Tips for traveling with a kid

While other families went on their merry ways to Disneyworld, we went to Paris and Western Turkey with an 8 year old. And I can't tell you how many people said, "You're doing wh-AT? Do you think he'll like it?" We thankfully have a great kid. And yes, he did like it. Loved it, actually. And while this was only our first trip, we definitely learned a few things along the way about what it means to travel with a kid.

• Let him do some research and choose some of the itinerary. For us, we suggested Paris as an option, and he latched on to it. So it became "his" leg of the trip. Which was amazing, because he wanted us to see the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, which we would never have done with an 8 year old if we'd done all of the planning.
• Rules, schmules. You're on vacation. Would you want to have to follow every rule you do at home? Neither does he. Of course, there's within reason. But relax.
• The food is different. If you have a picky kid like we do, then look for ways to make the food more "normal". He doesn't like sauce? Order it without. While a waiter may stick his nose up in the air at the Picky American if you ordered something in a special way, we never found this the case when it was being done for a child. Children are tough eaters the world over, and everyone understands. So help the kid out and ask for it the way he likes it.
• Changing time zones can throw the toughest iron stomach off. Have some apples or protein bars in your bag so you can feed him when he's hungry. It's also a nice way to introduce him to street food.
• Force vitamins on everyone. I am convinced this helped with the transition, but also for everyone to stay healthy and happy.
• Milk is not typically drunk as a beverage by itself outside of the US. You can ask for it, and will get it. But often, it'll be room temperature whole milk. We found Fanta was a less nutritious but much easier beverage to order. Too much sugar? Go back to bullet point 2.
• See the sites through the eyes of a child. We went to lots of ruins and old churches and mosques and "boring" things. But it was the stories of things he could relate to that made it facinating. See this sword? King David chopped off heads with it. See that door? Gladiators came through it. Look at that temple - It was to worshp Percy Jackson's dad!
• Allow enough time to run and play and be 8. Whether it is on a beach or in a pool or through ruins, let him jump around and burn off energy. And if that means lugging a feral cat from time to time, so be it.
• Let him ask his own questions about places in his own way. If he's interested, encourage him find out more.
• Know that if you're going to different places, they may talk about different places and occurrences in the world than he's used to hearing about. What's a harem? What's a brothel? Why is Syria fighting? Why can't those women talk to men? You can't plan for all of these things, but take the time to answer in an age-appropriate way. It pays dividends in what he'll be able to understand about his surroundings.
• Give him his own money to spend on souvenirs. He knew he wanted an Eiffel Tower, so got one, But we waited until the end to really buy things, and by then, he had figured out exactly what he wanted. It was a smart choice, and he was really happy with his purchases.
• Let him have his own camera. The things he will choose to take photos of are priceless.
• Give him any change you get. Small coins are amazing treasures, and well worth the pocket change.
• Allow for down time. Not every second can be over-planned. Let him play a video game or read a book. You can't overload him all the time. An iPad to TV adapter would be a smart item to bring along (we didn't - note for future) so you can watch English movies at night and not just Turkish soccer.
• Have fun. If you want your kid to enjoy what you're doing and do more of it, make sure it is a good time.