I love to travel with my kids. But while relaxing moments can happen on a trip with young children, the overall experience is often far more taxing. Here are some of my top family travel tips on surviving and thriving during your next adventure with the littles:

Be early

Everything takes longer with kids in tow. Some little hiccup always seems to occur, be it extra fuss about a toy, an emergency visit to the restroom or something else. I’m a bit of a punctuality nut, but just two weeks ago our family nearly missed our flight to Disney World. We ended up being the last people seated on the plane — first for me. So remember, with kids, always leave and arrive earlier than you think you need to.

Bring distractions

Of my family travel tips, this one is essential on longer journeys. Pack the tablets and headphones, obviously. Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with giving kids iPads or the like on a multi-hour plane ride no matter what some say. Looking out the window gets a bit dull even for me, and I love to fly. Also, if your trip includes long waits in lines, like during our family’s recent trip to Disney World, tablets can be a plus. But don’t rely on just those. Mid-trip for us, one tablet broke (full-screen smash). Our 5-year-old daughter needed something else, and even our 8-year-old son wanted something other than his tablet. Break out the coloring books (Crayola Color Wonder are particularly helpful), the fidget spinners and other similar toys you can keep in your pocket. And don’t forget those easily portable snacks. You will need them all!

Pack light, but pack smart

You don’t need to bring everything to enjoy a trip with kids. Yet, some of the most important items are often overlooked. A reporter at Consumer Reports recently asked me for the most indispensable item for a diaper bag that no one remembers — my response, without hesitation, was toenail clippers. They’re compact, easily pass through airport security, and come in handy for the many times we suddenly need to cut something be it a travel packet of Tylenol or the packaging for a toy the kids are begging to play with right now. Yeah, pack smart.

Patience, patience, patience

It’s so easy to get swept up in the sights, sounds and new experiences on a family trip that you might not realize your kids are struggling a bit. When we traveled to Ireland last summer, we drove a lot from place to place, and moved almost as much from hotel to hotel. We didn’t build in enough downtime, and — boy — did the kids let us know. When you’re on the road, there are different stimuli, different foods, different beds and more. Everyone’s going to have their rough moments. Being patient is critical.

Don’t forget yourself

This might seem opposed to the last one, but it’s not. Parents traveling with kids need to remember that these trips are for moms and dads too. Some trips have built-in breaks, maybe a childcare center on a cruise ship or a family member traveling with you who can give you a break. Even if you don’t, find time for yourself. If there’s something you want to do, don’t sacrifice it because the kids are being grumpy. This can be a juggling act, but remember you’re the one paying for this trip, so the kids shouldn’t have all the fun.

Laugh at the crises

This final one of my family travel tips is the hardest to follow, but it honestly helps a lot. Some bad stuff, more than likely, is going to happen. On our Disney trip, we brought along our au pair. This was only her second-time ever on a plane. We all had only carry-ons with us, and put them in the overhead bins. When we arrived at the Orlando airport, someone got off the plane with her bag. Crisis! We reported the bag and talked to the airline, but in the end, we finally just left. What could we do? My wife and I felt awful, but also assured our au pair she’d have lots of extra shopping time to replenish the clothes she’d lost. Then, lo and behold, the airline called and the bag was returned! It’s not always that simple, but if a crisis happens, try to step back a bit and shrug. It sucks, but you’re still on vacation. And vacations are adventures, after all.

What family travel tips do you have?

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This blog post is part of the #NoDadAlone campaign. Fathering Together/City Dads Group, the National At-Home Dad Network, and Fathers Eve are joining forces to amplify messages that help dads recognize we are not alone! Follow #NoDadAlone on Instagram, and learn more at NoDadAlone.com.

Family travel tips photo by Hanson Lu on Unsplash.

I spent three wonderful weeks on a family trip to Ireland this past August. When, like me, you have two young children with you, a trip like that isn’t exactly a vacation. It’s an adventure.

Travel puts a lot of stress on kids and families. So while there are sights to see, wonders to explore and memories to be made, there are also many hurdles to overcome. One important thing I learned on this trip is that no matter who or what you encounter while traveling, kindness matters.

I’m going to start with the end of the story. We returned home after an eight-hour flight from Dublin to Philadelphia. The time difference was a killer, and there was no food on the plane my kids were willing to eat. My daughter, age 5, sat next to me on that incredibly long, exhausting flight. She’d made it through the plane ride without too much fuss. However, by the time we gathered our baggage in Philly, the stress of the journey and the exhaustion of a three-week trip all came crashing together.

She screamed. She threw a massive tantrum in the terminal. Hungry and exhausted, the one thing my daughter wanted and needed was to hold my hand. I happily offered it despite trying to juggle suitcases. I understood how upset she was and I wasn’t mad at all.

Then a stranger approached us.

This woman marched straight to my daughter and me and announced in a booming voice, “You’re parenting all wrong. You need to beat some sense into that girl.”

WTF.

I didn’t curse. Instead, I told the woman she was wrong and to leave us alone. I was appalled. And angry. This stark, crazy scene felt like a “Welcome back to ‘Murica” moment for us. Because one thing we’d seen in Ireland was a completely different attitude toward children. One I was not accustomed to.

Kindness.

Changes of countries, changes of attitudes

Everywhere we went in Ireland, people bent over backward to be kind and help. It didn’t matter if we were at a playground, in a department store or on a street. People saw that we had kids and treated us with great empathy and compassion.

