Questions about traveling with grandkids

[path1]

Grandparents looking for advice in todays world about grandkids. And I understand everybody is different.

Our kids have lots memories of camping with us when they were young, and they talk to their kids (our grandkids)about how much fun it was. Back then (we)as young parents, we camped because it was cheap. Our thoughts back then and probably like most parents today were to get our kids somewhere they could have fun and not cost much money. Load up kids, dogs, tent and ice chest in 1963 station wagon and go. We didn't worry about much. If we broke down, lucky for you...you'll get a chance to meet other people on the Greyhound bus going back home. As far as buying stuff, Didn't have the problems that kids have today. We usually got them post cards and ice cream cone. And they were happy, or atleast pretend your happy or walk.:)

OK now 45 years later, US (grandparents) planning a 3 week trip with grandkids ages 8-15.


---What age should kids have and carry ID if any? (we do have medical info).

---As far as buying stuff...when we take them on shorter trips closer to their home, it seems like they blast thru money like our back pocket is overloaded and never going to run dry. And that's OUR money and that's going to stop. But don't want to be a jerk about it. Here is what I have in mind.

Giving each one of them some money and getting a gift card. Minors can use plastic right? Half cash and half on plastic. When they blast through what they know they had, then that's it. They are out of money. OK, welcome to the real world, time to learn about budgets and make your buying decisions more thoughtfully.

What do you do?

Please tell me what you think. Too harsh? Just right?

Thanks

As a side note...older grandkids still talk about our "pioneer" trip. We did a one week trip. Grandkids picked black berries for pies and jam. Had to fry up their own fish they caught. Bought fruit from roadside fruit stands and canned corn and tomatoes along the way. Good thing our RV has two propane tanks, canning takes a lot of propane. Also I cooked few meals with Dutch oven with no charcoal, only twigs and small sticks. Lot harder to control heat, so I learned something also.

P.S. Not leaving country just states.

[Opie431]

Parents of our grandchildren give them money before they arrive and we are not to go over the parent imposed limits.

[catkins]

We always give our grandkids a small amount of their "own" trip money. They must decide what to buy or do with that money. We may pay for a horseback ride or something else but is they want to buy a souvenir, play at the arcade, get a shirt or............. is their decision. We may remind them that shopping on day one may not leave money for later but we let them decide. Great life lesson and usually they have ended up with a little leftover. LOL No asking for more money is allowed and they know that up front. Everyone seems to be fine with the entire deal. Feels very grown up when they are littler. Have a great trip!

[down_home]

We took our steped Grand Kids, with us for the first time a couple months ago.
We got bacck a live but barely.
Kids think the wurld revolves around them because Grand Pa and Grand Ma, let the littel darlings do and have whatever they want. They're spoilt.
So, en route, be sure to stop often, in large areas and let them run tile they drop. Don't eveer feed them sugar in any form.
Keep them busie or rather let them keep you busy. Parks zoos, fishing swimming away from al stores, and no tv , nor computers, and put them to bed by ten o clock and up @ seven.
It's a choir but they will be better for it and you may lose a few pounds.

[jnharley]

You could pick up prepaid VISA cards from your local bank or credit union and then have the ability to load more funds on them if you desire. I like the idea of loading on a set amount and letting the child know that they must manage their purchases. Money management is sadly lacking nowadays.

[NYCgrrl]

path1 wrote:
Grandparents looking for advice in todays world about grandkids. And I understand everybody is different.

Our kids have lots memories of camping with us when they were young, and they talk to their kids (our grandkids)about how much fun it was. Back then (we)as young parents, we camped because it was cheap. Our thoughts back then and probably like most parents today were to get our kids somewhere they could have fun and not cost much money. Load up kids, dogs, tent and ice chest in 1963 station wagon and go. We didn't worry about much. If we broke down, lucky for you...you'll get a chance to meet other people on the Greyhound bus going back home. As far as buying stuff, Didn't have the problems that kids have today. We usually got them post cards and ice cream cone. And they were happy, or atleast pretend your happy or walk.:)

OK now 45 years later, US (grandparents) planning a 3 week trip with grandkids ages 8-15.


---What age should kids have and carry ID if any? (we do have medical info).

---As far as buying stuff...when we take them on shorter trips closer to their home, it seems like they blast thru money like our back pocket is overloaded and never going to run dry. And that's OUR money and that's going to stop. But don't want to be a jerk about it. Here is what I have in mind.

