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Written by Rabbi Irwin Katsoff
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"Easy-To-Pack Travel Tips":
- Leave criticism and complaining behind. For sure, something somewhere will go wrong. Your flight may be delayed, your baggage lost, your passport stolen, or you may get lost looking for a restaurant, with cranky, hungry kids in tow. When you encounter such mini-disasters, resist the urge to blame each other. Instead, focus your energy on finding a solution.
- When people, even people who love each other, spend all day together for days on end, they are bound to get on each other's nerves. Just as you protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays with an ample layer of sunscreen, protect yourself from the "grouchies" by resolving to refrain from negative words. Instead, take a walk by yourself or a hot bath.
- Close quarters require an extra dose of tolerance. When the whole family finds itself sharing two hotel rooms or an RV, others' personal habits may irritate you: this one's sloppiness, that one's loudness, this one's annoying propensity to tune out, that one's compulsion to talk about souvenirs. Try this three-step remedy: Forgive, let go, and remember how much you love ________.
- Rare is the children's fight that cannot be quelled by a good distraction. And vacations abound in distractions. Pack a variety of car/plane games, point out the scenery, or ask each child: "What did you like best about . . . ?"
- Counteract negativity by cultivating the trait of appreciation. After every activity, talk about everything interesting or fun there. When someone starts to complain, make a game of "Who can list the most animals we saw in the safari?" or "Who can remember every interesting building we saw in Paris?"
- Negative words are like poison ivy, mosquitoes, and sunburn; they can ruin your whole vacation. Before you leave the house, agree to ban:
- Complaints
- Criticism
- Jokes at other people's expense
- Yelling
- Tattling
- Harsh comments
What will you talk about? How about the Grand Canyon?
- Play the "thank you game": At the end of every day - or every activity - take turns thanking every member of the family. For example:
- "Thanks, Mom, for planning this part of the trip."
- "Thanks, Dad, for buying dinner for us."
- "Thanks, Jimmy, for running back to the car to get the forgotten canteens."
- "Thanks, Susie, for being a barrel of fun."
Everyone feels good when thanked. The most important thing to take with you on your vacation are appreciative words.
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