Two weeks before our encounter with rudeness upon returning home, we had an opposite experience. My 8-year-old son melted down on the streets of Killarney. He’d been refused a lollipop and decided that required staging a tantrum. He lay on the side of the parking lot near some pubs and refused to move. He screamed a bit too. And while my wife and I did our best to handle the situation, strangers came by.

“Is there anything I can do?” said one.

“Oh, I’ve been there,” said another. “So sorry for this, but it’ll get better soon.”

Kindness. Just an attitude of kindness everywhere.

Perhaps it is a cultural thing. Irish laws are different. We quickly noticed every indoor area designed for kids (such as soft play centers) came equipped with a double-locking alarm mechanism to prevent kids from running out or strangers from going in. We noticed every place we went, even the tiniest middle-of-nowhere towns, had handicapped-accessible unisex bathrooms with changing tables — something we once struggled to find in America. Perhaps this mindset toward a “care culture” transcended laws and permeated into the general public?

Kindness comes in many forms

As we explored Ireland, we kept encountering that same kindness again and again.

One restaurant had nothing the kids wanted to eat. The chef marched out, offered to make something just for them, and soon did.

Our kids appeared bored while we checked into one hotel. A worker spotted them and then hurried over with coloring books.

When we tried taking a tour that was sold out, a stranger offered us his tickets on the spot, noting that I had younger kids than he did.

These were not isolated incidents. They were a pattern of kindness and compassion and understanding that children have different needs, everywhere we went in the country.

Back to that moment in Philly. Perhaps that woman was an isolated example. Or perhaps not. I vented about her rudeness later to a friend in New York. My friend said that three times in the past month someone told her to beat her son. This advice came from strangers who didn’t know her or her kid. The expectation to some is that kid needs and adult needs are the same, therefore kid behaviors and adult behaviors are the same.

I’m no longer mad at the rude woman. I feel sorry for her. And I feel sorry for everyone else who thinks it’s appropriate to say such things to parents. In the future, I wish all people, parents and non-parents alike, would treat others with a bit more kindness.

The world could use some more of it right about now.

Photo by Yan Krukau via Pexels.com

Friendship: What is it? Where do we find it? How do we keep it?

According to Facebook, a friend is someone we may have met for a minute, added to a list, and then left to the algorithm.

According to Marc Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, friends (like Romans and countrymen, respectively) tend to lend their ears and are often prone to peer pressure.

According to my youngest son, friendship is a compass that points to where your heart is, regardless of time or distance.

Sorry, Bill, but I’m with the kid on this one.

“I’m not tired,” said that same kid, lying through his eyelids, then his mouth fell open and never closed again. We were five hours into a 10-hour flight, somewhere over something dark. It was late. We were all tired. He was asleep.

We were on our way to Sweden. Again. The best friendships, you see, like any compass, are a magnetic thing, and they pull us through the iron of our heartstrings. Frankly, it is a wonderful way to travel.

I get that long-distance friendships aren’t for everyone. There are far more obstacles to family travel than not, with money being perhaps the biggest. It wasn’t easy for us, either. In fact, it nearly didn’t happen. Despite buying our airfare so far in advance that it was cheaper than most domestic travel, and having accommodations provided via the generosity of our friends and their timeshare, it was still a big undertaking that involved a lot of saving and even more corners cut. The benefits, of course, outweigh everything.

The best friendships are a good investment

The slopes of Storlien look soft from a distance, white and fluffy like marshmallow rivers running down the sloppy side of a bright, cold sundae; and the nuts in the thick of it are those you love the most. Mountains are made for metaphors, but they are not nearly as soft as the brochure may suggest. Still, it is worth it all the same, even more so for the sharing.

This is where we spent a week, a quick walk in the snow, uphill both ways, between cabin and ski lifts. We were an overnight train ride from Gothenburg, sans internet and dressed in more layers than an onion. The temperature stayed well below freezing. The wind blew it colder. The kitchen, however, was cozy with wine and conversation.

The best friendships, when done correctly, become the family that you choose.

Ours started seven years ago, when two little boys, both new in town, met in a California classroom. Neither spoke the language of the other, nor did they seem to care, but they knew what laughter sounded like and they understood kindness perfectly. Their friendship rippled to include their older siblings and their parents, from play dates to family game nights to theme parks on the weekends.

And then they moved back to Sweden, which could have been the end of it. We all know life has done meaner things.

But it wasn’t.

Absence, it turns out, really does make the heart grow fonder, but the digital age provided a tether that wouldn’t break. The boys’ long-distance friendship grew all the stronger, and they took the rest of us right along with them. It is an easy comfort.

Hence, our trip to Sweden, and plans are already in motion for the next trip we will all take together. We’re thinking somewhere warmer.

Friendship is anything you want it to be, and everything you make it.

Winter sports are optional.

This article about long-distance friendships was originally published in 2018. Best friendships main photo by Sunny Jat via Pexels.

Editor’s Note: We’re digging into our ample archives to find some great articles you might have missed over the years. This one comes from 2014.

Never did I think the person holding a screaming baby on a cross-country flight taking off at 5:30 a.m. would be me.

Yet there I was, returning to New York City with body odor ripening as my deodorant quickly vanished under the stress of what would be the flight from hell.

Ah, the joys of flying with your baby.

“Why me, God? What did I do to deserve this?” I thought while people searched for their seats and visibly prayed it wasn’t next to this dude with a 1-year-old screaming for freedom from his Baby Bjorn.

When the couple sitting next to me realized they were stuck with us, I apologized in an attempt to win some sympathy. It didn’t work. All I got in return was a look of disapproval.

