For ascent and descent on planes, have a carton of juice with a straw, or a kiddies' cup at the ready and let them drink, to avoid painful ear pressure build-up.

Look lets get realistic , we all want the kids to be no hassle on trips. Give em all the gadjets you can but remember spare batteries, DS, PSP colour book, consoles , dvd's .

Look for 2 hours plus you dont want to hear from them and they dont really want to be there so distract them with anything u can. GOOD LUCK

Longhaul flights are uncomfortable and boring at the best of times, but even more so for children. As well as a favourite soft toy, book and game, also pack a lunch box each with lots of small snack foods. The kids will be able to munch when they want to, without having to depend on flight attendants, or being awake at pre-assigned meal times. Just make sure you have a checklist of all the things you brought onto the plane (and on the trip for that matter). The last thing you want to do after arriving at your resort is realise that you left someone's favorite soft toy on the aircraft!!!!

Older kids - particularly between 7-13 want their independence. If they want to be out on the grounds of the resort in the early evening, be flexible, set defined boundaries and no-go areas, and introduce the child to the resort security staff. Security staff are happy to be kept in the loop, and the child feels safer knowing who to go to quickly if there is a problem. We spent 10 fabulous nights at Hilton Arcadia Resort and Spa in Phuket, Thailand, and my son spent many evenings searching the lit paths for skinks and lizards attracted by the lights. The security staff patrolling the grounds always knew where he was and would point us in the right direction with a grin if we needed to know.

Realise that kids can't cope with continuous activities every day. Plan excursions out of the resort, and major activities every second day, and use alternate days for the kids to relax and recharge - maybe in the kids club, or at the pool. They will have a much better holiday and won't "burn out".

If you're taking the kids out walking or camping, investigate the area thoroughly for it's history, geography, nature, plantlife and fauna. When on the trip, astound the kids with your knowledge.
Then set them projects and tasks that allows them to prepare to visit an area and educate you on the next trip. This not only teaches the kids about an area, it teaches them the basics of fact finding and research.

The secret to an enjoyable holiday with the kids is to fully research the hotel to ensure that children's enjoyment is the main concern of the hotel staff and that entertainment can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. The perfect example is the Hilton Coylumbridge in Aviemore where all activities include participation by the kids.

I find the best way is to involve the children in the planning of the holiday, let them see what is on offer, what can be done. The more they are involved the happier they are, if they can decide what trip to do on some days then they will normally be cool about having a day the "adults" want them to do something less exciting.

Give your children all their holiday spending money at the beginning of the holiday. Tell them they must look after it and there will be no more to come. [You may have to act as banker if they are very little] I found that they really enjoyed this responsibility and rose to the challenge of working out their daily budget. It is then up to them to decide how to spend it or save it and stops them constantly pestering you for cash.

Going on holiday or a long car journey with young people, we have a game of bingo. The cards are home-made and as the driver I call out the reg # of the overtaking car as we are passed quite a lot as we are driving at a safe distance and speed. The young ones really enjoy this and it is only little prizes they win and I ensure they all win. On going out with them you can go to the nearest Ikea store and put them in the activity centre safely and go shopping, also have a meal, this can be done on a tight budget which I'm sure we all would like to save money, in fact you could even spend your savings on yourself in Ikea. I recommend the hot dogs and chips with ice cream for all before leaving the store and for another game of bingo. As the saying goes "eyes down your first # is'. now use your imagination - no pun intended.

A laptop well loaded with games, movies, a paint program and a web cam. A hotel room with a data link.
Kids can watch their movies, play their games, draw happily, and talk/video with family and friends back home.
Enjoyable for them to sit telling their friends what they have been doing.
And never too young - my youngest was using my laptop before he was two.
And we also have a virtually free internet phone!!!

My answer to travelling with kids is to be relaxed yourself. Trips often get more stressful, not because of the kids, but because the parents are stressed.

Make the trip part of the holiday and enjoy looking out of the window from the plane and counting sheep (clouds) or if possible travel by ferry so the kids can work around.

Best tip is to get the kids fed in restaurants first, they will be happier and quieter, and your food will be hot when you get it.

My advice would be to take your childminder/babysitter with you. That way you could get to spend some time alone with your partner without worrying about who is looking after the kids. I have done this in the past and we all had a great stress-free holiday!

Take a pack of cards and a book with new card games, and you can all have fun learning new card games to play.

I would rather travel without the kids in order to relax and refresh to return back to the stressfull life.

My tip would be to invite another family with children of a similar age to go on holiday with you! My Wife and I prior to having children always enjoyed travelling with one another only - but with two children now - we have fantastic holidays with another family! Of course, you have to choose correctly and know that the children will all get on! Look out for the hotels with good kids club (they'll enjoy them when they are with their friends). A great plus is you get chance to have an evening as a couple, when you can take it in turns to baby sit for each other. On the plane - sticker books, crayons etc etc!

It depends on the age of the kids. I'll assume you mean my kids which is a son who is 2 years old and a fresh born daughter. I would leave my newborn at home with grandma since she loves to watch after my babies.

