Being on an airplane with a bored child is not a fun experience. Young children cry or whine, older kids might try to run up and down the aisle or annoy the person in front of, or next to them.

Parents can ensure a more pleasant trip for themselves and those surrounding them by planning ahead and packing engaging activities for their children.

For older children, consider bringing a deck of playing cards. There are many card games children enjoy playing. 500 Rummy, War, Old Maid, and 21 are great to pass the time.

Pocket versions of popular board games will entertain the kids and won’t take up much room in the carry on bag. Most pocket or travel versions of board games are magnetic to minimize the risk of pieces getting lost or falling off the board during play.

Self -contained drawing games such as Etch-a Sketch ®, and Magna Doodle ® allow your child to draw, write, or play games such as hangman without burning through a lot of paper.

Coloring books and crayons are light and don’t take up a lot of room in the carry on bag. They’re great for children of all ages.

Be sure to bring along your child’s favorite books. Reading a well known and loved book is comforting and will help your child feel more secure on the plane.

Parents and children can take turns telling each other a story. One person starts by giving one or two lines of the story, the next person continues with the story until they have no more to add. Continue around until the story is finished. It might be fun to record the story on tape recorder or cell phone to listen to later or share with family and friends at your destination.

With a little planning, your child can stay busy and have fun. Who knows, you and your child may come to enjoy flying and playing games together.

It has been a goal of ours since before our oldest son was born, 22 years now, and we are getting ever closer to Hawaii. He doesn’t know it yet but he is not invited on our first trip to Hawaii so we wait until he is out and then we scan the internet looking for places to visit and places to stay while we are visiting Hawaii.

As we find places that are worth mentioning we will add them to our travel blog so you can benefit from our research and experiences.

Today I came across ParrishKauai.com. I’m excited already at all the choices for places to stay. Here are the three choices that got our blood and minds active.

• Poipu Vacation Rentals
• Poipu Condos
• Poipu Home Rentals

What could be more relaxing than staying in a Poipu Home Rental instead of a 2 bedroom hotel room or a four person tent. We have gone to Florida a few times where we stayed in a rented home and it was twice maybe three times the vacation. Even backyard BBQs, try that at a hotel.

Because we have waited so long for this, the first of many trips to Hawaii, we intend to stay in comfort. No more camping out or Disney theme hotels, sorry son, that was fine when we were taking you and your buddies with us.

If our son is good to us and gives us a grand child I think we will take them with us to show our appreciation.

Over the last several years, airport security measures have changed quite a bit. If you haven’t flown in a while, there are a few things you should know.

Strollers, car seats, toys and all other objects must go through the security X ray machine. Fold your stroller and make sure to remove small toys or other items from storage pockets before putting it on the conveyer belt. Put them in the plastic bins provided This way nothing gets lost. Make sure to warn your child about the process and reassure them you will get your items back.

Never put your car seat through the metal detector with your child still in it

When going through the walk through metal detector, you will probably need to remove your baby from sling or baby carrier so the baby carrier can be inspected.

Instruct your children to empty their pockets before going through the metal detector, also remind them that the security check point is not the place for games or loud, boisterous behavior.

Have your older child go through the metal detector in front of you so that you can keep visual contact with her/him. Carry younger children.

You are not allowed to pass your child to anyone else while you are going through the metal detector.

If the metal detector goes off and you are carrying your child, both you and the child will further examined by security. You will probably be asked to remove your shoes and they may scan you and your child with a wand.

Never hand your child to the security guard to hold.

If traveling with a baby or toddler, you are able to carry breast milk or formula in your carry on bag.

You can request a private security screening if you are traveling with more than one child, or if your child has a disability and requires special care.

My wife and I are baby boomers who love to travel. As the time to retire draws ever closer we are looking for places that we can travel to for months instead of days. Not that where we live isn’t beautiful because it is and the beauty is why I moved here. But we want to see other beautiful places and we have a spot in mind.

My wife and I are just itching to see the Na Pali Coast. I visited http://www.napali.com/ and my mouth dropped open. The beauty almost brought me to tears. It’s breath taking and a feast for the eyes not to mention the fact that is’t warm and we are sitting here freezing our buns off in -15 degree weather.

We have done the coastal tours, to see whales, where we live, we saw exactly one, and we really enjoy seeing the flower pots sticking up out of the ocean but it’s time for new scenery and warmth.

We won’t be going for another year at least but that gives up plenty of time to plan our trip. Our goal will be to experience the Kauai boat tours along with Kauai whale watching. I see this as a trip of a lifetime so it will just be my wife and myself, sorry son.
Our tours will be through Capt. Andy’s Boat Tours. He offers sailing adventures, which we have never done and raft expeditions as well, which we have never done. I feel like I am starting to twitch just talking about it.

Learn more through this online comprehensive Na Pali Coast Guide.

The weather is a harsh mistress in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The natives have fought back by establishing a modern wonder, Montreal’s Underground City. The underground, as the locals call it, is a remarkable pedestrian network of train stations, shops, hotels, restaurants, museums, and more, under downtown Montreal.

The underground city got its start in 1962 with the building of the Place Ville-Marie office tower and underground shopping mall. That first mall connected to Central Station (subway) and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel via tunnels. Since then the underground has grown to more than twenty-two miles of pedestrian walkways.

Residents of Montreal are extremely proud of their “inside city” (not all of it is underground), the largest underground complex in the world. There are more than 150 access points to the subterranean city and more than 60% of the businesses in downtown connect to the underground. Over 500,000 people traverse the belowground pedestrian walkways and subways of Montreal each day. Several residential towers connect to the underground as well, allowing some locals to go from home to work to play without ever going outside.

Some of the most stunning features of the underground complex are the subway stations. Each station is, literally, a work of art. When the subway was built 1% of the budget for each station was devoted to procuring and displaying art in the underground. A different architect designed each station in a different style and no two stations are the same.

A number of well-known tourist spots in Montreal are accessible from the underground city. Things to check out without going out include Olympic Park and the Olympic Centre (built for the 1976 Olympics); the Place des Artes, home to the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal); and Molson Centre, home of Montreal’s hockey team, the Canadiens.