Giving each one of them some money and getting a gift card. Minors can use plastic right? Half cash and half on plastic. When they blast through what they know they had, then that's it. They are out of money. OK, welcome to the real world, time to learn about budgets and make your buying decisions more thoughtfully.

What do you do?

Please tell me what you think. Too harsh? Just right?

Thanks

As a side note...older grandkids still talk about our "pioneer" trip. We did a one week trip. Grandkids picked black berries for pies and jam. Had to fry up their own fish they caught. Bought fruit from roadside fruit stands and canned corn and tomatoes along the way. Good thing our RV has two propane tanks, canning takes a lot of propane. Also I cooked few meals with Dutch oven with no charcoal, only twigs and small sticks. Lot harder to control heat, so I learned something also.

P.S. Not leaving country just states.

Been taking up to 3 younger family members camping and traveling for the last 10 years now; mostly for 2 - 3 week trips. Granddaughter who lives with us now will be 11 soon; a niece who just turned 16 and a grand nephew who is 8 y/o.

Interesting how different branches of my family teach money habits and usage to their young ones. The granddaughter saved $181.73 throughout the year so I added enough to make it an even $225.00 for her this vacation. Gave $50.00 to my niece in cash and a gift card just before this year's trip began her birthday was celebrated 2 weeks before the trip started) and she brought about $30.00 independently; grand nephew brought no money.

"Despite" the fact that we tent camped we visited 3 museums and one aquarium (I highly recommend the New Haven, CT, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History as a fun learning experience for people of all ages. Found their local fauna and flora display relevant and the entrance price great on Thursday afternoons even though we visited on a Thurs morning); picked blueberries at a local PYO farm, spent 3 hours at a zip line adventure park, visited a local amusement park for a day and ate out a total of 9 times. How do I know how many times we ate out? Cuz we were talking in the car on the way back home and discussed what we like best and least about camping. DGD stated that she wished we'd eaten "take out" more frequently soooooo we counted how many times we did this trip and then figured out the average cost per person per meal and then discussed what else we could have done with that money. As my traveling kiddies know there are few questions that don't allow me to to use their school years' math and reading skills;).

The 2 older children have traveled with me in the past so I know they have passports. No idea about grand nephew who has only camped w/ me twice. When I have traveled out of country with the 2 older children I had full written authority to maintain their physical health.

As for your idea of giving children gift cards so they can budget their funds I see no problem with the idea and think it will help their growth.

[Tvov]

SolidAxleDurango wrote:
Buy 'em a T-shirt and a hat and call it good.... Who says memories are made by buying stuff? Go do cool stuff and take pics. Come home and make things with your pics... Calendars, coffee mugs, scrap books.

I lean towards this.

What kind of trip are you planning? If mostly campgrounds, why so much concern about money?

My response to my kids when they want something that I don't want to buy for them is "I don't have money for that", or "Let's wait and come back to buy it if you still want it later - we don't want to carry it around all day". Amazing how often kids later on decide something really isn't all that critical to own.

At resort campgrounds we will usually gave our kids $5 or $10 a day to spend on snacks and/or games. Depended on what the campground had and how much things cost.

At more rustic campgrounds that didn't have an extensive camp store or recreation hall, there was nothing to spend money on! We just made campfires, hiked in the woods, played frisbie / soccer / wiffle ball, and swam in the river / lake. And if we were with other families, we ate until our bellys burst.

If you are planning on camping near tourist destinations (amusement parks, seashore boardwalks, exploring cities, etc), then Yes, have some sort of a budget figured out, but.... plan on "overspending" on your grandkids.

Kind of takes away from a vacation if you are constantly worried about money... either plan something less expensive, or just bring the credit cards.

Have fun camping!

[FunnyCamper]

you had me laughing they are blowing thru your money like your back pockets were overloaded 🙂 kids do cost if you allow it.

I would just give them some money and say that is it. It really is simple. You just have to say NO. NO is easy to say really 🙂

sounds like you guys have a fab trip happening. Enjoy!!! Great memories to be made!!

[KCFDCapt]

As far as the medical issues go, here is something to consider. Some states require a parent or legal guardian to discharge a patient from a hospital..That means if the child is admitted, then they need a parent, guardian OR a notarized permission slip from the parent or guardian to allow you to receive the child from the hospital. This is not for ER or Urgent Care, just following an admission to the hospital for care.

