Keeping Kids Occupied When Traveling Series: Travel Books & Games Ideas

Tropical Family Travel concludes its keeping kids occupied when traveling series with some game and book recommendations. These products are compact, cost effective and easy to pack along for car and air travel. More importantly, these items will help ensure fun and creative travels for all passengers!

Books and games are classics for traveling and provide both solo and group opportunities to reduce hearing “are we there yet?”! Following is just a sampling of products to consider when packing up for your next family tropical escape.

Big Book of Things to Spot: For hours of entertainment, this book is great for kids of all ages, and adults, when traveling as it is engaging, fun and challenging. Complete with more than 4,000 animals, objects, and people to find in every setting imaginable, this activity book keeps kids entertained! ($12.99; www.hearthsong.com)

The Tessy & Tab Reading Club: Quick, easy to read, and nicely illustrated themed stories, kids follow Tessy the duck and Tab the Kangaroo’s adventures that are not different from what they do themselves. Stories feature activities like flying kits, playing in the park, going grocery shopping or taking a trip on an airplane. The Tessy & Tab books are compact for traveling and are durable. (Ages 2-6; annual subscription is $48; can purchase personalized set of 4 back issues for $9.95; www.tessyandtab.com)

Vinyl Sticker Play Scene books: A different story every time, this collection allows a child to create their own tale using the 50+ vinyl stickers. The stickers are a little hard to remove from its original packaging sheet for small hands, but once removed, a child can creatively create original stories in the zoo, with garden fairies, or room to play. (Ages 3+; $10.98; www.hearthsong.com)

Kids Travel: A Backseat Survival Kit: For a elementary aged-child, this is the perfect all-in-one kit to keep busy and entertained. The travel set contains a full-color book of car-appropriate activities, plus a 100-page game pad and a pouch full of everything kids need. (Ages 6+; $19.95; www.scholastic.com)

Scene It? Travel and To Go Editions: This popular adult interactive game is also available in travel and kids’ versions using magnetic tokens and on-screen dice so they can be played on the go. Scene It? games for all ages are fun, and they keep the kids’ brains engaged too! The travel versions should be a permanent feature in all vehicles for any road trips or to be used when flying. (Ages 8+; $19.99; www.screenlifegames.com)

The Klutz Book of Board Games: Compact and containing 15 different game boards, this game collection is all you need for interactive hours of fun. The game pieces are stored in a compartment attached to the book, further contributing to its traveling ease. These games might be best to play though when waiting in the airport or if you during the evenings before bed or rainy days. (Ages 7+; $24.95; www.scholastic.com)

Connect Four Travel Edition: A favorite classic game now allows kids to play Connect Four now with the travel edition, complete with a zip-up case and checker grid. A foam storage case keeps checkers secure during travels. (Ages 7+; $14.99; www.eToys.com)

Battleship Travel Edition: Yet, another classic game for all ages is available in a travel version. “You sunk my battleship” is a phrase that results in delight when playing the naval combat game of Battleship. Featuring a zip-up case with ocean and target grids, plus convenient storage compartments, the pegs and ships remain secure. (Ages 7+; $14.99; www.eToys.com)

ZENBENDERS®: Growing up with slide puzzles, Zenbenders is a new twist on the entertaining and challenging activity. These are easy to keep in a backpack or purse to ensure you are never without a challenge. Just select a challenge card and flip and slide the special ZenBender dice to recreate the pattern. There are four different levels of difficulty, different themes and 48 different patterns. (Ages 8+; $9.99; www.otb-games.com)

ROCK!™: An easy to travel with version on the popular hand game, this two player card game adds a challenging speed element and provides some quick entertainment when waiting in lines, at the airport or for a quick distraction! (Ages 7+; $9.99; www.otb-games.com)

Namits: A new thinking game great for travel is Namits which includes 165 word games you can play with the 20 double-sided laminated cards that are conveniently attached on a ring (preventing 20 card pick up). Smaller than a credit card, some cards contain the phrase “Name things that are…”, “Name different types of”, and “Name things that…” and you turn the card over to reveal your child’s quest. For example, “Name things that are pointed” or “Name different types of vegetables”. (Ages 4+; $7.98; www.hearthsong.com)

What are some of your favorite travel books and games for kids?

A New Look at An Old Favorite: Bethany Beach

Tropical Family Travel features guest bloggers who can share their family travel experiences. In this posting, George Evanko writes about his summer vacations at Bethany Beach, just a couple of hours away from the hecticness of Washington, DC. Welcome George!

Bethany Beach, Delaware is known as the “Quiet Resort” and that is considered a compliment. In many ways, it is an old-fashioned beach town: no high-rise condos, no bars or nightspots, no “party scenes.” It is a resort town geared toward the family and in many ways, you can imagine that a week in Bethany today is much like it was decades ago.

But there is a big change this year at Bethany Beach that actually makes a visit there different, while enhancing the town’s “retro” feel. An extensive beach replenishment program took place over the winter and, instead of just adding more sand, the town officials redesigned the look of the beach.

There are now dunes with sea grass growing in them in the sand closest to the boardwalk. These dunes are not accessible for beach use; they’re in place to protect the town’s beachfront properties from storm damage. But they also change the look and feel of the beach, and I think it is for the better.

The section of the beach for public use is now separated from the boardwalk by the dunes, probably a walk of 20 yards. The beach then extends about 70 yards to the ocean. Not only is there more beach than in recent years, it is more scenic thanks to the dunes. Also, for those strolling the boardwalk or staying in a beachfront home or condo, you see and hear less of the beach traffic. It makes a quiet resort even quieter. Some people I have spoken to say it feels like the beaches in the Carolinas now.

