The most important thing to remember when looking for a good children’s vacation program is not all programs are created equal. And that not all programs will appeal to your child is also high on the list.
“A lot of programs are really good; some are not as good as others,” says Dorothy Jordon, publisher of the Family Travel Times newsletter in New York. “But even the best of programs doesn’t work for every child. There’s no such thing as the best. It’s what works for you and your family.”
Jordon, 47, who has two boys ages 12 and 15, has pressed hotels and resorts for years to develop more programs for children.
“This (trend) has to do with people who are traveling and kids. If you can’t accommodate them, you’re losing a customer,” Jordon says. She notes that many resorts have had such programs for years but only started promoting them when Baby Boomers starting having babies.
But cutting through the marketing hype to find a quality program isn’t always easy.
“I certainly wouldn’t make a decision on a vacation based on the fact that my children could eat free somewhere. There’s nothing wrong with those programs, but if you want to get the best value, there are other ways of going about it,” says Bill McCoy, senior editor at Parents magazine, which profiled 16 family resorts in its June issue.
Assessing programs means asking a lot of questions of your travel agent, individual hotels and resorts, and friends or relatives who may have already been there.
“We recommend parents ask a resort whether the supervisors have a background in early childhood education, child development or recreation for children,” McCoy advises.
McCoy also recommends finding a good travel agent to discuss your specific vacation needs. Two agencies that specialize in family travel are Rascals in Paradise in San Francisco (800-443-0799) and Rosenbluth International in Philadelphia (800-233-3158).
Jordon also encourages parents to get other people’s opinions of programs, with the caveat that what works for someone else’s child may not work for yours.
Other tips from Jordon include:
– Make sure a program is divided into age-appropriate groups. “Obviously, if they take children 4 to 12, somebody is going to suffer if they lump them all together. The more divided the kids are by age, the better it is,” she says.
– Check for flexibility. For example, if you and your kids are not early risers, you probably won’t be motivated to check in for the 9 a.m. program. Are there other activities you can join throughout the day or is it a one-shot deal? “Flexibility is part of what makes it a vacation,” she says.
Check the ratio of adult caretakers to children. A 1-to-5 ratio for small children is appropriate.
– Ask questions about safety. For example, cruises and self-contained resorts provide good places for children to roam freely in a limited area.
Club Med, for example, has a nurse who lives on all the family club properties and a pediatrician on the premises or on call.
– Most importantly, Jordon and McCoy recommend that parents sit in on the activities to gauge whether the program suits their child.
Jordon predicts that programs at hotels and resorts aimed toward children will blossom in the next few years, particularly for teens.
“Any hotel that doesn’t address the teen issue is going to be a big loser in the last half of the ’90s,” Jordon says.