[Mountain_Mama]

I guess I'm a bad grandmother... We took our 8 YO granddaughter to Royal Gorge, Grand Teton, & Yellowstone last summer. I never gave her any money nor did her parents. I bought her a couple of small items, but I felt the trip was her "souvenir". I did buy her a small camera, & made her a memory book before the trip, made sure she did all the Jr. Ranger programs we could, took her up Beartooth Summit where on the way up she got to see snow for the first time, (she was so excited, although it was a small amount in a ditch, she didn't care!) etc. When we got home she picked out her favorite photos, we got them printed out & put in a small photo album for her. Her parents joined us mid trip & her mom bought her a few things. She never complained!

We also had insurance info & stmt from parents about treatment if need arose. Also got a noterized statement from them that we their permission to have her in our custody, stating she was our granddaughter including all our names. Had her passport for her id.

Wonderful trip!

[SolidAxleDurang]

Buy 'em a T-shirt and a hat and call it good.... Who says memories are made by buying stuff? Go do cool stuff and take pics. Come home and make things with your pics... Calendars, coffee mugs, scrap books.

[Mr__Camper]

Have Power of Attorney for medical emergencies. We learned that one the hard way since our grandson has a different last name. We were unable to call for permission for over an hour (before cell phones) and the hospital asked if we had PofA and we'd never thought of that. They gave him something to calm him down until an hour passed and we got in touch with our daughter.

As to activities you have a 7 year difference in their age so make sure they bring some things to entertain themselves while traveling and on rainy days.

[2gypsies1]

Where do you plan on going? When you have a destination get some good detailed maps and mark your beginning and ending and have them choose some places to stop inbetween. They surely know how to use a computer to search. Let each one choose one or two places depending on your time.

Giving them some spending money is fine but I wouldn't give them a gift card because they probably wouldn't be near particular stores to spend it. They're more likely to poke around in the camp stores.

Have plenty for them to do enroute. Nothing is worse than having grouchy kids asking "are we almost there"? Also, don't plan trip that are too far and involve a lot of driving. It's boring for kids. Even midway if you have a cheap little gift wrapped to give each it will break up the boredom - perhaps a little pinball game or for the younger - new crayons and a book.

Set rules beforehand regarding helping you out at times with preparing meals, folding their bedding, etc.

Their parents need to give you a hand also before the trip even begins.

Take lots of pictures.

Good luck! It CAN be an awesome experience for all involved.

[2chiefsRus]

I think it is a great idea to give them a set amount for the trip. Just be prepared, nothing takes longer than waiting for a five year old to decide which item to buy when it is THEIR money.

Years ago when the grandkids were 7 & 11 we set them each up with their own bank account that was joint with me. I did it through what was then ING Direct now Capital 360. I automatically deposited $4 & $5 per week (7 year/ 11 year old) into these accounts.

We sat them down and explained to them that this was money for them to spend anyway they wanted to spend it (barring a safety issue or objection from their parents). We told them that this is your way to learn how fast money goes away if you spend it on everything you see instead of saving for those things that are really important to you.

When they were shopping with their Mom if they wanted something, she would just ask them if they wanted it enough to use THEIR money for it. Worked great for her. If they said yes, Mom bought it and we took the money out of their account and did a Person to Person payment to their Mom's account.

The 7 year old is now 14 and he is a master at checking his account online and know exactly when he has enough money to buy something else that he wants. He also taught his Mom how to make an electronic photo deposit of a check. The 18 year old never spent a dime except for big ticket items twice. Both of them know also have Teen Money account complete with a Debit card of their own. The younger grandson regularly moves funds from his savings to his Money account along with making deposits with his camera.

read more here.

[Biker1mike]

The grand kid that travels with us uses her own allowance for anything she wants. We spend on her like we would have spent on on kids at that age. She knows that no means no and we seldom argue about it. But kids are kids and she will try to whine her way into something.
Kids between 8 and 15 should already know about budgets. If they don't, it is time to talk to the parents.

While on vacation we tend to splurge on the kids and that is our choice. Of course our level of splurge is pretty darn small.

Being a jerk is relative. You know you have been one when they no longer wish to vacation with you.