Global News: Editor's Letter: Ready for Vacation?

Photo Credit: Ana Gambuto

If you're anything like me, you're probably daydreaming about a vacation right about now. There's just something about those winter doldrums that motivates even the poorest planners among us to get something on the calendar—quick! Thankfully, my daughters are old enough to roll their own suitcases and blissfully sit in a plane for hours, even if it means they're glued to their tablets (remember, screen time doesn't count over 30,000 feet up in the air). Cruising altitude is also my reminder to exhale and go with the flow. Not always an easy task when you pack so many expectations into one trip! So, I reached out to my colleagues to find out how they make family travel easier for themselves while having fun.

Put the Packing on Them
I give my kids, ages 11 and 14, a packing list and let them pick the clothes they'll bring, so all I have to do is check the items they lay out. I save my packing lists on Google docs and adjust them depending on where we're going. Next stop: skiing in Pennsylvania. My daughters are already busy choosing their cold-weather gear.
-Sari Hitchins, News Editor

Relax the Routines
It took a few getaways as a family to realize that vacations are less stressful when I loosen up my sons' normal at-home routines. Meaning naps get skipped and bedtimes run late. In exchange, we seize every opportunity to be spontaneous. Like the time we went night swimming in Palm Springs, California while visiting relatives. Those are the kind of memories my kids treasure most.
-Kaity Velez, Associate Editorial Director, Special Projects

Call for Support
We regularly drive three hours to Maryland to visit Nana and Grandpa with our 10-month-old daughter and it's a challenge to keep her from getting fussy. During a recent ride, we hooked up my phone to the car's bluetooth and called my sister so that she could play the guitar and sing Taylor Swift's "Fearless." Not only did the baby get some quality time with her doting aunt, but we discovered she's a total Swiftie!
-Hilary Wescount, Senior Producer

Make Peace With Your Picky Eater
My 11-year-old kid has always been the world's pickiest eater. But I've noticed that when we're in places where he doesn't have all the regular options, his palate expands. In Nova Scotia, he devoured fish and chips. In Maine, he developed an expensive penchant for lobster. And in Boston, he graduated from pasta with butter when he discovered tomato sauce. It's made me more confident in venturing further from home.
-Sabrina Rojas Weiss, Senior Commerce Editor

Keep Kids Busy
On a trip to Arizona, we had our kids, ages 4 and 8, take photos and journal about their experiences. It was beautiful to see the things that captured their attention: the view from the plane, the full moon, a beetle in the backyard. I plan to put the images in an album for them. And in a few weeks when we head to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, we'll get to see that trip through their eyes.
-Sugey Palomares, Senior Social Media Editor

Simplify Your Itinerary
The first day of travel should be light. I learned that the hard way on a trip from New York to Los Angeles. Because we landed at 10:30am and had a full day ahead of us, we went hard. Not a good idea with kids. The result? We never adjusted to the three-hour time difference and were exhausted the whole time. Now we request an early check-in and stay close to the hotel wherever we go.
-Tom Ran, Design Director

Be Strategic With Clothing
Hot pink and lime green. Those are the colors I had my 3-year-old wear when we visited Disneyworld for the first time. I could easily spot her among all the other excited kids.
-Kareema Bee, Senior Producer

Eat in When You Can
I just traveled to Turks and Caicos with a big group ranging in ages from 18 months to 75 years and found that booking a hotel with a kitchen stocked with plates and silverware made my life much easier. Rather than sitting in a busy restaurant with an active toddler, we were able to order pizza delivery and listen to our favorite playlist on a few occasions. Of course there was unabashed dancing!
-Rachel Berman, Group General Manager and SVP, Family and Wellness

Happy travels,
Grace
grace.bastidas@parents.com
@brooklynwriter