Kids Stay, Play and Eat Free until July in Hershey PAJun 19, 2013The popular “Kids Stay, Play and Eat Free” package is available through July 2 at The Hotel Hershey and Hershey Lodge, in Hershey, PA. This may be a good be if you want to experience all the parks the area offers, as the package includes deluxe accommodations and much more |
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UPDATE: The winner of the DREAM BIG family vacation in Aruba is: Kathleen Whitney, of Austin, TX. Congratulations!
Kathleen says she entered the contest because she “wanted to go somewhere fun with my brother, who loves the ocean.” She especially liked Aruba “because I have never been there.”
Kathleen and her brother plan to take the trip in October, and plan to do windsurfing, snorkeling and “other fun things with my family.”
How did she find out about the DREAM BIG contest? “On the internet, she said. “I loved the trivia questions.”
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It was easy to enter this contest, which is a joint promotion of Taking the Kids and our partners at TravelingMom.com and Family Travel Forum.
Here’s how to compete: simply watch this video about the Orlando family’s visit to Aruba and TravelingMom founder Kim Orlando’s battles with her family over electronics on vacation. Then leave us a comment below sharing your rules for electronics on vacation or your suggestion for getting Kim’s kids to put down the electronics.
You can leave ONE new rule (or a tip for others trying to manage their family’s electronics addiction) EACH DAY on EACH SITE between through Feb. 6. Each comment = one entry.
A Twitter party is scheduled for Monday, January 23, from 9-10 p.m. EST. Follow #TMOM #DreamVacay.
Please! Read all the legal fine print here. North America residents only. Not valid in Rhode Island and Quebec.
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Our daughter loves “Brain Quest” flash cards. They are the same concept as “monkey lunchbox”, but she prefers the interaction with us that the flash cards provide.
We look for the more educational apps and do a trade off, so many minutes of math for so many minutes of angry birds..
I love the idea of giving the kids a few bucks to spend on their own! We’re going on a cruise in March and I think I’ll try it!
We camp often and I’m a big stickler about no electronics while camping. I do allow them to use them just before bed or when they wake up in the morning…sometimes it allows my husband and I to get a few extra minutes of sleep!
My rule when we are on vacation is my son can use his electronics ONLY when we are in the room or in the car.
A tip I have for getting children not to use electronics on a vacation is to go over the rules before you leave and let them know your expectations before going.
Our rule: electronics are only used while traveling – in the plane, train, car. Once at our destination, we collect them until the next travel segment.
If there is more than one flight to get somewhere they get electronics on one flight and books on the other. Then when we arrive at the destination all electronics go in mom and dads room and they have to ask to use them. Usually in a condo that means yes, while I’m making dinner, or when mom and dad need quiet time or a nap:)
It’s simple. When traveling with electronics they are to be used for DOWN time only. (ex.) Driving, Flying, waiting times. When purchasing these electronics rules need to be set and followed at the beginning. That way there is never any confusion. Quality family time is so very important these days.!! Especially on a fabulous memory making vacation!
One of my tips is bribery, it always works. It seems that the $20 was enough of a reward to get some of the children to put them down.
Another thing we have always done is stock up on age-appropriate activity books for our trips – sticker books, mazes, dot-to-dot, word search, sudoku, etc. The only time the kids see these books is when they travel, so it is always fun and new. They probably spend as much time on these activities while traveling as they do with their electronics.
When I am traveling with my son and I don’t want him to play with his electronics, I let him know that he has to put it down and have fun with his father and I.
We don’t take anything other than a basic cell phone with us so we can focus on vacation. More so I will leave work at home than for the kids though. We have a dvd player for the car but it stays in the car. Plane rides and for sitting by the pool/on the beach we take old fashioned paper books & magazines with us.
We also make sure everyone in the family has enough good reading material – books, magazines, etc. to occupy at least an hour each day of our trip, and we usually have “family reading time” most days. It is a nice way to unwind after a busy day!
I give my son a time limit!
I allow my son to use his electronics when we are not doing family activites. Absolutely no electronics during meal time! @7cars
electronics are limited to down times only.
My son is allowed to use his computer when I am on mine. It keeps him entertained and allows him to connect with the same electronic world I am. I try to get his father to put down his smartphone, but it doesn’t always work.
My children earn electronic time by completing reading time. It gets them reading and they earn their electronic reward.
How about not bring electronics at all? Kids may be bored at first, but it might get them to look around and enjoy their surroundings. Follow by example by staying off your phone/tablet yourself.
We allow electronics on the plane and in the car on the way to the destination, but once we get there, electronics are out.