After everyone buckled in and the lights dimmed for the takeoff of our five-hour flight, I followed our pediatrician’s advice and gave my son an eight-ounce bottle of milk. It was the first time since I woke him at 4 a.m. that he was silent. During those brief 10 minutes, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed down.

It was then I realized nobody was going to say anything to my face and, besides, who cares what other people are thinking? If someone said something about me and my caterwauling baby son it would made them look like an ass. We were simply trying to get home.

Once I calmed down I could feel my son, who was strapped facing forward on my chest, fall asleep. I took another deep breath, closed my eyes, and slept for about an hour.

That’s when I had to use the bathroom.

The screaming baby airplane bathroom blues

When I closed the bathroom door the only thing I was thankful for was that I am not claustrophobic. Have airplane bathrooms shrunk? Maneuvering inside such a small space with a 22-pound kid strapped to you is like doing yoga inside a box.

My first option was to take my son out and place him on the floor while I peed. That thought went down the toilet when I looked down and saw water. And probably worse.

The second option: pee with him still strapped on. I hate to admit it but this wasn’t the first time I’ve done this. So how bad could it be?

I had to maneuver around to avoid peeing all over my son. Wailing soon ensued and my nerves shot through the low, slanted roof as I attempted to relieve myself. I was astonished that I managed to shoot in the right direction. “Damn I’m good,” I thought as I zipped up.

Now, time to change my screaming baby boy.

As I searched aimlessly around the small space for a changing table, I started to think I was still half-asleep. I splashed some water in my face to try and snap out of it. After another fruitless attempt, I opened the door to ask the flight attendant for help.

“This particular plane doesn’t have baby changing tables,” he said.

I closed the door, closed my eyes and took a deep breath. All I have to do is be quick about this, I thought. Piece of cake.

I took my son out of the Baby Bjorn and turned him toward me. “Sorry. There is no changing table so we’re going to have to do this old school on the toilet,” I said. I hugged him, placed the changing pad on the toilet lid then placed him on top. He had this look on his face of “what the hell are you doing to me?” that reminded me of Stewie from Family Guy.

Then he slipped off the toilet seat.

I imagined people in the last 10 rows of the plane hearing his screeching and thinking the worst. Sweat dripped from my forehead while I got him off the pee-covered floor. I cursed United Airlines.

After finally changing my son, I looked at myself squarely in the mirror and vowed out loud to myself, “Never again will I fly alone with my child.”

I know one thing is for sure, next time I see a father flying alone with a screaming baby I will go out of my way to say hello, tell him what my experience was like, and offer whatever assistance I can.

Photo: © Irina Schmidt / Adobe Stock.

A few weeks before our family left for a weeklong Disney World adventure, I posted a meme. It read, “Vacationing with kids is just parenting in another city.” Now, a couple of months removed from our Florida trip, I began thinking back on a few things I learned along the way. My hope is these theme park hacks might save you some money and frustration during your next family trip.

Maybe skip the rental car

Most of us are programmed to rent a car when we travel simply for convenience. We experienced multiple issues on our trip with two different rental car companies. One was literally the subject of a Seinfeld episode (holding the reservation is the most important part of a reservation!). Then there was the dead car battery four days into our vacation. And, finally, the dead key fob that resulted in us being stranded in a Disney World parking lot for three hours. 

My main takeaway from these incidents: maybe we didn’t need a rental car at all. 

We spent most days swimming at our resort or visiting with family staying at their nearby hotels. On the other days, we went from our resort to the theme parks and back. The rental was basically parked most of the day in an overpriced Disney lot for $25 to $50 a day. That’s on top of the rental car fee that included 10 different taxes and fees not to mention fluctuating gas prices and tolls. In contrast, an Uber from our hotel to the parks was $15 to 20 one way.

So for around $40 a day, we could have been hassle-free. And we would still have our neck pillows which were trapped in our dead car and then lost by the rental company.

Get the “fast pass”

If you are doing Disney or any theme park thing, just go all in. Buying the “fast pass” (or the park’s equivalent) is well worth the extra cost per ticket (the Walt Disney World Genie+ fast pass costs $15 per person). It allows you to skip waits for several rides throughout the day. We used ours to focus on the rides that usually have the longest lines. Then you can save your actual waiting for other less popular rides with shorter or more reasonable lines. 

Buy souvenirs before you get there

I have three kids, and I knew they would want souvenirs at Disney. So, we hit up a nearby Target and let them go nuts (not too nuts but enough to be happy). They got a branded water bottle from the $1 section at the very front of the store and then I let each of them pick three T-shirts (one for each park we were visiting). Buying nine T-shirts with their favorite characters on them for under $12.99 each saved us a bundle when shirts at the parks were $20 and up.

Pro theme park hacks: We also promised we would buy them their own “laser swords” on Amazon so they would be less inclined to want to build their own light saber in the Star Wars park at $150 per person. Not to mention, the more bought when you travel, the more to figure out how to bring back home.

Eat affordably

Breakfast, lunch and dinner add up quickly. One way to save is to stay at a hotel that includes a free hot breakfast. (“Hot” usually means a waffle maker and a tray of scrambled eggs versus cold cereal and fruit). For lunch, many parks let you bring food in, so we hit a supermarket for cold cuts and snacks.

If you want to splurge, save it for dinner. While we would have saved more by eating outside of Disney, having a reservation for one of the themed on-site restaurants proved a fun experience. It also offered a nice time to recharge since those restaurants tended to be less busy and crowded than the walk-up restaurants. 

If your hotel room has a kitchen, making a simple meal for one or two nights can really save you. Think pasta or hot dogs.

