BY NADYNE LEE
SPRING 2010
 |
| Nadyne Lee poses with her grandsons off the shoreline of New York City. |
 |
| Vacationing in California. |
Forget crossword puzzles on the front porch swing and hot chocolate by the fireplace. Today, visiting with grandchildren can mean high adventure. It can be river rafting on the Solomon River or a voyage to the Galapagos Islands. It might mean hiking Yosemite’s peaks or flying a hot air balloon over Sedona’s red rock cathedral.
Baby-boomers have aged into GREAT grandparents! As grandparents, most baby-boomers are aerobically fit, nutritionally healthy, adventurous, and energetic oldsters. We love to travel and we want to take our grandkids with us. You might say, we’re off our rockers! We’re looking for ways to spend time with our grandchildren because we really want to get to know them and to be part of their lives. We know that traveling is a fantastic way to bond with our grandkids, show them the world, share part of ourselves, and give them a lasting inheritance.
Planning the Trip:
All’s Well that Ends Well
Begin at the end
Planning is the most important part of any vacation — and, planning begins at the end! Rather than decide your destination, first decide your goal. What do you want to accomplish with this trip? Quality time? Education through travel? Lasting memories? Spiritual bonding? Ecological awareness? Teaching family history? Fun time together?
After deciding your goal, choose a destination that best fits your purpose. For example, if your goal is spiritual bonding, you may choose a trip to Israel. If your goal is to teach your grandchild about family history, you may decide to visit Ellis Island.
Consult the experts
In this case, the experts are not travel agents. When it comes to traveling with your grandchildren, the experts are their parents. Check your planned itinerary with your children before you book your reservations. You may think that a visit to the Space Center in Houston would be a blast for your grandkids when their parents know that you’d end up saying, “Houston, we’ve got a problem.” Check it out.
Do your homework
If leaving the country with your grandchildren, EVERYONE must have passports. (Canada and Mexico now require passports.) You should have documentation stating that you are traveling with grandchildren with parental permission and a notarized letter from their parents giving permission for medical care. You should also have copies of their insurance cards and medications.
Consult the kids
Include grandkids when making trip plans. Make sure the destination is a place everyone will enjoy. Keep your health in mind and be aware of your limitations. Plan for down time (bring snacks, books, CDs). Be flexible. Always have a Plan B in case of a rainy day, a missed plane, a canceled tour, etc.
Where To?
Think Outside the Box
New York City skyscrapers, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty. The Lincoln Memorial, The White House, and the Smithsonian Institute. The Sears Tower, The Field Museum, and Millennium Park. Many people visit New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago to make these sights their vacation destination. But you may want to think outside the box and try a few new ideas.
Bring color into their lives
If your travels take you to Pennsylvania, check out the Crayola Factory in Easton, Pa. Virtually every child has picked up a crayon. But do your grandchildren know how crayons are made? Take them to the Crayola Factory and let them watch as huge vats of melted wax spin and dump their colorful contents into molds. Minutes later thousands of crayons pop out onto the assembly line to be sorted and boxed. The Crayola Factory isn’t just a tour, it’s a hands-on discovery center — perfect for kids with colorful lives.
Explore your family tree
Forty percent of Americans can trace one ancestor to Ellis Island. Do some research. If your kinfolk landed under Lady Liberty’s shadow, you might take your grandchildren to Ellis Island and tell them your history.
Show them the love
Take them to Hershey, Penn., and give them a chocolate kiss! Hershey Park is a zoo, garden, and theme park. Visit the Hershey Chocolate World Visitor Center, climb in the mechanical cars, and see how the most famous chocolate bar in the world is made. Sweet!
Take them to ‘Witch City’
Salem, Mass., calls itself the Witch City after the harrowing seven months in 1692 when 19 innocent people were condemned to death for being witches. Visit the Salem Witch Museum and meet characters from the famous trail. (Parental discretion advised.)
Art that rocks!
Nine Mile Canyon in Utah is the world’s longest art gallery and it’s home to more than 10,000 pictures engraved in stone. Some of these were engraved around the time of the last Ice Age. Now that’s cool!
Play it cool
The Ice Hotel is 30 minutes from Quebec City and is made of ice and snow! Overnight guests are tucked into warm sleeping bags on beds of deer pelts. But you don’t have to spend the night to tour the hotel and eat at the restaurant (all eating and drinking utensils are made of ice!).
Go to the movies
The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival brings together some of the best films from 40 countries. It begins in October and runs for 11 days. Children vote for their favorites, and there are workshops for kids who are interested in making movies.
