The Best Age to Start Bringing Kids on Trips

July 31, 2010

 The Best Age To Start Bringing Kids On Trips

When friends ask me what the best age is to start bringing your kids with you on long trips, I often tell them that their youngest child should be at least 7 years old. Of course, you can always bring them on trips even when they are younger than that, but I discovered I don't need a vacation after a family vacation if the youngest child accompanying me is at least 7 years old. Apparently, there is logic in the school requirement that a Grade 1 student is at least 7 years old. But in my case, I found it easier to travel with them when they are at least this age because:

1. They can pack their things on their own.
2. They can follow directions well.
  • On our first overseas trip, I instructed my kids to refrain from talking to me or interrupting me while checking-in at the airport or purchasing tickets.On these occasions, I need full concentration because errors on my part will create more problems than usual. They understood and followed my request.
3. They have some measure of control over their emotions and their moods.
  • In my experience, kids generally behave when they are not overly tired or hungry. By keeping a well-paced itinerary, I avoid emotional meltdowns. 
4. You can reason with them regarding purchase of souvenirs.
  • My technique is usually to give each of my kids a fixed amount of money for use to purchase souvenirs. It avoids haggling with them about what's a reasonable and an unreasonable purchase
5. They can assist you in handling luggage.
  • Younger kids could watch over luggage. They provide another pair of eyes who can keep sight of your luggage for you. I normally tie the same ribbon on each luggage which they look out for at the carousel. They can count luggage and can alert your attention in case someone attempts to take your luggage.
6. They can memorize your name, address and phone numbers already.
  • This will be useful in case they get lost. Before trips, I ask them to repeat names, address, and phone numbers weeks before the trip to make sure they memorize it.
  • As an additional precaution, I usually give each one a small pouch that they can hang on their neck, close to their body, with our name, phone number and address of the resort or hotel written on the piece of paper inside, and a small amount of emergency cash.
7. They understand how the buddy system works.
  • Since I have four kids, I assign as partners during trips, my eldest and youngest child together, and my 2nd and 3rd child together.
  • Each one makes sure that they can see their partners. They alert me when their partner is missing or not within their sight.
8. They are potty-trained.
 

If you want to bring them with you when they are younger than 7 years old, accept the fact that it will be a tiring vacation. I suppose when you do bring them with you, you already assessed the pros and cons and concluded that the advantage far outweighs the disadvantage. Otherwise, I suggest you wait until they are older so all of you will only have good memories of it. 

Good luck traveling with your kids!
 

Let Kids Pack!

Let Kids Pack!
The greatest stress for me when preparing for a vacation is the packing. As a parent, you want to make sure all that you need, especially in emergency situations, are right there on hand to aid you. You even pack your kids' clothes to make sure they're complete. The disadvantage of doing this is that when you arrive at your destination, your kids will be asking you where those things are everytime they need it. The solution for me is to let them pack their own things so they know where everything are when they need it. 

How do I help them pack?
  • First, I hand them a list. 
  • Then, they gather everything they need and bring it it one room. 
  • We gather in the designated room with all our luggage/sportsbag. 
  • As we actually put the things in the luggage, we tick off the things from the list. 
The purpose of doing the packing together, especially if you have more than one child, is so that you can see for yourself that they actually placed the things inside the luggage. If you have more than one child, you do it all at the same time and save a lot of time checking on their things. This way, both you and your child know where all the things are. It will save you the effort of having to hand them their things when you are on vacation.

More Tips:
1. Bring a laundry bag.
  •  Teach your kids to put dirty clothes in the laundry bag after use so it doesn't get mixed up with the clean clothes when you pack everything for home. It will also save you the time and trouble of gathering each piece of dirty clothing before you leave.
2. Have a separate bag for each child.
  • I do not mean that you must have a separate luggage for each child. What I mean is that each child's things must be separated from another child's things. To have it all mixed up would defeat the purpose of making it easier for everyone to find their things.
  • For children who can carry their things or are able to drag a school-sized stroller bag, you can have a separate hand-carry size stroller bags for each of them to put keep their things. That way, they can also take charge of dragging them and helping you transport their things from the destination to destination.
  • For children who cannot carry their own things yet, this means you will have to do so. I find it easier to put each child's things on a sports bag, and insert the sports bag in one larger luggage. That way, you transport more than one sports bag in one luggage, without mixing your children's things with each other. When you arrive at your hotel/resort, you just pull out the sports bag from the bigger luggage.




 

My Bohol Itinerary with Kids (5 days)


My Bohol Itinerary with Kids 
(5 days and 4 nights)

Day 0
-- pack (see my Bohol packing list)
-- if kids experience travel sickness in airplanes, drink Bonamine the night before so the kids don't become drowsy during the flight. Bonamine is effective for 24 hours after drinking it.