Our kids are still too young to be into electronics but for hubby and myself, we try to only use electronics a total of 1 hour per day while on vacation. nlevdan3 at yahoo dot com
I bring new books and games to use first before we pull out the electronics.
I bring vacation surprises–books, games, etc. Also, we are explorers and love to meet other people so that always cuts down on screen time.
My rule for today, Leave lap top at home, no cell phones
no texting at mealtimes – ever.
Another thing we always do is bring along favorite travel games, like Yahtzee, Set, and regular playing cards.
we let the kids bring puzzle and cards, like card Sorry and stuff, they soon forget the texting and what ever
I’d get everyone a camera, (I can say that, since I have one son)
when he is older to take pictures/videos and unplug from texting and whatever else he might be doing. 
Same goes for us all.
No electronics at meals!
Electronics are for use in the car/during the trip. IF you selected a destination that is interesting enough then you shouldn’t have a problem with the kids getting bored. If they are bored/using gadgets then YOU didn’t pick a destination interesting enough for them, maybe you should rethink if you really know what gets your kids’ attention.
I definitely have an addiction to checking my email, twitter and facebook. The one thing I tell myself on vacation is it will still be there when I get back, because I would rather spend the time with my husband and son than with the computer.
Thinking of some new rules to establish – bring new books, games, toys for kids to enjoy instead of using electronics. Just “unplug” from the world when on vacation
nlevdan3 at yahoo dot com
I think that teenagers have a voracious appetite for electronics and as a social media maven I completely understand. I would give each child one hour each day on their phone whether they wanted to FB, Tweet or text. When that hour is up, the phone is mine until we are back at the hotel and ready to unwind. Then, perhaps, they could have them back.
We help our daughter plan the trip beforehand and pick out fun activities she would like to do. That helps her “forget” about TV once we arrive.
a game that we bring along that helps with the electronic adictions is a protable hangman game, it is light and easy to take anywhere, the pieces stay on the board
We all love the little handheld game, 20Q, and we take it wherever we go. We take turns, and it is a fun alternative to the sometimes mind-numbing DS, etc. games. Of course, we know we could play regular 20 questions (and sometimes we do), but we all enjoy the mystery of the 20Q algorithms!
A good rule is for every hour on the electronis you have to do homework, well no cause there is no homework on a holiday, but we bring along mini games like checkers and chess and they are very small, but if they want to play a game they can play that, we also go to places where there are lots of games for kids and lots of entertainment, it keeps them busy and not bored
Dinners are eaten together as a family.
We are going on a trip to DC this weekend. My rule this weekend is that my son can play with his game on the way there and when we are in our room. If he whines, he won’t be having electronics the rest of the time.
Our family can only use electronics while we are in the car or hotel room/cruise ship cabin. Otherwise, they are all off. The only exception is cell phone use in case of emergency or to try to find a family member to meet up. But no texting people back home, no doing work on the trip, ect! This rule is for adults and the child!!
My husband and I also try to limit our phone/ipad/email use when on vacations. We want our kids to know that we “follow the rules” too.
Kim has the right idea getting outside (and into caves. If we travel internationally we just flat out don’t pay for texting and limit the teens to using the wifi at a hotel when we are enjoying downtime. Works out to maybe an hour a day on wifi – just enough to check in on Facebook and let them feel like they were still in the loop with friends.
Make it easy to commit by setting up a short time for them to be able to catch up at the end of the day.
i bribe them and say for everyday you stay completely away from the electonics it adds up to points that they can cash in for passes to the movie theatre for when they get back , it works
We camp alot in the summer and so sometimes there is no electricity, but when there has been, I offer him a Itunes card or something like that if he stays right off the texting
Another good idea is to only use electronics to document your experience. An electronic travel journal, videos, photo album, blogging, etc.
I set the example and unplug myself! Kids mimic what they see, so practice what you preach!
We allow electronics on the plane/car ride, but not for the entire time. They can also use them while in the hotel room waiting for others to get ready.
One of my rules with my son’s cell phone is he can either call, or text, but if he calls he can’t text the person until he hears back from them and if he texts, he can’t call to make sure the person got the message. Children can seriously call and text people hundreds of times if there aren’t rules set.
No electronic use during meal time!
Electronics/Texting while at the hotel room and while others are getting ready for the day. Then perhaps at bedtime.
Electronics are ok to communicate back and forth with each other (those of the trip) but we try to limit any other communication.
Have your kids tell you a story about their favorite thing on vacation rather than play a videogame or watch tv.
