Handicappe d Accessible in the Smokies

Travel Tips

Traveling with kids can be a fun-filled and memorable event if properly planned. To reduce the incidence of delays or mishaps, preplanning is essential but remember that a little flexibility and spontaneity adds fun. When traveling with children with Medical Concerns, make sure they have their own identification information with them.  Make sure it has your telephone number, name and number of physician and medical concerns and where you are planning to stay while on vacation.

Golden Rules of Healthy Travel

• Prepare a Travelers Medical Kit of basic First Aid Items.
• Be prepared if you are allergic to bees or have similar reactions.
• Apply sunscreen often.
• Wear seatbelts, helmets, and follow speed limits on all roads.
• Keep your shoes on at all times.
• DO NOT feed the bears or wildlife when visiting the National Park.
• Have plenty of travel activities and things to do for the kids to help keep Dad and Mom from going nuts and distracting their driving concentration.
• Plan your route to cover a limited number of miles each day and with hotels in close proximity to the road you're traveling. There is nothing worse than being dead tired and realizing the next hotel is two hours away.
• Be sure to take advantage of kids-stay-free and summer travel packages. This can save you money.
• Slow down, if you're traveling with small children, you will need time for rest stops, sightseeing and fresh air.
• Bring age appropriate toys and games for your children to keep them occupied. Put each child's goodies in a special knapsack of backpack with their name. Don't let them see what's in it until your on the road, the anticipation is often as exciting as the contents of the bag.
• Don't over pack, you can pick up necessities at local stores on your trip.
• Bring snacks so that your kids won't get hungry in between meals. Most stores carry individual servings of everything from peanut butter and jelly to carrots.
• Give each child a single-use camera to take their own pictures. Some of the best photos can come from the pint-sized view of what's important.
• Be patient! Remember kids will always ask, "Are we there yet?"
• Also, take advantage of the airlines' pre-boarding opportunities for traveling with small children.
• Lastly, let the kids help plan the trip, this way there will be places on the itinerary that they want to see.
  
  These Travel Tips courtesy of  ·Best Western traveler's guide and the Allthesmokies.com Staff.