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Perrin Report: The A-to-Z Guide to Traveling with Kids

Dear Fellow Parents: I feel your pain. Traveling with the brood can be one of the biggest challenges of parenthood. I've taken my boys, now 7 and 9, to 23 U.S. states and 16 foreign countries, and I know the madness that can ensue. But I also know that the right gear and strategies can make travel with children far easier and more rewarding than most moms and dads think possible. Herewith, my short list of solutions for making child's play of any family getaway.

A is for Apartment Rental. Most big-city hotel rooms were not built for families with young kids. They have no refrigerator or microwave, floor space is at a premium, and neighbors can hear every tantrum. But with an apartment, you get space to kick around in, thick walls, a kitchen that can save you a small fortune in hotel breakfast charges, a washing machine that can save you a small fortune in checked-bag fees, and a door between bedroom and living area, which means kids can nap without parents having to grope around in the dark for hours. Just be sure the apartment you choose has little in the way of breakables or stainables and clear instructions for the washing machine.

B is for Bananagrams. Think Scrabble but with no board, no complicated scoring, and no need to wait your turn: Each player works independently and at his own pace and skill level, thus ruling out frustration and boredom. Your child can play alone, or the entire family can participate, and even when you lose some letter tiles under the airline seat, it's still playable (

C is for the Chatham Bars Inn, on Cape Cod. As elegant as this historic oceanfront inn is, it still has every feature to keep children busy for a week: a supervised kids' club (that even has educational field trips), a gated (read: parent-friendly) area with both a huge pool and a kiddie pool, a daily lineup of children's outdoor games, an enormous sports field, a boccie court, a human-size chess board, a barrier-reef island full of playful seals (and a boat to take you there), and a historic trolley car to drive you into the charming town of Chathamall included in the rate (508-945-0096; doubles, $435-$495 in summer).

D is for DIRECTv in-flight satellite TV and other services that bring an array of kid-friendly shows to your personal seatback screen on long-haul flights. Giving children their own screen and choice of shows not only rules out fights between the kids over which movie to watch on your iPad but means you get to keep your iPad for yourself. To find out which aircraft have personal TVs in coach, go to, click on "Comparison Charts," choose "Long-Haul Economy Class" from the drop-down menu, and check the "Video Type" column.

E is for European cruise. You can give your children a dose of culture in a different town each day while tucking them in in the same bed each night, with a much-needed break in between (they go to the kids' club, you go to the hot tub). Of the ships that sail in Europe and have kids' clubs, Disney's tend to spend the most hours in port.

F is for Four Seasons resorts. Before assuming they're too pricey, do the math. The children's programs are included in the rate and thus can save you several hundred dollars a day. Got toddlers? Cribs, strollers, and playpens are free, as are meals for kids under five. Got teenagers? Some properties have a dedicated teen center; the one in Bora Bora has a whole island for teens. If the property you're considering offers a third night free, it may be a better value than a resort where the rate is lower but you're nickel-and-dimed for the kid-friendly extras.

G is for Great Wolf Lodge, a chain of indoor water park resorts that are a godsend for families in sun-challenged states who want to escape the cold without having to board a plane. I could list all the parent-friendly touchesthe many conscientious lifeguards, the water features for tots who can't swim, the childproof room designbut here's what really makes these resorts parent-friendly: Your kids will be so worn out that they'll be asleep by 8:30. Room rates include use of the water park from 1 p.m. on the day you arrive until 9 p.m. on the day you leave, so you can pay for one night but get two days of water park use.

H is for Headphonesnot the awkward inside-your-ear type that falls out of kids' ears but the over-the-ear type that remains firmly on the child's head. When your jet-lagged child wakes up at 3 a.m. in the hotel room and announces, "I'm tired of sleeping now," give him the headphones and a movie and go back to sleep.

I is for Invisible Ink. Colorless ink leaves no mess to clean up. The only frustration with invisible-ink activity books is when they come with only one pen and your child loses it. Once that happens, I is for iPhone, with its plethora of mess-free children's game apps, but fair warning: It's a slippery slope from Encylopedia Britannica Kids' Ancient Egypt app to Moto Mania Dirt Bike Challenge.

J is for Journal. It needn't be fancyjust a simple notebook where, each day of the trip, your child writes a paragraph on the highlight of his day or three things he learned. If your child can't write yet, he can draw a picture of something he liked that day. Leave space in the journal for trip photos that your child can add later.

K is for kids eat free, kids ski free, kids cruise free, and other money-saving family vacation packages. Look for these deals at,, and

L is for lollipops. They're the easiest remedy for children's ear pain on planes. Sure, swallowing liquids works too, but it's tough to find juice boxes or other favorite drinks once you've passed security. Tylenol is effective too, but you have to remember to administer it 40 minutes before takeoff and landing. It can even work to soak paper napkins in very hot water, wring them out, stick them in the bottom of plastic drink cups, and put the cups over your kid's ears, which creates a vacuum and reduces ear pressure. Or you could just pull out a lollipop.