A surefire way to keep the kids un-wired is to keep them busy on vacation! Plan fun activities that everyone will enjoy and no one will be bored and feel the need to “plug-in”.
we offer insentives like comics or graphic novels in place of apps and games,.there are other things besides video games
Simply keep them busy and occupied. Leave it up to them, say you can have it on you as long as you use it resonsibly. They’ll be having so much fun, and want to be responsible, they will un plug on their own : )
for the trip we bought our son a camera, and that keeps him busy, taking pictures of girls lol
Get everyone’s input for fun family activities.
Bring new books and games along on the trip instead of electronics.
No electronics are allowed at meals…we have to talk!
We only allow electronics on the plane ride when traveling. After that they’re put away for family fun time!
My daughter doesn’t have a problem giving up electronics, but my son . . . oh boy. We put a limit on it on trips – say, one hour a day.
We are an electronics crazy set of parents so it’s hard for us to say no to the kids… they can play with them, read on them and watch some tv as long as they’re all educational programs/apps at some level.
a good tip might be to discuss the terms of arrangments before you leave, restrict times, hours and offer exchanges such as pre paid cards and play more games,
Stave off boredom without electronics! We like to stash some decks of “Apples to Apples”, “Whatchamadrawit” and “Trivial Pursuit” so we can have an instant game on the go.
i have told my son the dangers of using certain electronics and how there is radiation and so that helps limit or prevent the usage, but i use this more when we do travel
Give them a “texting hour” They can do all their phone usage for an hour, and then all phones go away for the rest of the day.
My rule is NO CELL PHONES on vacations
Let the kids pick the activities one day on vacation
I am an iphone addict so its hard for me to say no to the kids. Monkey see, monkey do. I do, however, limit it to a few hours a day!
Reserve a bit of ‘quiet time’ each day.
get the kids more involved in planning part of the trip with you so they have a bit of a say in things
Another distraction: Table Topics can kick off some great conversations!
let the kids be part of deciding what or where your going for the day, include in clude, and give them money, if they are good lol
When we stay at a resort or large hotel, we will pick one night and designate it as “game night”. This means the kids get to go to the arcade/game room for a set amount of time. This usually meets their “electronic” needs for the week!
Our rule is that we do all dinners and activities together..
Get your kids interested in books! Read to them, and encourage them to read about the places you are traveling to.
On vacation, we do family activites such as making sand castles at the beach, walking on the beach for sea shells, etc to keep the kids active without their electronics.
if we are camping or roughing it, keep them doing dishes and gathering firewood so they do not have time for the texting lol
traveling toys work good
Don’t overschedule, it only makes everyone tired, cranky and ruins the vacation.
A set electronics time that we all have to obey!
Pick out a new toy/non-electronic game to take with you before the trip. The kids will be excited to have it once you arrive.
Be as active as possible, whether hiking/ swimming/snorkeling/etc. at the beach, or skiing/ snowboarding/ nordic skiing/etc. at the mountain, or anything in between. The more active you are, the more tired the kids will be, and tired kids go to sleep instead of trying to stay up all night playing video games!
Since it’s a family vacation it’s about spending time as a family. We allow the electronics on the plain or car only. Once we reach our destination the electronics are put away. One electronic we give our kids is a camera so that they can create a photo journal of their experience.
My rule is the same one my parents had to set for themselves when they were taking me on vacations–no phones, no electronics, no communication with the outside world at all. I hated it at first, but I got used to it, and ended up loving our vacations. My sister and I wrote a lot in our travel journals so we could show things to our friends when we got back!
RELAX! Not every minute needs to be scheduled
its a trade off if they want to spend a few minutes to check their e mail, then they have to spend the equal amount of time doing other acitivites but that is only sometimes, mostly it is just out of sight out of mind, its nice at the air port thought, but mostly if we camp, there is no wifi at all.
we bring comics and graphic novels to make the trip more interesting and less boring while too and from places,
Give them a time limit on their gizmos every day (Example 30 minutes) once they hit that limit the electronic goes on the charger. Let the kids pick and plan activities for the family to do. I bet by day 3 the gizmos are still sitting on the chargers!
Although my teens love electronics, I know they would prefer windsurfing
We do set times when we will all watch a movie or t.v. show together, so no one feels completely cut off!
Another rule that works well for my family is to have time set aside without the electronics, for instance: dinner! Or on a special activity that requires lots of attention, like wind-surfing.
Make a game out of stuff so they don’t get bored!
We only allow one DVD per child, so if sister wants to watch a movie she can watch alongside her brother, and if brother wants to watch a movie he can watch alongside his sister, but neither gets more than one movie per trip.
Learn how to do a new sport or activity before the trip.