I would definitely take my son with me because he really loves to go to new places even though hes 2 years old. Just about every Hilton I have stayed at has some form of youth program or nanny program that can entertain your kids. I would simply go to the concierge and inquire about youth activities. Being that my son is only 2 years old he would require constant supervision so if he is not with me I would hire the Hilton Nanny service in the times me and the wife wanted to break free.

To entertain on the airplane, definitely a PsP or Gameboy and I would bring a ton of games, they are light and portable and my backup would be a mini dvd/tv combo with mickey mouse flicks.

In the car, if it was my car, no worries, I have a built in monitor in the seatbacks so my son can watch Mickey Mouse and movies. If it was a taxi, I'm sure he would be so amused at the beautiful scenery that would be plenty of entertainment in the car. If not, I would play patty cakes with him and tickle him to keep him amused until we got there.

When me and the wife want to break free and get some alone time (at the hotel), say over a quiet dinner which we haven't had in a REALLY LONG TIME I would call the Front desk at the Hilton and pre schedule a time when my son would need to be looked after. (just about every Hilton family resort I've been to has a nanny) and pay for a couple hours of care. I mostly go to places that are sunny and have beaches. My son loves to play in the sand and we make sand castles together, I take him in the water and teach him how to doggie paddle and float.

Thats basically what I do to keep him entertained. Because I don't want him to miss mom and dad, we would do activities that we could bring our son along, we wouln't want to not include him and rely on other people to look after him the whole vacation, hey he's our son lol. Anyways, since me and the wife never get much alone time since were always busy with the kids, if we had an opportunity to send our son on a youth program at the Hilton we would take it lol. I now they often play games and have activity centers for kids, that's how it was when I was in Hilton Fayrouz.

I know for sure that we could accommodate and find ways to get alone time and keep our kids busy no matter the situation, we wil find a way to compensate if they get bored, we know how to keep them entertained and happy no matter how long the flight, how far the drive or where we stay because we always bring plenty of things along that will keep them distracted lol. (PsP, dvd/tv combo, mini soccer balls, balloons, stuffed animals & other toys.)

My best tip is to give your child their own small rucksack or case to carry everywhere, containing a small soft toy, a few books, crayons and the little toys that they don't get to play with at home because "they'll end up in the bin".

With a little encouragement, your little traveller will soon get into the habit of pulling out their books or toys and entertaining themselves when Mum or Dad is "being boring". If the toys get lost or broken, then it's no great loss. The soft toy will help them relax on journeys.

Tried and tested by 2 sons over 20 years!

Plan some activities for the adults. Use a hotel babysitting service for one night, so you can have a romantic dinner. Your vacation shouldn't be 100% focused on the kids!

My advice on traveling with children is to travel somewhere that is fun for children and creates lifetime memories. Children go up fast; there is plenty of time (before children or after they grow up) to go to adult locations. My children are now in their early twenties and they cherish the vacations we had together -- many of these vacations were at Hilton Resorts where there are many activities for children and their parents and even for just the children. My son even keeps in touch with some of the friends he met when he was on vacation as a boy. It is also important to take these vacations regularly - don't let sports and other extra curricular activities keep you form enjoying this special vacation time together.

When we took plane rides with the kids when they wer little, we would take a blank scrapbook for each of them, and some magazines pertaining to the place we were going. They would cut out the pictures and place them in their scrapbook with gluesticks. Then on the return home, they would make comments about how they liked the things they had put in the scrapbook, and would put anything they got on the trip in too. They loved it, and we have all the scrapbooks from our trips as well. Also, they could take them to school for "How I spent my Spring Break." Now, with prohibitions on scissors on planes, I suppose you could pre cut the items, and have them place them while flying.

Don't

My tip for travelling with children would have to be, look in supermarkets like asda and tesco as they have a range of travel games that children can play. Also whilst your there pick up some hard boiled sweets as sucking on one of these whilst the plane takes off and lands helps their little ears not to pop.
Happy holidaying!

Particular with young children, remember that a vacation is an exciting event... so it is logical for young children to act different than they normally do... but as long as you relax and take it easy. Good chance that your children will take it easy. If you act stressed, you will see your children become more stressed.

Always book two rooms that are next to each other. Even small kids like this. It give the sense of adventure for them and privacy for you.

a deck of cards keeps kids occupied for hours whether they are hanging around airports or avoiding mid day sun. parents can also have fun playing cards when kids have gone to bed.

Learn how to be the leader. You are their parent, not their friend. It is your job to teach them manners and teach them to be still and not disturb others. Do not think for a second that everyone else thinks your kids are as cute as you think they are. If you cannot control them leave them home.

When we travelled with our 5 children years ago, we always had a variety of foods from sandwiches to fruit, boiled eggs, chicken and different drinks. We brought plenty of books to read and games to play. Now when we take our grandchildren, we take the same food but now we have a screen, headsets and movies in the car, which is wonderful. Vive la difference!

just relax and enjoy your kids and don't worry about what anybody else thinks!