For families considering a beach trip, Bethany is an excellent choice. Beyond its' proximity to Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia and other Mid-Atlantic cities, it is really geared toward families, especially those with young children. When staying in the town limits, it is possible to do all of the usual vacation things – beach, lunch, shopping, game time – without using your car. Many people instead rely on bikes, and with bike/jogging lanes throughout town, it is easy to pedal around for errands or exercise. There is a playground with a basketball court and field also available for all to use.

When it comes to dining, Bethany offers a little of everything, from classic boardwalk fare to family-friendly restaurants to more upscale offerings. One other benefit of note for the consumer in your family: Rehoboth Beach, with dozens of outlet stores, is less than 15 miles away.

But even with all of these attractions and benefits, the best days at Bethany are often spent hanging out with the family, doing nothing more than hitting the beach, relaxing in the house, reading and chatting and then enjoying a home-cooked dinner. A quiet, peaceful day in the “Quiet Resort.”

To get a sense of what the new beach looks like at Bethany, you can always check out the view from a live webcam, found here: http://www.bethanycam.com/.

Photo Credit: George Evanko Communications

Keeping Kids Occupied When Traveling Series: Activity-Based Product Recommendations

Tropical Family Travel continues its series of product recommendations to keep kids occupied and entertained when traveling. Selecting enough activities/books/toys/games coupled with not over-packing is a challenge. To keep kids calm and happy, think of what interests them at home. Does your child like to read? Does your child prefer more activity-based projects? By what means are you traveling?

For air travel, we only take what will fit into a backpack used as our child’s carry-on and for car trips, we have a larger toy bag with surprises.

The anticipation of a trip for a child can be like Christmas, so, it is advisable to not share tales about the upcoming journey too soon, but there are products that help prepare your child for their vacation and build excitement. Two of our favorites tested include the following:

Pretend & Play® World Traveler: This kit helps kids get inspired about traveling. The packaging is very unique and creative and features airplane/train/bus tickets, a passport, maps, different currencies, photo journal and more. Ages 3-7; Retail price: $32.95 at www.scholastic.com

10 Days in the USA: This interactive and educational game is part of a series (Asia and Africa are two other games available) and helps youth learn about traveling and destinations. Using different transportation means, this game will get your child ready for any adventure. Ages 10+; Retail price: $24.99 at www.otb-games.com

Once families are in the “are we there yet?” stage, here are some activity-based ideas that are sure to not disappoint for different age groups.

Infants: PLAYSKOOL’s Shake, Rattle & Roll Teether: This teether is compact, easy to grip and provides many textures and colors to entertain baby with sights and sounds. Available at CVS/pharmacy locations. Retail price: $4.49

Toddlers: A couple of childhood classics are available in travel-size products. The pocket-size Magna Doodle® and the Etch A Sketch Hot Pocket® are perfect to take on any journey and provide some creative time for kids. Ages 3+, 4+ respectively; Retails for $5.72 and $6.97 respectively at www.minimus.biz

Twisty® Traveling Flash Cards: This has to be one of my favorite discovered travel products. Our 3-year-old took this product with her everywhere and wanted to show everyone as she went through each letter and corresponding word, along with the counting cards. These compact Twisty Cards are very durable, so even a child younger than 3 could benefit from this educational product, and it is all attached on a rotating ring so no cards on the floor! Ages 3+; Retail price, $7.99 at www.munchkin.com

Dr. Seuss Beginner Alphabet Cards: Take along these colorful, learning A-Z flashcards for an interactive activity. These types of cards have been a traveling necessity and are easy to pack, but beware of “26 card pick up” that kids find humorous. Ages 3-5; Retail price, $10.99 at www.scholastic.com

Short Stuffs & Fun with Felt: Two craft-based projects that can provide entertainment fun when traveling are offered by Scholastic. The Short Stuffs is a no sew stuffed animal kit, so safe and results in a travel companion. For Fun with Felt, kids can use their imagination to create animals, bugs and more. While there are a lot of pieces to keep track of, there is no glue or mess involved in their creations and the book has a storage pouch. Ages 4+ for both; Retails for $16.95 and $12.95 respectively at www.scholastic.com

Ariel Stationary Set: FAB/Starpoint has a travel-size activity set that is complete with a pouch, Ariel stickers, a small pad of paper and some colored pencils. The packaging is great and it measures about a 6x9, but the pad of paper is only about the size of a playing card. So, I recommend you supplement this kit by adding some additional paper and extra crayons for the trip. It can be easily packed and is durable to reuse and customize to your needs. Retails for $5.99 at Target.

Polly Pocket: For the older girl who can keep track of lots of pieces, Polly Pocket offers new Pop ‘n Swap Fashion Dolls that is easy to take-along and keep your tween/teen occupied as there are multiple heads, torsos, bottoms to click together creating different outfits. There are 400+ combinations. Retails for $20.

Kids Travel: A Backseat Survival Kit: A full-color book of car-appropriate activities, plus a 100-page game pad and a pouch full of everything you need to do everything described. The only backseat survival kit endorsed by Save the Parents' Sanity Foundation. Ages 6+; Retails for $19.95 at www.scholastic.com

In our final installation of the Keeping Kids Occupied When Traveling Series, Tropical Family Travel takes a look at a few books and games that will not disappoint!