Hi, it’s Alan, the Fair Weather Traveler again, with another tip or piece of advice. This time about protecting our children and grandchildren while traveling.

While in the first grade, I was allowed to walk or ride my bicycle the ten or eleven blocks to school.  How many of us would allow our children or grandchildren to do that today?  Unfortunately, times have changed.  Every day, we can find newspaper articles reporting missing or exploited children.  Sadly, this danger is all around us.  I don’t want to scare anybody, but one recent study found that there is one convicted sex offender for every square mile within the continental United States.  Think about that for a second.  We know this is not literal otherwise, there would be people living in the middle of the Mojave Desert or someplace in no-man’s land, Nevada or Utah.  This means they are condensed into smaller areas.  I could write about this topic for hours, but that is not what this post is about.  This post is about how to protect our children and grandchildren as we travel.  Here are 11 tips or suggestions that could help protect our children from becoming victims while we travel.  This should be a top priority for parents and grandparents and it does not matter how you travel.  Whether it is by car, train, or plane, each mode of transportation presents unique safety concerns.

Plan Ahead:

No matter what kind of trip you are embarking on, you should always plan ahead.  Become familiar with the local laws and customs and especially the safety guidelines for wherever you are going.  When planning, please don’t forget to consider emergency services such as law enforcement or healthcare.  Always make sure you have the names and contact information of someone back home in case of an emergency situation and that this information is printed on a card or form attached to car seats, strollers, or any other device used for children who cannot or may not be able to communicate.

Another area to investigate before traveling with children is whether or not the destination is child-friendly.  Anymore, it is quite common for beaches, even in the United States to lean toward European standards which means they can be topless or even clothing optional.  This may or may not be what you are looking for, but in either case, you should “know before you go.”

Safety seats:

Consider, the need for Child Safety Seats.  This will depend on the mode of transportation you intend to take or have at your destination.  In less than a week, my wife and I will be traveling to Maui with our daughter, her husband, and their two small children.  We are flying and do not feel the need for a child safety seat for our five-year-old granddaughter and her one-year-old brother who is going to be held on the flight.  However, once we land and get our rental car, we must obey the laws of the land and also do everything we can to try to protect our grandchildren.  Which means, I am planning on renting a car seat and booster seat at the rental car company.

Essential gear:

Another consideration is the essential gear we will need for this trip.  It is to Hawaii, which means we will need sunscreen for sure.  Even on a cloudy day, we can get sunburnt.  Any time we travel, we pack hand sanitizer, wipes, and other sanitary supplies.  Other essentials could include whatever clothing we expect we will need or even the items we take for our own comfort during the long airplane ride.  This could include a water bottle, Bluetooth headphones, a digital device with movies or other entertainment downloaded onto it.

Of all the essential items we plan on taking with us on this trip, I think the most important are Airtags attached to our grandchildren.  I know some people attach an Airtag to shoes or place them in backpacks or even in a bracelet on their children.  I can guarantee anybody who has ever lost a child while on a trip will NEVER want to experience that again.  There is no greater fear for me. 

Ground Rules:

In addition to essential gear, it is important to establish some ground rules with your children.  Even though the chances of being abducted by a stranger is extremely rare, they should know that “Stranger Danger” is real and to avoid any form of communication with someone they do not know.  Another ground rule that is just as applicable to adults is to make sure everybody is aware of what country you are in.  Not long ago on a trip to England I almost got ran over when I stepped off the curb and started crossing the street thinking the cars were driving on the right side of the road.  On that same trip, we spent some time in Amsterdam and I again almost got ran over when I started walking down what I thought was a sidewalk.  It turned out to be the actual street.

Constant contact:

One safety rule that should be enforced at all times, no matter where you are is to always stay in eye contact with each other.  Not that long ago, I was at the San Antonio Zoo with six of my grandchildren, including one who is four years old.  (It can be like herding cats at times)  Anyway, toward the end of our visit, I looked around and could no longer see my little grandson.  While his mother panicked, my son and I immediately began retracing our steps and found him within fifteen or twenty seconds.  The poor little guy was crying and a zoo employee was there to try to help him.  We thought we implemented safety rules, but we did not consider making sure the rules were directed at four-year-olds.

Emergency Information:

I know I mentioned this earlier.  Emergency information should be carried by everybody, especially our children and grandchildren, and even more so if they have any kind of delicate medical condition.  This could include contact information for everybody in your party, healthcare information, medical provider information as well as information regarding your hotel or cruise ship.  I like to have this information printed on a 3X5 card and secured in a document pouch that is carried around my neck and hidden under my shirt.  I keep my passport in this pouch to protect it as well.

Stay Hydrated:

This may seem to be a “no brainer,” but always remember to carry water with you.  Most of us do not realize how easy it is to become dehydrated when traveling.  I always carry an insulated water bottle that is attached to my backpack with a small carabiner.  I cannot remember the last time I left home without it.  When traveling with children, almost every parent knows it is a good idea to pack snacks.  Generally, children may not like “healthy snacks,” but if that is all you have, most will give in and eat them.  By having snacks and staying somewhat full, you can avoid the temptation of eating from street vendors who may not adhere to even reasonable health and safety standards.

Situational awareness:

Now, I know I mentioned that stranger abduction is rare, but it is not unheard of.  Because of this, it is very important to keep a close eye on your children or grandchildren when in a public area.  Crowds make it possible for people to disappear and those who are seeking to take advantage of young children know this.  Be alert and vigilant at all times.  Young children should be attached to you using some kind of harness and older children should be wearing or have some kind of tracking device with them.  Recently our youngest daughter (She is 23) went to Disneyland.  You would think Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but it can also be the most dangerous place on earth.  Especially if there is someone there lurking in the shadows waiting to abduct or somehow lure your precious child away.  Anyway, again, that is a different blog.  You have no idea how relieved my wife and I were when our daughter turned on her “Find Friends” App on her cellphone.  We did not track her every movement, but we were comforted in knowing we could at least find her phone in an emergency.

Water Safety:

Now this next safety tip is something I am very passionate about.  It is making sure your children and grandchildren do not ever go into the water alone.  It is so important to make sure someone who can swim is close by, even if the child is in a life jacket.  You MUST supervise all children at all times when near the water.  I know I made a big deal out of supervising children, but I have to be honest, in my pre-retirement life, I recovered more drowned adults than I recovered children.  I can swim like a fish, yet I refuse to get in a boat without a life jacket on.  I might be able to swim, but what if something were to cause me to become incapacitated?  I would need a life jacket to keep my face out of the water, otherwise I would become a statistic.  Nobody can ever be too careful around water.  I’ve always said, “It’s not what’s in the water that will harm you, but the water itself.”

Enough of that topic and I’ll get off my soapbox.

Sun Protection:

Another consideration for safety is protection from the sun and heat.  As I mentioned, it is important to carry water or at least know where to get something healthy to drink close by.  Think about rash guard like shirts when swimming.  Always use a high SPF sunscreen and remember, even when it is cloudy, you can get sunburnt. 

Open Communications:

Lastly, you must allow your children and grandchildren to share any concerns they may have.  Hopefully these concerns will be trivial, but always pay attention to what they have to say.  Children view the world from a different angle and may see something you don’t.  Encourage them to use their senses to recognize anything that does not seem right and let them know, it is okay for them to say something.  Ever since the attacks on the World Trade Center, we have heard over and over, “See something, Say something.”  Help your children and grandchildren understand that this is extremely important.