M is for Mileage Mall. Most time-crunched parents do a lot of their shopping online. Yet few are aware of the stunning number of bonus miles they can accrue with one easy extra step. Simply log on to your account on your preferred airline's Web site and click to its retail shopping portalor "mileage mall"which links to hundreds of brand-name retailers. The shopping experience is the same except that you can regularly rack up five to eight miles per dollar spent, sometimes even 50 miles per dollar. Got more than one frequent-flier account? Find out which is offering the most mileage for purchases from your favorite stores by going to To avoid shipping charges, punch the name of the store into

N is for Nanny. Most resorts and cruise ships that offer child-care facilities do not accept kids under three. What to do if you aren't traveling with your own nanny? Two all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, the Franklyn D. Resort and FDR Pebbles, provide each family with its own dedicated "vacation nanny." The nurseries on Disney Cruises accept infants starting at three months; certain Club Meds have a nursery for four-month-olds and up; and Cunard ships have certified British nannies for ages one and up. Sometimes you have to resort to your own guerrilla methods. When I took my one-year-old on a ski trip, I called the mountain's day-care center (for ages three and up), found out which of its counselors had days off, and hired them to watch my son.

O is for Olympus Stylus Tough waterproof camera. It allows you to capture the moment whether you're underwater or on the slopes; it shoots high-definition video as well; and you needn't worry when your kids get sand all over it at the beachjust hose it off.

P is for Priority Check-in, security line, and boarding. Standing in long airport lines with hyper kids is a nightmare: You can't watch bags and chase tots at the same time. Baggage fees, too, are a nightmare: They can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of a family trip. The solution? Elite frequent-flier status, which means fast lines and no fees, and which certain credit cards (such as the Continental Presidential Plus MasterCard) make attainable as long as you spend enough.

Q is for "Quit kicking the seat in front of you" and "Quit banging the tray table." When that fails, Q is for Questions you can ask to redirect kids' energye.g, "Who do you like best: Mickey or Goofy?"

R is for the Reef Atlantis, one of the five towers that comprise the behemoth Bahamian water park resort that seemingly every East Coast family ends up at during one school break or another. But God help you if you pick the wrong tower. The right choice is The Reef: Because it's at a far end of the Atlantis complex, it's an oasis from the insanity; you get your own kitchen, plus a grocery store, so you needn't spend a fortune on restaurant meals; since you get your own washer and dryer, you can pack light; and, unlike in many parts of the megaresort, an empty white sand beach and plenty of vacant poolside lounge chairs are right outside your door.

S is for Sit 'n' Stroll, a stroller that converts into a car seat and an FAA-certified child-restraint seat. When our sons were babies, it enabled us to get through airports, flights, and car rentals with maximum efficiency (

T is for Thinkfun gamesportable mind-sharpeners that have kept my kids occupied during long train and plane rides. Our favorite is Rush Hour Jr.an addictive puzzle that involves placing vehicles on a grid in a different arrangement each time, then trying to get the ice-cream truck out of the traffic jam by moving vehicles around the grid. It's a single-player game, though, so when your kids start fighting over it, T is for Time Out (

U is for Uno. This card game is easy to learn (you don't have to read or count). It's levelingsince it's based on luck rather than strategy, children can win as easily as adults. And unlike Go Fish, you can still play even when you've lost some of the cards.

V is for Villa. Not only do you get more space and privacy than in a hotel but, if you're in a stand-alone home, you get a more authentic experience of the destination too. Opt for a villa with staff who can serve as your entrée into the community: Our friendly staff in Jamaica took us to their local school and church and gave us a cultural experience of the country that we could not possibly have gotten otherwise. In Italy, our cook introduced my sons to the children in the village. Finding a rental property that suits the conflicting needs of family members, from fast-moving toddlers to slow-moving grandmothers, can be a challenge, which is why I've compiled a list of rental agents who are expert at matching families with the right homes (see "Affordable Villa Vacations").

W is for Wikki Stix, the least heavy, least bulky, least messy way to do arts and crafts on the go.

X is for the X-ray machine at the airport security checkpoint, which parents might try to appreciatetough as it may befor the crucial life skills it can impart. Your kids get to practice waiting their turn, and tying and untying their shoes.

Y is for the Y-splitter that lets you hook up two headphones to one jack, thus enabling two children to watch and listen to the same movie. Which of course means more sleep for you when the kids are jet-lagged (see "H is for Headphones").

Z is for ZBarsthe healthiest kids' travel snack I know. I can give my boys a ZBar on the plane and, because it doesn't dump too much sugar into the bloodstream at once (and has no high-fructose corn syrup whatsoever), they'll still fall asleep an hour later. Enough said.

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