Pro theme park hacks: Bring a refillable water bottle! Many parks today have water fountains or refill stations. For example, concession stands at Disney World let you refill with ice and water for free. 

Remember to have fun

You’ll have spent a lot of money just getting to your destination. You’ll spend even more when you get there. But don’t get so caught up in what you have spent that you forget why you are there: to make good memories with your family.

Make sure not only that kids are having fun but also that they are not so tired by day’s end that they won’t want to ever go to another theme park. At Disney World, for example, the parks are huge, and for much of the year, Florida is hot. And, don’t forget, kids love to complain. Be ready for that and be adaptable because kids will be kids.

Pro theme park hacks: Take the opportunity to teach your kids a bit about the value of a dollar. When they ask for some overpriced trinket, see how much they still want it when you tell them to use their allowance. That’s how you raise a smart consumer.

Theme park hacks photo: © Rawpixel.com / Adobe Stock.

Take the kids to an amusement park on a summer weekend? Are you crazy? Not all at. A trip to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania makes for the perfect two- or three-day getaway and, as seasoned veterans of Hershey, Pa., we have insider tips on not just surviving while visiting Hersheypark but thriving there!

In addition to helping your family enjoy all the fun, thrills and food with minimal hassles, we can help you possibly get in the gates for FREE. Scroll to the bottom for a chance to win an epic family four-pack of tickets to visit this summer or later in the year.

Tip #1. There’s a Hersheypark app for that!

Most people enter Hersheypark and start with the rides nearest to the entrance. Then, they either slowly work their way back or follow a rigid agenda that tries to squeeze everything into one day. Forget those approaches.

Surviving Hersheypark starts with the free and reasonably reliable Hersheypark mobile app. It enabled our family to strategize and maximize our fun time.

First, keep a loose agenda. Start by creating it based on park geography using the app’s online park map. Then drill into its useful tools, such as ride descriptions and minimum heights, then apply the app’s ultimate weapon — a “ride wait time” feature.

We’re always obsessed with the app during our visits. We kept a close eye for wait times under 20 minutes for our favorite attractions like Sooperdooperlooper, Breakers Edge Water Coaster and Candymonium. When we see those magic numbers, we take off!

Tip #2: Don’t let rain wash out your good times

Most families cringe when rain starts falling during their visit to Hersheypark. Not us.

Wait times are usually shortest when inclement weather hits. The crowds bolt indoors to shop and eat or leave to head home. That means more rides for us! We always come prepared with rain ponchos and relish having the park nearly to ourselves during showers.

Don’t like getting wet? You can still ride while escaping the rain on several indoor/covered rides: Reese’s Cupfusion, Laff Trakk, Kissing Tower, the carousel and bumper cars, for example. Or head over to Hershey’s Chocolate World for their free and entertaining chocolate factory tour ride.

Visiting Hersheypark Pro Tip: If the weather gets severe and causes the majority of major rides and attractions to close for a continuous 60 minutes, a voucher may be issued for a return visit for the current operating season.

Tip #3: Don’t miss Hersheypark’s Jolly Rancher rides

Everyone always wants to be in on what’s new and trending. Here are two bright additions to Hersheypark’s playscape.

Jolly Rancher Remix is one of 15 Hersheypark rollercoasters. Formerly known as the Sidewinder, this reimagined boomerang coaster takes thrill seekers on a “flavor ride.” Riders and their senses zoom forward and backwards on the same track, inverting six times in 90 seconds while jamming to sweet, catchy tunes. Jolly Rancher Remix features five randomized flavor rides, like Watermelon or Green Apple. Each features completely different music, lights and SCENTS as you blast through the “flavor tunnel.” You’ll definitely want to ride it a few times like we did to compare each immersive experience. 

Mix’d Flavored By Jolly Rancher is steps away from Jolly Rancher Remix. Riders of this family attraction sit in one of the massive four arms and spin 360 degrees. The ride really shifts into gear when it mixes, lifts and drops, providing spectacular park views as you dodge the other riders. My 7-year-old couldn’t get enough of this ride!

While there, don’t miss the Frozen Spoon food truck next to Mix’d. It offers Jolly Rancher Grape, Green Apple, Cherry, and Blue Raspberry sorbets to help keep your family cool and refreshed.

Tip #4: New heights in amusement park food and treats 

We don’t usually get excited about eating at a theme park. Hersheypark, though, elevates the whole experience. There are quality, name-brand options across the park. These include many of our favorites, such as Nathan’s Famous, Subway, Chick Fil-A and Moe’s Southwest Grill. The East Coast Mini Donuts are also unbelievable!

Additionally, we always carve time out for a family meal at The Chocolatier. This culinary destination features a restaurant, bar and an expansive second-floor, outdoor patio with spectacular views.

The largest restaurant in all Hershey, Pa., The Chocolatier features a diverse menu. We enjoyed nachos, chicken and waffles, flatbreads and a host of other unique dining options. Our best memories, however, are of their dreamy dessert menu. It includes Chocolate Fun-Due (like a chocolate fountain), The Chocolatier Cake and milkshakes.

Visiting Hersheypark Pro Tip: Make reservations at The Chocolatier in advance using the Open Table app or the restaurant website. Book as soon as you know the dates you’re visiting the park this summer because wait times can be long!

Visiting Hersheypark Pro Tip #2: Staying hydrated is important. You’re allowed to bring in your own sealed water bottles or empty bottles that can be refilled at various locations throughout the park.

Tip #5: “Sweet Start” — More rides, less waiting

An incredible bonus offered exclusively to guests at the official resorts of Hersheypark and some levels of season-pass holders is the “Sweet Start” option.