Day 1
Departure from Manila, Arrival at Panglao Beach
     530 am: wakeup
     630 am: leave the house and go to the Manila Domestic 
                 Airport  
     8 am: arrival at the Manila Domestic Airport  
     9 am: departure from Manila via Zest Air Z2 350
     1020 am: arrival in Tagbilaran Airport   
  • We booked roundtrip airport transfers from Bohol Tour Guide, Tatsky Cubero. See rate
My Tip:  After picking you up from the airport, you can request the driver to pass by a grocery in Tagbilaran City, so you can buy bottled water, breakfast items, and bread to feed the fish during snorkeling. It's more expensive to buy those items at Panglao Beach.
     12nn: lunch at Isis Thai Restaurant
     2pm: check-in at Isis Bungalows
     2pm onwards: bum around the beach
     7pm: dinner at Pyramid Resort

Day 2
Snorkeling at Balicasag Island, Visit Virgin Island
     7am: wakeup
     9am: pickup of boat to go to Balicasag Island  
     10am: arrival at Balicasag island
     10am-12nn: snorkeling at Balicasag Island
     12nn-1pm: lunch at Balicasag Island
     1pm-2pm: Virgin Island
     3pm: back to resort
     5pm: Mass at Panglao Church
Day 3
Countryside Tour
     8am: pick up by Tatsky Cubero, our tour guide.  
     6pm: arrival at Panglao Beach
     7pm: dinner at Pyramid Resort

Day 4
Free day 
     AM: swimming
     12nn: Lunch at Hayahay Pizza
     PM: Henna Tattoo, Swimming
     7pm: dinner in the room at the resort

Day 5
Departure from Tagbilaran, Arrival in Manila
     AM: swimming at the beach
     12nn: lunch at Pyramid Resort
     230pm: departure from the resort
     330pm: arrival at Tagbilaran airport  
  • see Tagbilaran Airport facilities
     455pm: departure from Tagbilaran via Philippine Airlines PR 178
     615pm: arrival in Manila

Pasalubong 
Cheapest peanut kisses: At the Biggest Python
Cheapest souvenirs (shirts, keychains, etc): Hinagdanan Cave, Hanging Bridge

Total cost of the trip:
Approximately  php 66,000 for 6 persons, 5 days and 4 nights, or 11,000 per person


For a details of tour cost and fees, see bohol travel budget and summary of cost

Facilities of the Domestic Terminal (Terminal 4) of the Manila International Airport

July 30, 2010


Facilities of the Domestic Terminal (Terminal 4)
of the Manila International Airport


The Manila International Airport (officially known as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA) has 4 terminals:

1. NAIA Terminal 1: the main international airport where foreign carriers land, except Nippon Air.
2. NAIA Terminal 2, or the Centennial Terminal: exclusively used by Philippine Airlines (both domestic and international flights)
3. NAIA Terminal 3: the newest terminal used by Cebu Pacific (both domestic and international flights), Air Philippines and Nippon Air
4. NAIA Terminal 4, or Domestic Terminal: the oldest terminal and the original international airport. It was built in 1948 and currently used by Zest Air and Southeast Asian Airlines (Seair). This is called by the locals as a the Domestic Airport.

Check out the website of the Manila International Airport Authority for detailed information.

See my post Manila International Airport: Location of Terminals for information on where the terminals are located in the city and their distances from each other.

These four (4) terminals share the same runway so when one airplane experiences a problem at the runway, all the other flights are affected. 

We used the Domestic Terminal in our flights to Bohol and Palawan. In a span of one year between those flights, the facilities have been upgraded.  

Here's a summary of the facilities of the Domestic Terminal as of April 2010:

1. Toilets

  • Additional toilets have been constructed. Instead of just 1 toilet for male and 1 toilet for female, a new set of toilets was constructed. So there are now 2 toilets for male and 2 toilets for female
  • There are now hand sanitizers in all the toilets.
  • Bathroom sprayers are also installed in the new toilets located on the left of the photo.
  • Toilets are religiously cleaned after every use.
2. Stores

Public payphone, Red Ribbon bakeshop and a drinks store
The drinks store and the cellphone loading store
The magazine/book store, Goldilocks bakeshop, Cinnabon, Vibes massage
    My tip: Bring your own food and drinks. The price of the food and drinks are around 70% more expensive than usual. Surprisingly, they allow water to be brought in beyond the secure area.

