Taking the Kids: 10 ways to de-stress summer travel

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on Jul 14, 2022

There are obvious ways to save to make up for gas costs — opt for a shorter vacation, picnic lunches and pizza by the hotel pool, for example. Build in stops at local farmers’ markets and challenge the kids not only to eat local but to try a vegetable or fruit they’ve never seen.

You may not realize that even in Orlando, the theme park capital of the world, there are many free and nearly options — everything from tennis courts, bike trails, parks, nature preserves (Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area is about a half hour East), museums (check out the Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture or the huge Lake Nona Sculpture Garden) to Disney Springs, the open-air dining, shopping and entertainment district (kids can build LEGO creations all day) or Universal CItyWalk with plenty of free street entertainment.

Take public transportation to a city near home for a few days (you’ll save big on hotels mid-week) and explore like a tourist, visiting museums, taking in a free outdoor concert, a touring Broadway production, a baseball game. Two nights and three days in a city like Chicago (Let’s go, Cubs!) or Kansas City (got to have barbecue), Baltimore (the National Aquarium) or San Diego (ready for a surf lesson?) will make you feel you’ve really been away when you haven’t been far at all.

Another tip about city getaways; A great bet if your kids are on a different schedule this summer. Take the younger ones while the older ones are working or at band or soccer camp; give the older ones a “grown-up” city experience while the younger ones are happily occupied elsewhere. (Offer to trade childcare with a good friend so they can do the same with their family.) Let the kids help plan the itinerary! It’s really fun when they can lead the way — really!

I get that you may just be too frustrated to go anywhere at all right now.

Have a home-spa day with your daughters; pitch a tent in the backyard (rent or borrow one). Most importantly, turn off all those devices.

Having fun yet?

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia and The Kid’s Guide to Camping are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)