Sweet Start allows you to feel like a VIP. You can enter Hersheypark one hour before the general public and access several popular areas in the front half of the park including Candymonium, Skyrush, Comet and Sooperdooperlooper. This amazing perk enabled our family to go several times on rollercoasters that usually have long lines and wait times.

While Sweet Start is only for the rides in the front half of the park, it sets you up to be among the first ones on any of the rides in the back half once Hersheypark fully opens. That’s invaluable on busy summer days.

Lastly, if you come the day before your ticketed visit to the amusement park, “Preview Plan” allows you to enter Hersheypark three hours BEFORE closing that night. That’s three hours of bonus fun time to enjoy the rides and attractions.

Visiting Hersheypark Pro Tip: One of Hersheypark’s newer and most popular rides is Candymonium. Located in Hershey’s Chocolatetown, Candymonium is the park’s tallest, fastest, longest and sweetest rollercoaster. It has become our favorite thrill ride in all the land. With average wait times of an hour or more, Candymonium is easily one of the most popular rides in the entire park. Candymonium is included in Sweet Start, so make it your FIRST stop when the gates open. We’ve also found wait times for Candymonium dip in the late afternoon so that could be another window of opportunity to ride this impressive coaster.

Tip #6: Hit The Boardwalk waterpark when it opens

The lines for waterpark attractions are much more manageable when The Boardwalk first opens for the day. They are also much lighter on weekday visits, so skip weekends if you have the choice.

There’s something for everyone at The Boardwalk, but we recommend making a beeline for Breakers Edge Water Coaster. It’s an incredible ride and usually has the longest wait time. We usually hit it three times in a row before the crowds descend on this ultra-popular attraction.

Visiting Hersheypark Pro Tip: Shade is a rarity in The Boardwalk. Make sure to set up a home base under one of the canopied or umbrella areas when you first arrive. Those spots go quickly!

Tip #7: Don’t do everything in one day – stay overnight at an official park resort

Rather than drive three hours back to New York City after an action-packed day of thrills in Hersheypark, we stayed overnight at The Hotel Hershey — located directly across from the amusement and water parks. The Hotel Hershey, one of three official lodging sites, was as memorable of an experience as the park! The accommodations were luxurious and provided panoramic views of the rides and attractions.

Why is The Hotel Hershey so special?

• You receive Hershey Bars and have photo opportunities with some of the park mascots at check-in.
• Breathtaking, outdoor pool complex (there’s an indoor pool on the property, too) to cool off. Or sip frozen cocktails under a shady umbrella while watching your kids zip and zag through water slides in the pool.
• Roasting s’mores at a family-friendly fire pit EVERY evening.
• Loads of engaging activities throughout the day like making ice-cream sundaes, playing “glow golf” after dark and bingo where the prizes are full-size Hershey bars!

When you stay at an official Hersheypark Resort, you receive VIP perks like Sweet Start, Preview Plan, and free shuttle service to an exclusive drop-off location – just steps away from the front gate of Hersheypark.

Ticket giveaway for visiting Hersheypark

Want to win a family four-pack of tickets so you can visit Hersheypark? Enter below for a chance to win four general admission tickets this summer or later in the year for the park’s Halloween event, Dark Nights, or Christmas Candylane? Winning tickets will be sent via email.

Important details:

• We’re giving away one family four-pack of 1-day ticket general admission to Hersheypark. (Each winner will receive four 1-day passes.)
• Contest runs July 26 through Aug 9, 2022.
• Entrants must be 18 years or older and residents of the United States.
• ONE winner will be chosen randomly using Rafflecopter after the entry period ends Aug. 9, 2022.
• Winner must follow Rafflecopter instructions for getting entries
• Winner must supply email address to receive four electronic tickets to Hersheypark 2022. Tickets are for one daily admission to Hersheypark. The tickets expire Jan. 1, 2023.
• Hersheypark charges a separate fee for parking, which is NOT included with these tickets. The winner will need to pay for parking if needed.
• City Dads Group is not responsible for lost or stolen tickets.
• Winner must respond to prize notification within 48 hours otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: Lance Somerfeld is a member of Hersheypark’s Sweetest Families Program. The program includes complimentary park passes and hotel accommodations for our family provided by the kind folks at Hershey’s Entertainment & Resorts. His thoughts and opinions are genuine and have not been influenced from the brand. All photos provided by Hersheypark.

Whenever possible, I try to make any family vacation into a family road trip. Typically, the threshold of cost versus time savings I use usually equates to roughly 12 to 14 hours of driving time. Anything longer than that, I look hard into flying or even taking the train. 

I make some exceptions to that rule. For example, my family will be taking a one-week vacation to Myrtle Beach over the summer. The drive itself will be close to 20 hours; however, the cost savings of renting a car and driving from Kansas City rather than flying made me look hard at the possibility of driving. 

We have prepared ourselves for a road trip of this length. We have traveled from Kansas City to Denver which is nine hours and “survived.” Not that having kids in tow didn’t make it difficult at times. Children have unexpected bathroom needs. They get bored looking out the window. They don’t like your choice in music. And they constantly ask, “Are we there yet?”

Whether it’s been one hour or nine, here are some tips that have helped us get by and make the most of the time on the road together. 

Plan your breaks for your family road trip

The first two tips for surviving your family road trip go hand in hand. Before heading out the door, have an idea of where you will be stopping along the way. Plan your big breaks, such as lunch and dinner, along with some of the sites that you want to see before reaching your ultimate destination. This allows you to be able to tell your family how far from a specific stop you are. It can also help avoid many of the small bathroom breaks when you can tell your kids that you will be stopping in 15 or 30 minutes. 

