traveling to a variety of destinations with children of all ages. Join them as they share their vacation adventures, mistakes and successes -- as well as personal strategies, tips, and opinions.
Monica Randle is a full-time working mom to a rambunctious 2-year-old boy. She enjoys cooking and spending time with her husband and son exploring their Chicago Northside neighborhood.
We chose an all-inclusive, kid-friendly resort in Puerto Vallarta for our spring break. Despite what I had read, I had visions of an all-inclusive having watered-down drinks, inedible food and an overcrowded romper room of a kid's pool. My worries were quickly put to rest More
posted by Parent Panel | February 2008
Liz Robertson is a full-time working mother with a 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter. With everyone's busy schedules, she looks forward to family vacations as an opportunity to reconnect and experience new places together.
Las Vegas probably isn't the first destination that comes to mind when it comes to family vacations, but it has evolved in recent years to a place where there is lots for families to do at a reasonable price. My kids have great memories from the four days we spent there over one spring break More
posted by Parent Panel | February 2008
- Rent it: Order a crib, high-chair and other necessities online for delivery to your destination. These two sites can help The Traveling Baby Company and Rent Baby Equipment.com.
- Leave it: If you’re renting a car, reserve a car seat instead of lugging one along. For the plane seat, consider CARES, a new FAA-approved child aviation restraint harness that weighs a pound ($75).
- Minimize it: Instead of bringing both a car seat and stroller, check out one of those stroller car-seat combos. If your child is small enough, forgo the stroller for a front-carrier, like the Baby Bjorn.
- Mail it: Ship your luggage in advance of your arrival.
- Buy it when you’re there. Diapers, for example, take up a lot of space. Bring enough to get you through a few days and then plan to drop by a grocery store.
- Trash it: Pack clothing you plan to dispose of anyway. Added bonus: Less laundry to bring back.
Handling tantrums can be tricky – even when you're on home turf. So stay consistent with what you do at home. Here are some techniques Orbitz parents use:
- Distract. Point out planes taking off and landing; visit an airport "fun zone," a child's play area; walk up and down the aisles; or pull out a book, toy or "secret candy stash."
- Soothe. Try to hold them, speak softly, and help them calm down.
- Ignore. For some kids, the only way to cut short a tantrum is to ignore it or to remove them from the situation and let them "get it out of their systems" because soothing techniques only rile them up. If you're on an airplane with the seat belt sign on -- and distraction and soothing don't work – you're pretty much left with this option.
Beware of bribing. Not to say we're not above it, but past experience tells a few of us that you may end up paying for it again and again, as your child sees that this is a successful form of manipulation.
"Always"
"I advocate always buying a seat for a child under 2. But don't just take it from me -- the FAA advocates it too. As a bonus, you get the extra space for carry-on bags under the seat in front of the baby. Plus, if your child miraculously falls asleep on the plane, you might be able to read, eat or stretch your legs for a few minutes!"
Liz Lippow
"2 Hour Rule"
"My wife and I have the '2 Hour Rule.' If a flight is over 2 hours, we buy (especially if we are dealing with a child over 1 year old…the squirmy year). More than two hours on a plane means a definite melt down of Three Mile Island proportions."
Brian Hoyt
Orbitz parents rated these family-friendly hotels hotels on a scale of 1 to 5, based on:
- Service
- Amenities
- Comfort
- Location
- Value
Read their reviews to get first-hand observations, as well as practical tips on what to do, where to eat and how to get around.
Family getaways and reunions
With lots of onboard activities, tons of shore excursions and plenty of meal options to choose from, cruising is a fun and affordable family vacation.
Explore Europe, Alaska, the Caribbean, Hawaii or Mexico. You and your family will see it all, and unpack only once!