As a family we have taken several long airplane trips with young children. In order to keep them occupied, each of my children has their own travel backpack. Before the trip, we go shopping and purchase 2 or 3 items that they pick for their backpack for the trip. I also include a coloring book, a book of blank paper, colored pencils, pez dispenser with pez, puzzle and game books, a couple of reading books for my oldest, and a couple of surprises of my own. Then when we are on the plane, the children are so interested in finding all the surprises and playing with new items that before we know it we are at our destination. Making sure that the start of our vacation goes well with a pleasant flight sets the atmosphere for the whole vacation.

Keep them moving!!! Don't plan a visit to see family as a vacation - visit differant places every year.Provide them with the details and a list of things to do and places to go and allow them to be part of the planning. Don't go overboard on planning visits to museums and historical sights - there's only so many dead people kids can take!!!!

Go to Disneyland in Florida, and start your holiday on the day after the labour day weekend when all of the US school children are back at school. The queues are gone and everyone has a great time, it is a relaxing rather than stress making holiday.

Take small things with long battery life to entertain them - portable DVD's are great. It won't damage them irreparably for the rest of their lives, will keep them entertained and mum and dad can enjoy the trip too. Also, snacks are good too - low sugar and low preservatives are best - a tantrum halfway between Melbourne and LA is not a good look. (If this doesn't work ... next time leave them at home with Granny!)

Be sure to pack the portable dvd player and the nintendo ds and the PSP.

My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter have been traveling alot since she was born. The two of us have taken several 2 hour airline flights, and at least four 1,000 mile plus road trips. We both have the travel bug.

Zipper-seal bags are a godsend for packing her stuff. I pack a change of clothes per bag, separate bags for her toiletries and snacks, and empty bags to put soiled clothing in. I pack one diaper and several wipes in a bag and keep it with me for emergency use.

Also, call ahead to make sure the hotel has a crib, and ask that it be set-up when yopu arrive.

If you can allow each child to bring a friend. It will guarantee a much happier vacation for all involved. They have a playmate to enjoy activities with and will not be fighting with their siblings. If they are an only child, they will not be expecting you to entertain them. Allow each child to pack a SMALL backpack with games, cards, books, or notepads to stay busy. You should pack a few travel games that can include the entire group.

We never travel without a portable DVD player and books on CD. Long plane rides or car trips are eased when your child is entertained by "Sleeping Beauty" through headphones, and we've even invited other children on airplane rides to join in -- all to the delight of the parents traveling with them. Books on tape are great as well, when you feel that "watching" has gone on long enough, but still need that entertainment factor, "Curious George" or "Where the Wild Things Are" can be entertaining for anyone within earshot!

Make your kids EARN the trip before you leave. We have three young children (7,6 & 2) and have learned the best preparation is make them earn a "star" for each day of the vacation. Generally, we allow about three weeks before the trip for them to start earning "stars" - and you can't be too easy in giving them out. Make sure they understand that on vacation you will be eating at nice restaurants so "stars" are not given out unless they sit at the dinner table, say "please and thank-you" and most importantly follow directions and listen. The threat looms that if they do not earn their "stars" by a set day - they go to Grandmas and everyone else goes on the trip. (Of course, no one has ever failed to earn enough stars). Make sure that the final star is the hardest to earn and they really need to prove they can be good on the trip. Use a calendar with a color for each child and celebrate when they reach their "trip reward!" The younger ones will not get it the first time around - but soon they will be asking "can we start getting stars for the next trip??"

Extra patience on vacation goes along way.

The best way to deal with Kids on vacation is...Don't take them, and try to avoid resorts and locations that do.

Yes I said it... Admit it,thousands of you wanted to.

Take your house maid along on the trip.

I guess giving the kids a "bit" of flexibility would be a great thing... let them manage their own time (eating time, play time, sleep time etc.)... with a "bit" of guidance... using more "YESs" and less "NOs" will have a great affect as long as there is no "serious" physical harm.... that would definitely make them spend a great vacation.

We travel with our kids a lot. For longer trips, we make sure that we let the kids schedule a day for them. We may lounge by the pool and order pizza or go to a cheesy tourist attraction that we normally wouldn't see. As long as it's their idea, they will enjoy it a lot more.

When travelling long haul try and book night flights and change them into their night clothes so they feel like they should be going to sleep. My children generally then sleep most of the way.

The best tip I can suggest is that you choose the location with care. Find out if the location is suitable for children and, if you find it is, take advantage of what the location offers for the children. That way you enjoy your holiday and, what is best, the children enjoy theirs.

I have two girls 7 and 10 that we travel with a lot. If you want a perfect vacation with time to yourself visit the Hilton Squaw Peak resort in Phoenix. They have a Kids camp called Coyote Camp that is run by the most wonderful people. Jane and Marilyn head it up and are fantastic. Everyday they have activities for the kids that go way beyond a babysitting service. They do all sorts of art activities, nature hikes, and various other well planned out activities. My kids love it so much they ask us all the time when are we going to Phoenix again. They even have camp at night so you can go out to dinner without having to do one more trip to McDonald's. You will love the hotel too with it's Embassy Suite type rooms, great pool area with slide and lazy river, and fantastic service headed up by Joy and her staff. Trust me you will love it.