Expect to stop more often than planned

Going into a family road trip with a plan of where to stop is always ideal. However, understand there likely will be unplanned, and often necessary, breaks. Acknowledging this will ease your stress level when it happens. It will also make it easier to accept you won’t beat the original ETA your GPS gave you when you left the house. 

Bring many snacks, drinks

Bringing a cooler of favorite snacks will help your kids survive the family road trip. Make sure to pack some healthy items so they aren’t eating junk food the entire time. Bring your own water bottles and fill them up whenever you do stop to save on the cost of drinks.

As the main driver for many of our trips, I like to sneak a few of my favorites under my seat. Whether it is Australian licorice, a bag of beef jerky or some cracked pepper sunflower seeds, I’m ready when hunger hits.

Forget screen time limits

The family road trip is one time when screen time becomes almost unlimited. It may appear that the motive behind this is only so we aren’t being constantly bothered by a bored child. Yes, it helps the time pass for them but it also helps us as a family stay on the road longer and get to our destination sooner with minimal breaks. 

There is a caveat though. We do make them take breaks every couple of hours from the screens. There is nothing worse than a kid getting car sick from playing video games the entire time on the road. I speak from experience. 

Make a game out of your family road trip

When the kids are not on their screens, play some old-school games on your family road trip. Try “I spy,” which can always be interesting when you are playing with younger kids. Make bingo cards ahead of time with various states so you can play the license plate game. Get creative!

Good headphones for the passengers

When we leave on any family road trip, the one thing we will turn around for is headphones. There is nothing more distracting than hearing one of your kids playing on their Nintendo Switch in the back seat while you are listening to a baseball game or a podcast on the radio. Their electronic devices are a way to keep them occupied but, as the driver, the only thing keeping you entertained is the car radio. Make sure that you can hear it and listen to what you want.

A version of this previous appeared on The Rookie Dad. Photo: ©Yakobchuk Olena / Adobe Stock.

I remember going to the NCAA tournament with my family like yesterday even though it was many March Madnesses ago.

My first memory is of the tears of my son, Middle Man, hit the downtown Indianapolis pavement as swarms of NCAA basketball fans buzzed by us in all directions. A piece of his action figure fell off and he wanted us to find it.

We’d already walked several city blocks and were surrounded by thousands of people in Kentucky Blue and the maize and blue of Michigan. I’d been looking forward to this day for weeks, but like most outings with kids, things weren’t going the way I’d imagined.

A few weeks earlier, I received a chance to get free tickets for all of us to the NCAA tournament. I was very nervous when I saw the times of the games. The second Friday night game STARTED at 10 p.m. Sure, there was no chance of my kids making it to that game but, truthfully, there was barely a chance of me staying up that late. Luckily for us, a Sunday game time was announced with a tipoff for just after 5pm. Perfect.

The 5 p.m. start time gave us just enough time to sneak in a nap for our 2-year-old, aka The Blonde Bomber. On days she doesn’t nap, it is not a pretty sight. If things were going to go well, we NEEDED her to nap. Fortunately she slept. A lot. In fact, we had to wake her so we could head downtown for the big game.

We told the kids to bring something they could play with in the car, at dinner and at the game. My 7-year-old (First Born) brought a Barbie, Middle Man brought his action figure (ironically, it was Wolverine), and Blonde Bomber managed to make it out of the house with three dice. Yes, dice. Where does she get this stuff?

I grabbed the NCAA tourney tickets while my wife assembled a diaper bag, a diaper bag only a third child deserved. All it contained was a diaper and Ziploc bag of wipes.

We quickly loaded up the car, then headed downtown. Our plan: grab an early dinner then stuff our faces with snacks at the game.

We made it downtown an hour and a half before tip off. We immediately found parking, mainly since my wife convinced me to pay for parking as opposed to my usually routine of driving in circles looking for an elusive street parking spot. Now, it was time to find food.

When we took to the streets (without a stroller), it reminded me a little bit of when the Super Bowl was in town. Crazy. Busy. Drunk sports fans, not particularly paying attention to the short people we were dragging through the streets. This was also around the same time my son lost a piece of his action figure. Honestly, it was all very overwhelming.

The first restaurant we went into was telling its customers, it would be 45 minutes. Not the walk-ins — the people who ACTUALLY HAD RESERVATIONS!

I got on my phone and called every nearby restaurant. Nothing less than an hour wait, everywhere. It looked like if we wanted to eat, we were going to miss part of the game. I was on the verge of freaking out. Then, my wife spotted a Japanese restaurant across the street. It was our last resort.

We opened the door to the Japanese restaurant leaving behind the crazy drunken college kids stumbling through the streets of downtown, to absolute silence. An oasis in the middle of a desert! It was completely bizarre. There were a few tables of people eating and a chef making sushi, but it was absolutely silent. My wife and I just kind of looked at each other in amazement. I told her it was like walking into a daycare at nap time.

Within minutes we were seated, eating edamame, and waiting for our sushi. During the wait, our kids were sword fighting, poking each other with their chop sticks, and rolling the dice they brought. I never would have guessed those were going to come in handy. So much for a quiet restaurant.

I wouldn’t say the service was the best, but they really enjoyed making sure our kids’ Shirley Temple drinks were always topped off. Sounds nice, but when your secretly trying to dehydrate your kids so they won’t have to use the bathroom at the game, it’s not that great. Honestly, we were grateful we found any place with seats open and food to serve.