    3. Massage area
    •  shown on the right side of the photo above
    4. Laptop area
    • although there is no free wifi at the airport, there is a laptop station with a desk where you can place your laptop and charge it.
    5. Chapel

    6. Cellphone charging station and public pay phones

    7. Waiting area

    Airport Lounge
    Airport Lounge facing the gate













    • As I mentioned before, since there are only two airlines using this terminal, the waiting area does not become crowded. There are sufficient seats for everyone. 

    A Shorter Bohol Itinerary with Kids (3 days and 2 days)

    July 26, 2010


    A Shorter Bohol Itinerary with Kids 
    (3 days and 2 nights)
    (2 days and 1 night)

    As I have discussed in my previous post, I recommend that 5 days be given when visiting a major destination (see my 5-day itinerary). But if if it is not possible to spend 5 days in Bohol, here is my suggested itinerary for a 3-day and 2-day Bohol trip:

    My Tip:
    1. Don't get very early flights. The kids accompanying you will find it so tiring to wake up very early to go to the airport. It will defeat the purpose of having a vacation if the kids end up tired and grumpy. They will not be able to cope with the hectic itinerary of a 3-day or 2-day trips.
    2. The typical countryside tour of our tour guide Tatsky Cubero  is composed of twelve (12) sights and normally lasts 10 hours. If you have little time to stay in Bohol, I recommend that you take the tour on the day of your departure, before going to the airport. This means that you will not able to take the full 10 hours and will be forced to miss some sights. Below is a list of sights you shouldn't miss when you go to Bohol.
    • Chocolate Hills: to see the magnificent formation unique to Bohol; this is what Bohol is known for.
    • Tarsier Sanctuary: this mammal can only be seen in the Philippines and Indonesia; no one has ever successfully transported the Tarsier in other countries. The tarsier die during transport.
    • Baclayon Church: you see the importance of Bohol to the Spaniards during the Spanish period when you see the magnificence of this Church
    • Blood Compact Shrine: traditionally believed to be the location where the Blood Compact was held. The annual celebration of the province is held at this site.
    • Balicasag Island and Virgin Island: a separate tour from the countryside tour but should be on the must-see list. Balicasag Island is one of the best snorkeling sites in the Philippines and Virgin Island is made of fine and virgin white sand and is uninhabited.
    3. By taking the countryside tour on the day of your departure  from Bohol, you save on airport transfers. The countryside tour  rate includes pick-up from the resort and drop off at the airport after the tour.

    Suggested Itinerary for Three (3) Days
    Day 1
    Departure from Manila, Arrival at Panglao Island
         530am: wakeup
         6am: departure from the house
            -- see how to go to the Manila Domestic Airport
        8am: arrival at the Manila Domestic Airport
         9am: departure from manila
         1020am: arrival in Tagbilaran Airport
         12nn: lunch at Isis Thai Restaurant
         2pm: check-in at Isis Bungalows
         2pm onwards: bum around the beach
         7pm: dinner at Pyramid Resort

    Day 2
    Snorkeling at Balicasag Island, Visit Virgin Island
         7am: wakeup
         9am: pickup of boat to go to Balicasag Island
         --- tour guide contact numbers and rates
         10am: arrival at Balicasag island
         10am-12nn: snorkeling at Balicasag Island
         12nn-1pm: lunch at Balicasag Island
         1pm-2pm: Virgin Island
         3pm: back to resort; henna tattoo

         5pm: If this day falls on a Sunday, Mass at Panglao Church
    Day 3
    Departure from Tagbilaran, Countryside Tour, Arrival in Manila
         8am: pick up by tour guide, check-out of hotel
         330pm: arrival at Tagbilaran airport
         455pm: departure from Tagbilaran
         615pm: arrival in Manila

    Suggested Itinerary for Two (2) Days  
    Day 1
    Departure from Manila, Arrival at Panglao Island

         530am: wakeup
         6am: departure from the house
            -- see how to go to the Manila Domestic Airport
         8am: arrival at the Manila Domestic Airport
         9am: departure from manila
         1020am: arrival in Tagbilaran Airport
         12nn: lunch at Isis Thai Restaurant
         2pm: pickup of boat to go to Balicasag Island
         3pm: arrival at Balicasag island
         3pm-4pm: snorkeling at Balicasag Island    
         4pm-5pm: Virgin Island
         6pm: back to resort; 
         7pm: dinner at Pyramid Resort; get henna tattoo
    Day 2
    Departure from Tagbilaran, Countryside Tour, Arrival in Manila
         8am: pick up by tour guide, check-out of hotel
         330pm: arrival at Tagbilaran airport
         455pm: departure from Tagbilaran
         615pm: arrival in Manila