6 Tricks to Help Kids Fall Asleep on Long Trips

6 Tricks to Help Kids Fall Asleep on Long Trips
by Laura MIchonski

http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/tricks-help-kids-fall-asleep-long-trips,12650/

Taking children on a long trip, whether by car or by plane, can be a taxing endeavor for everyone. Since nothing helps to pass the time like a nap, I decided to round up some smart ways to calm young travelers and direct them toward dreamland.

For advice, I reached out to the most qualified expert I know—Fern Michonski, an early childhood and music education specialist with over 35 years of experience in the field.  Over the course of her career, Fern has run several preschools and her own daycare center. She also has six CDs on the market, including one that was recommended as one of the top picks for kids in the country byUSA Today—her Christmas CD, "Kids! Christmas! Fern!" (Full disclosure: she's also my mom and I'm sure the job of raising me and my two brothers was its own sort of education as well).

 Here are some of her favorite tips:

1.   Pack your children's favorite bedtime toy. Whether it's a blankie, a teddy bear, doll, or something else, having a toy comrade along for the trip will be calming and will make your children more comfortable, which is key to engendering sleep.

2.   Tell your children stories while you are driving or flying. I don't mean read a book.  Use your imagination and create a story on the spur of the moment.  Create an adventure about yourself when you were little, or imagine something exciting that you and your children could do together.  Encourage them to add parts to the story. It will keep everyone occupied and the stories you create together might just surprise and fascinate you.

3.   Pack a thermos of warm milk and a snack of peanut butter and crackers. Not only do kids love this combination, but the combination of carbohydrates and protein has been shown to promote sleep.

4.   Plan on taking your trip after dark. Eat dinner, pack the car, and head out with your children already dressed in their pajamas. Snuggle them up in their car seat and head down the road. Before you know it, your little ones will be blissfully sleeping, right on schedule.

5.    Pack your child's favorite bedtime CD. The right music can do wonders to sooth a child. Pack a quiet album that your children know and love and when you see them getting sleepy, hit play—and then sit back and watch them relax.

6.   Play the "Who Can Be Quiet the Longest?" game. Bring along a stopwatch and see who can be quiet for the longest period of time.  The kids get a kick out of trying to win and frequently they fall asleep while trying to win the game.

Royal Tyrrell Museum

Royal Tyrrell Museum

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is located in the Alberta Province in the city of Drumheller.   The museum has the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the world.  It is a first class museum if you appreciate science.  The museum is located 1.5 hours from Calgary and 3 hours from Banff.  It is worth the visit.  For additional information, check out the Royal Tyrrell Museum at http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/.

Spirit Airlines Fee Challenged; India Ban in Tiger Reserves

Spirit Airlines Fee Challenged; India Ban in Tiger Reserves

Published: August 10

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/spirit-airlines-fee-challenged-india-ban-in-tiger-reserves/2012/08/09/f85a1d3e-e23b-11e1-ae7f-d2a13e249eb2_story.html

Spirit Fee Challenged

Lots of travelers grouse about Spirit Airlines’ ancillary fees, but one traveler is taking his complaints to a higher set of ears — the federal courthouse.

Last week, the Florida firm Podhurst Orseck, P.A., filed a lawsuit on behalf of Bryan Ray, a New Jersey passenger who is contesting the legality of the carrier’s passenger usage fee. According to the filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the plaintiff is seeking to “recover monetary damages, restitution and injunctive relief” because of the airline’s “fraudulent, deceptive and unconscionable collection of a Passenger Usage Fee.”

“This is a way for Spirit to make more profits without providing any goods or services in return,” said Katherine Ezell, a partner with Podhurst Orseck. “It was deliberately planned to deceive the public in the way that it is named and tucked in with other viable fees.”

According to Misty Pinson, an airline spokeswoman, the carrier adds the fee to reservations booked on its Web site or over the phone. The charge on domestic and international flights is $8.99 to $16.99 per customer, each way. The fee is waived on purchases made at the airport ticket counter.

“Spirit believes the claims are without merit,” Pinson said, “and intends to defend the case.”

Though the case is in its early stage — the firm is awaiting Spirit’s response — Ezell said that potentially 5 million to 20 million people could qualify for the class-action suit. To qualify as a plaintiff, a traveler must have flown between 2008 and 2011; Spirit, however, levied the fee on and off during the four-year time span, so not all travelers will be eligible. However, affected individuals could recoup their initial outlay, a welcome payback for frequent fliers.  “If one person has flown 100 times,” said Ezell, “they will get 100 payments of the fee.” 

For more information, contact the law firm at www.podhurst.com.

India’s Tiger Tourism Nixed

In an effort to protect India’s big cats, the country’s Supreme Court has temporarily banned all tourism activities in the core sections of tiger reserves nationwide. Buffer and fringe areas, however, remain open.  “This is in sync with our national wildlife policy,” said Nuggehalli Jayasimha, director of India Humane Society International. The animal activist said that the law simply extends a ban prohibiting villagers from accessing these fragile habitats.

More than half the world’s tiger population — an estimated 1,706 cats — lives in India. The endangered animals inhabit the forests of 17 Indian states and nearly 40 reserves.

The ban falls during monsoon season, when the parks are closed. Lawmakers will revisit the issue on Aug. 22, when they could lift the ruling and ease in less stringent regulations.  “It’s really a good thing,” said Josh Cohen, director and president of Wild Planet Adventures, an international wildlife tour operator. “The goal is to keep the tigers living and breeding. We all want that.”

Cohen expects that the court will resolve the issue before the parks reopen in late October and early November. As a backup, however, he has drafted alternative itineraries to different wildlife parks in India, as well as a ban-free tiger reserve in Nepal.

Kykuit: The Rockefeller Estate

Kykuit: The Rockefeller Estate

Kykuit: The Rockefeller Estate is located in Sleepy Hollow, New York, the highest point of the Hudson River.  This mansion was owned by John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil.  The grounds are even more spectacular than the house.  When planning a visit, tickets for tours of the mansion can be purchased at the Philipsburg Manor visitors’ center located at 381 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.  The attached link provides additional information http://www.hudsonvalley.org/historic-sites/kykuit.

The Mills Mansion

The Mills Mansion

The Mills Mansion is located in Staatsburg, New York near the Hyde Park Mansion.  Both mansions over look the Hudson River and the Catskills Mountains.  Ogden Mills and his wife Ruth Livingston Mills were the owners of the mansion during the Gilded Age.  During that time, the mansion also had a pool, tennis courts and golf course.  Additional information can be found at the following link http://www.nysparks.com/historic-sites/25/details.aspx.