After eating we headed to the stadium with just enough time to get to our seats before tipoff. Our seats for this NCAA tourney game — absolutely perfect. Our backs were to the wall of the suites, which meant we had no one directly behind us. We were on an aisle, so the kids had space to roam a bit. If given the opportunity, I would not have chosen any other seats in the place. Except maybe suites where they had beer.

The game itself went a little something like this:

Tipoff: Concession stand trip No. 1

We decided to get the messiest, most labor intense snack item possible for kids: peanuts. I spent much of first half shelling. The Blonde Bomber was eating them faster than I could shell them. Even though I was doing the work, she had the nerve to get angry when I would eat one myself.

Start of second half: Concession stand trip No. 2

Jumbo soft pretzel with cheese.

13:20 minutes remaining in the NCAA game

I get accidentally poked in the eye by my 2-year-old’s salt covered index finger.

8:00 remaining: Concession stand trip No. 3

To my disbelief, we ordered a second jumbo soft pretzel with cheese.

6:00 remaining

The ground under our seats looks like a landfill.

5:00 remaining: Fourth and final concession stand trip

We bought a bag of Reece’s Pieces so big it would have made movie theater candy jealous.

2:00 remaining

Middle Man punched the Blonde Bomber in the face over who could be the guard of the Reese’s Pieces.

1:56 remaining

Middle Man and Blonde Bomber were both crying hysterically. He was crying because we took away his candy; she was understandably upset because of the punch to the face.

1:00 remaining

My wife took over full-time parenting duty. At this point, I was too wrapped up in the back and forth of the game to do any meaningful parenting.

3 seconds left

Kentucky hit a three pointer to go up by three.

As time ran out, Michigan missed a shot that would have sent the game into overtime. I’m not sure how my family would have handled overtime, but I don’t think it would have gone well, at all. Hallelujah for the game ending in regulation time.

As soon as the buzzer went off, we headed for the exits. Most of the 35,000 fans who attended the game were UK fans and they stayed for trophy presentation so it wasn’t too bad getting out of there.

We made the long walk, actual a long carrying of the kids, back to the car. We were exhausted. It was such a fun, memorable day my family and I will never forget. What a day. What an adventure! May it never happen again.

A version of this NCAA March Madness story first appeared on Indy’s Child. Photo: © sidorovstock / Adobe Stock.

The drive over the river and through the woods last week wasn’t quite as pleasant as you remember it being, huh? Then you need the best road trip apps available whether taking the kids to a family holiday gathering or on a grand vacation across the country.

Best family road trip apps for before you leave

Packr or PackPoint

Not sure what to bring? The free Packr and PackPoint apps help you figure it out. It considers your destination, the forecasted weather, the length of stay and planned activities to provide a checklist of essentials. (You can also buy “premium” versions of each with added features and app integrations for $2.99.)

I prefer Packr because it adds checklists of things to do before you leave. This includes preparing your home (take out the trash, turn down the thermostat, etc.) and car (don’t forget your sunglasses or driver’s license). However, Packr only runs on IOS so if you have an Android phone, get PackPoint.

Roadtrippers

If you don’t want to miss anything cool on the way, Roadtrippers helps find interesting activities, museums or offbeat sights along your route as well as food, gas and hotels. This includes popular (and not-so-popular) landmarks, parks, nature walks, historic sites and the odd mega-sized ball of twine. The free app will do for most, but there is an ad-free version for $30 a year that includes offline maps, live traffic info and more.

TripAdvisor

The OG of travel recommendation sites, TripAdvisor, provides a lot of reviews of local restaurants, accommodations and attractions so you can determine whether that ball of twine is really big enough to see.

Essential travel apps for driver/navigator

Waze

Seriously, who doesn’t depend on Waze? The crowd-sourced traffic information provides the best real-time updates on it all: traffic jams, road construction, highway hazard and — best for the lead-footed — speed trap and red light camera alerts.

In my own personal comparison tests over the years, Waze regularly provides the fastest path and the best re-routing when backups or accidents occur. Yes, it will occasionally offer odd alternate routes (exiting and re-entering a highway or interchange to save a minute or two, for example) when you don’t expect them. But, as I tell my wife, it’s better to yell at the app than the driver or the passenger seat navigator.

Best road trip app alternative — Traffic/map: Google Maps runs on Waze technology (Big G owns W) but doesn’t offer the robust features. The rerouting feature sometimes just doesn’t kick in. However, it works fairly well especially if you are in a less populated area where there may not be many Waze users.

iExit

Need to find gas soon at a reasonable price? A place for a quick bite? A bed to crash in for the night?

The iExit app does it all, providing you’re driving a U.S. interstate highway (and, sometimes, a major state roadway). This one-stop app gets you what you want when you need an unplanned break not far off your primary route.

Helpful alternatives — Food and gas: iExit is integrated with Yelp and GasBuddy to provide the accurate and important info you need on food and gas, respectively, but having these apps handy is good if you venture off the interstate system.

Must-have road trip apps for the kids in the backseat

Kids today are probably more in tune with what’s available for them, tech-wise, when it comes to smartphone and tablet game apps than you or me, so let them at it. And aside from letting them go wild on the kiddie stuff available through your Netflix or Amazon Prime accounts, how about …

Podcasts — Dealer’s choice

Most podcasts are available on multiple platforms these days, so fire up your fav. Then, download some eps of the shows on our list of great kids’ podcasts. Adults will find many of these as smart and entertaining as the kids so you might want to hook them into your car’s audio system.

