Taking the Kids: Creating memories on less than exotic trips

I knew things were going from bad to worse as soon as we arrived. My son, just three, pushed the owner’s kitty in the pond because “he wanted to swim,” my son explained. My daughter was sticky from a Tootsie Pop. The owner was furious and insisted we leave. Of course, I wrote about that misadventure — and many more after that. They resonated with young parents trying to figure out how to travel with their children when hotels, resorts, even campgrounds, weren’t nearly as family friendly.

People often ask me how this column started and how it has lasted so long (nearly 35 years). I think it is because, like that first misadventure, I’ve never sugarcoated the reality of traveling with kids. It’s aggravating, exhausting and always more expensive than you anticipated. Why do we do it? For those memories, of course

Post-pandemic, some families were determined to make up for lost time with bucket list trips, only to be stymied by airline woes and lost luggage. Others were stopped this summer by escalating gas prices and inflation.

Now, gas prices have come down and there are plenty of memory-making options that won’t break anyone’s budget. With our partners at Family Travel Forum we’ve put together a list of 22 terrific fall getaways for 2022.

For example, national and state parks are always less crowded in fall. While a tent may be chilly in many climates you can opt to rent an RV (rvshare.com works a lot like Airbnb with RVS) or stay in a campground cabin like those offered from KOA.com.

Take public transportation to a city and explore from the kids’ perspective. Are they interested in a certain neighborhood, trying new foods, seeing a museum? Let each one have a say in the itinerary.

How about whale watching? Through mid-December, see humpback whales, blue whales, dolphins and killer whales in Monterey Bay, California, or Newport Beach, Oregon, among the options. A favorite on the East Coast: The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Massachusetts. Join them on a New England Aquarium Whale Watch from Boston before the cold weather sets in.

Make history relevant at an outdoor living history museum. In Virginia, there’s Colonial Williamsburg, the country’s largest living history museum depicting 18th-century life and Jamestown Settlement, the first permanent English Colony. Explore how Native Americans helped early settlers survive. Visit also the Museum of the American Revolution at Yorktown. (The kids can visit a Revolutionary War encampment!) See what outdoor museums are near your home and what special fall activities are on tap.

Go enjoy the foliage but remember, kids will want to get out and jump in the leaves, not just look at them. Plan some kid-friendly hikes and bike rides (don’t forget your helmets).

Remember, it’s not how far you go, it’s what you see along the way.

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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.)