Eliminate the possibility! We often take vacations where electronic distractions are minimal because of a lack of television, internet connection, 3G service, etc. The place we go in Maine during the summer is fantastically low-tech, we have to go to the local library for an internet connection! We have gone to Costa Rica, Tanzania, a dude ranch in Montana, and more. Our kids never miss being “pugged-in”!
spend more time in the water and on excursions and to the spas
Something else I’ve thought of is to frame things in terms of safety–traveling isn’t always safe, and pickpockets are a problem in all major cities. Tell the kids that their electronics need to stay back at the hotel in the safe!
I don’t make plans for the first or last day, so I don’t feel so rushed and everyone can get into/out of vacation mode at their own pace.
carry a harmonica and get the kids to play song tunes
Give your kids a job — taking pictures, planning the next adventure, etc.
Our 7 year old helps us plan the day’s activities. It gives her ownership and she is more likely to be interested and won’t whine about her DS back in the hotel room/cruise ship cabin!
My husband and I try to set an example. We don’t use our cell phones except for emergencies. Truly, when we go on vacation, we are not reachable otherwise. If someone does have to work for some reason, we set a specific time and minimize the disruption (same goes for kids and homework).
an arubix cube works well for just doing something with our hands, and other things that you can fiddle with
Go somewhere with no phone service! Camping out in the mountains is really fun, and there is no way they can be texting because they won’t have any service!
if you have more than one kid you can split up and do some one on one with each parent and child, quality time and shop till you drop
do some events and excursions with the family or one on one
Encourage budding photographers! After most of our trips we put together a photo book on the Mac site (so many websites do this, shutterfly, picasa, etc.). Before we organize the photos for the book, we have a fmaily photo contest, ranking our favorites. Whoever took the photo gets to write the caption/description in the book. So, there is a huge incentive for our kids to pay attention to interesting and unique things going on around them while we’re on vacation. They never get bored with a camera in their hands and we end up with photos we never would have had otherwise!
Give the kids an hour in the morning and early evening that’s their own, so they can use their electronics if they want to without any family drama.
Leave the gadgets at home & let everyone plan an “adventure”, or event for the trip.
We have a “rule” that is supposed to be in effect at all times (but parental oversight can be lacking at times!). The kids “earn” minutes/hours they can spend on mindless video games, etc. by spending time on mind-expanding electronic pursuits. They have learned how to program and do computer animation. There are great “learning” websites, like “Kahn Academy”, National Geographic, “I Like to Learn”, FreeRice, the wonderful new iPad app, “Tick Bait’s Universe, etc. They spend time on these activities and learn in a fun way at their own pace. Then they can play. This rule is much easier to enforce while we’re on vacation, when we can pay closer attention.
Establish electronics rules before the trip.
We keep the kids so busy during the day that the kids don’t even think about their electronics, then usually in the evening in the hotel when we’re all unwinding from the long day, we let them get on their DSs for a bit.
This is also a good time for mom & dad to grab a nap, so we all win! lol
We bought our daughter a camera. Don’t know if that counts as an electronic. But she is our official “photographer” on the trip and this seems to engage her into our activities. It’s interesting to see her perspective on things.
suggest to the kids to learn new games that are prominant in the area, keep them busy
playing ispy or arubix cube something that makes your brain work but really most resorts are so busy and stuff I have not had too much trouble with kids and internet thing
No electronics during meals.
Remember, it’s a vacation – have fun!!
Practice with no electronic gadgets at home occasionally, by having family days without TV or electronic gadgets. Younger kids especially like this at night without electricity, use flashlights, candles, or lanterns to play games, or tell stories.
We all know there are times we need to just say, “O.K.”, so be sure you are comfortable with what your kids are doing online/electronically. There will be times when we are on vacation that we all need some downtime, and those little devices can provide all of us a much needed break!
We make sure to bring new toys and books with us on the trip and prepare them for no electronics.
Choose a vacation spot that is kid-friendly and offers plenty of activities to keep your kids busy.
I think involving the kids from the start would be helpful. They might agree to electronics-free days, or at least a few hours each day, if you all talk about it as a family before the trip starts!
the long and short of it is during a quite time or if its raining, then put a time limit on electronics, but for the most part, most kids want to be out in the sun, and playing around
lots of good tips here, I guess everyone has an opinion, just have fun, but bribes are okay and banking some credits for when your holiday is over is a good one too. thanks
electronics are ok when used in moderation..maybe during quiet times. on vacations there are too many other things that take priority!
We don’t bring anything other than cell phones.
I tell my kids if they were to lose the ipod, laptop etc. I won’t buy a new one. That’s enough incentive for them to leave it home.
TV is ok by me for downtime or rainy days. We really enjoy the outdoors so it’s not a problem on pretty days.