Spotify

If music is what they want, check out the “Kids & Family” genre on Spotify. You’ll find family-friendly songs from popular adult artists as well as kid-oriented musicians. A special “In The Car” tab features playlists perfect for singing or bopping your head along. You can also find more kid podcasts, nursery rhymes, stories and more to keep the little one entertained. Best of all: you can listen to free if you don’t mind the repetitive ads, but a subscription is worth the money.

By the time I settled into my seat, my flight had already been delayed twice. I took a deep breath, trying hard not to notice that if my flight had left on time, I’d be home hugging my kids by now.

It’s OK. I had an awesome two-day getaway with some fellow dads. This was the price: four flights in 48 hours. I was at peak exhaustion now, peak frustration. Maybe even peak hangover.

Then I saw the crew who would be sitting behind me.

As a father of three, I’m sympathetic to the perils of those traveling with young kids, especially on a plane. My wife and I took three children from Cincinnati to Honolulu, after all. A long day of air travel with kids is a grind. People aren’t always nice, and kids, well, they’re kids. That is why when a family with two kids, roughly 4 and 6 years of age, occupied the seats behind me, I didn’t really think too much of it. I had seen this group in the terminal, and they all seemed perfectly reasonable.

Yeah … about that.

Humans aren’t really meant to jam themselves shoulder to shoulder in a thin, metal tube and be hurtled through the atmosphere via flame and thrust. Adults accept this as part of modern life. Kids aren’t so enlightened. Therefore, they intuitively know, deep down in their DNA, when the door of a plane closes, it’s time to freak the hell out.

Getting their kicks

First, I began to feel a lot of pressure in my lower back. I tried to convince myself I was in an experimental massage chair, but the 6-year-old girl behind me was just kicking my seat. It was firm. Inconsistent. Sometimes violent.

I patiently waited for one of the adults to ask her to stop. Surely these reasonable parents would notice the constant pounding on the back of my seat, and surely (don’t call me Shirley!) they are the type of reasonable parents who don’t want their kids annoying passengers on a full flight. I mean, that’s what you’d do, right? Right!?

Yeah … about that.

Even after I made eye contact with the dad, the kicking continued. My eyes clearly but silently said, “Hey man, I get it. This sucks. I’ve been there, and I feel your frustration, but could you please ask your kid to stop kicking my seat?” OK — an objective reading of my mask-covered face would probably read more like, “If your kid keeps kicking my seat, we may need an air marshal. Or a parachute. Possibly both.”

With the comedy of Bill Burr in my headphones, I decided to let his voice take me away from the constant pounding on my lower back. I turned the volume of the Netflix comedy special up to drown out the bickering and screaming.

What I really couldn’t handle, though — the silence of the parents. I accept that kids can be a handful, but permissive parents set my blood to boil. The only thing keeping me from letting these two know how I felt about their parenting style was the awareness of being trapped on a plane in a time of great tension and unruly plane passengers. As much as I think my handsome face deserves 15 minutes of fame, I really didn’t want it to be via a mugshot after being forcibly removed from an airplane. All I could think about was Ben Stiller finally cracking in Meet The Parents, and shouting, “Bomb, bomb, bombity bomb bomb!”

When the plane landed, things got really serious

The 4-year-old boy got physical. He thrashed and kicked. He reached up to hit the flight attendant call button. Sometimes he was in the aisle next to me, his head and legs crashing into me and other passengers. Again, the parents did not intervene.

He started screaming and yelling, pushing against the immovable line of people in front, spinning around and bashing his backpack against everyone and everything. At this point, the parents finally tried to stop him. His resistance increased.

Deplaning flight a real pain in the …

The dad asked the mom to control the kid, and the mom calmly explained that if she physically restrained him, things would get worse. She was right, of course, but we had all had it by then. There was no sympathy to be found. After this kid shoved his head straight up my ass, pushing me forward while providing a complimentary rectal exam, I finally let out, “C’mon!? Geeez!”

Yeah, I know. Not much of an outburst in the grand scheme of things. But the defeated look in the eyes of his parents immediately made me regret my outburst.

Eventually, we cleared out. And, naturally, I found myself right next to the dad on the tram connecting the gates to the terminal. We made eye contact, but he looked away. At this point, in empathy, I should’ve apologized. I should’ve offered words of encouragement to my fellow dad.

Yeah … about that.

I didn’t say anything. That I regret. I should have said, “Well, that was fun, but it’s over now.” Anything. Just some words to diffuse the tension. Just some words to make him feel like he wasn’t a failure, that we all didn’t hate him, and that other parents felt empathy and not judgment. Instead, I stood there, silently, with angry, judgmental eyes.

This man didn’t curse at his kids. He didn’t raise his hand with a threat of violence. No “I’ll beat your ass when you get home.” Isn’t that a victory that should be celebrated?

In a world of anger and violence, these parents did their best to keep their kids as calm as possible. Sure, I was annoyed, and I didn’t agree with their methods, but who am I to decide for another dad how he should treat his kids? If I’m honest, my kids are great most of the time, but every now and then they are soul-crushing monsters who listen to nothing but the wild adolescent voices in their heads. In those moments I encourage you to offer empathy, kindness, grace. Maybe even a beer. Remind your fellow dads, fellow parents and fellow humans that we really are in this together. And maybe, just maybe we’ll change the world.

And maybe, just maybe, next time I’ll climb over my seat and start kicking that little girl’s seat until she learns a valuable lesson.

Just kidding. But keep a lookout for my mug shot — just in case.

Flight photo: © Konstantin Yuganov /  Adobe Stock.