Summer is drawing to a close, and so it goes with the proverbial summer vacations.
However, there are still plenty of weekend road trips you can take with the children. And, being located so close to the Mexican border, a few hours’ drive south can provide some delightful experiences. Within a day’s drive, you can hit Monterrey, Saltillo, Parras, Tampico, Ciudad Valles and numerous other destinations.
Monterrey and surrounding areas are popular tourist attractions, said Pete Castillo, editor of the Sanborn Travelogues. You can go camping in Chepinque Park (to the west of the city). At Las Grutas de Garcia, north of Monterrey, you can camp out and then hike through a cave. South of Monterrey, in the area of Santiago there are places to camp or rent cabins.
Saltillo has the Museum of the Birds, the serape factor, and the Museum of the Desert; Parras has the Casa Madero Winery (and plenty of sweets), and Real de Catorce is an old mining town.
While these areas offer some fabulous weekend adventures, there are some precautions one must take to ensure a relatively trouble-free trip. A story provided by the Hilton Garden Inn to the Family Features Web site, www.familyfeatures.com, suggests that, when traveling with children, bring plenty of books, games and toys. Bring along a few surprises, such as a Frisbee or jump rope, to pull out at rest stops to help everyone stave off restlessness, and healthy snacks.
Also, bring maps for each child so they can answer the question, “Are We There Yet?”
Jo Liston, owner of Go..With Jo!, recently took a trip into Mexico with her 9-year-old grandson. She knows all kinds of activities to keep children occupied.
“There’s all kinds of car games you can play, license plates, who can spot the first Volkswagen, and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “Depends on the age. Our deck of cards came in really handy, like that, especially slapjack. Kids can beat the adults crazy on that one, generally. To play any kind of games like that you need a flat surface. We also had the tic-tac-toe, which isn’t quite as challenging, actually, as some of the other games, but some of the younger kids would like it.”
It’s also smart to have a first-aid kit with prescriptions, plus pain, allergy and stomach medicines, Band-aids and anti-bacterial cream, according to the Family Features site.
Make sure to pack all these, plus plenty of jackets, sunscreen, insect repellant, hats, pillows and blankets, the night before. The packing will require more time than you think. Castillo also suggested getting all your paperwork ahead of time, and that includes letters from doctors authorizing you to carry your medications.
Travelers heading across the border should also have Mexico insurance, as that country does not recognize foreign insurance. Know the rules of the road and the country; it’s illegal to drink and drive in Mexico, and some states have laws against using cell phones while you are behind the wheel. Brush up on your Spanish enough to read the road signs.
“Use common sense,” Castillo said. “Stay out of places that you normally wouldn’t go into, even if you were in the U.S. We suggest that people don’t drive at night, mainly because in a lot of the rural areas, there’s insufficient lighting, and there’s a lot of livestock that jump on the road, things like that. We always ask, not only women but also men, to not pull off to the side of the road and sleep over there, things like that.”
John Fritz, owner of Fritz Travel in McAllen, takes frequent tour groups into Mexico. Although he lived in Mexico for 10 years and has no problem eating from street vendors, many people do, and he advises against it.
“Make sure they always eat at a respectable restaurant, and not to eat salads except for restaurants they feel is a very clean restaurant,” he said. If it’s not a clean restaurant, I would not recommend eating lettuce and stuff. That’s just something that most people won’t do unless it’s just a real nice restaurant.”
———
Travis Whitehead covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4452. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.
TIPS FOR THE ROAD For more tips look online at www.themonitor.com
BEFORE YOU GO:
1. Leave an itinerary with grandparents or neighbors.
2. Research your planned destination with hotel Web sites.
3. Cancel mail and newspaper deliveries.
4. Pack the car the night before — it always takes longer than you think.
Survival Checklist: 10 Must Haves for the Road:
1. A “car” bag packed by each child with books, games and toys to pass the time during a long ride.
2. A few surprises, like a Frisbee or jump rope to pull out at rest stops to help everyone stave off restlessness.
3. Cold beverages and healthy snacks (kids generally get hungry before Dad’s ready to stop).
4. Wipes and hand sanitizer for sticky little fingers.
5. Maps for each child so they can answer “Are we there yet?”
6. Chargers or extra batteries and headphones to ensure the music and games don’t stop before the car does.
7. First-aid kit, including prescriptions; pain, allergy and stomach medicines; Band-Aids and anti-bacterial cream.
8. Jackets, a new bottle of sunscreen, insect repellent and hats.
9. A trash bag in arm’s reach so everything isn’t handed up to Mom for disposal.
10. Small pillows and blankets for the comfort of those lulled to sleep by motion.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep on the Road:
1. Bring ear plugs to minimize sleep stealing distractions on the road (for passengers).
2. Limit caffeine and sugar consumption a few hours before bed.
3. Ask about the beds, as well as cots and cribs if needed, when selecting your hotel. You’ll be surprised how much a hotel can tell you about their beds and pillows.
4. Don’t let travel get meals off schedule and drink plenty of water.
Road Trip: Summer coming to a close, perfect time for a getaway
Summer is drawing to a close, and so it goes with the proverbial summer vacations.
However, there are still plenty of weekend road trips you can take with the children. And, being located so close to the Mexican border, a few hours’ drive south can provide some delightful experiences. Within a day’s drive, you can hit Monterrey, Saltillo, Parras, Tampico, Ciudad Valles and numerous other destinations.
Monterrey and surrounding areas are popular tourist attractions, said Pete Castillo, editor of the Sanborn Travelogues. You can go camping in Chepinque Park (to the west of the city). At Las Grutas de Garcia, north of Monterrey, you can camp out and then hike through a cave. South of Monterrey, in the area of Santiago there are places to camp or rent cabins.
Saltillo has the Museum of the Birds, the serape factor, and the Museum of the Desert; Parras has the Casa Madero Winery (and plenty of sweets), and Real de Catorce is an old mining town.
While these areas offer some fabulous weekend adventures, there are some precautions one must take to ensure a relatively trouble-free trip. A story provided by the Hilton Garden Inn to the Family Features Web site, www.familyfeatures.com, suggests that, when traveling with children, bring plenty of books, games and toys. Bring along a few surprises, such as a Frisbee or jump rope, to pull out at rest stops to help everyone stave off restlessness, and healthy snacks.
Also, bring maps for each child so they can answer the question, “Are We There Yet?”
Jo Liston, owner of Go..With Jo!, recently took a trip into Mexico with her 9-year-old grandson. She knows all kinds of activities to keep children occupied.
“There’s all kinds of car games you can play, license plates, who can spot the first Volkswagen, and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “Depends on the age. Our deck of cards came in really handy, like that, especially slapjack. Kids can beat the adults crazy on that one, generally. To play any kind of games like that you need a flat surface. We also had the tic-tac-toe, which isn’t quite as challenging, actually, as some of the other games, but some of the younger kids would like it.”
It’s also smart to have a first-aid kit with prescriptions, plus pain, allergy and stomach medicines, Band-aids and anti-bacterial cream, according to the Family Features site.
Make sure to pack all these, plus plenty of jackets, sunscreen, insect repellant, hats, pillows and blankets, the night before. The packing will require more time than you think. Castillo also suggested getting all your paperwork ahead of time, and that includes letters from doctors authorizing you to carry your medications.
Travelers heading across the border should also have Mexico insurance, as that country does not recognize foreign insurance. Know the rules of the road and the country; it’s illegal to drink and drive in Mexico, and some states have laws against using cell phones while you are behind the wheel. Brush up on your Spanish enough to read the road signs.
“Use common sense,” Castillo said. “Stay out of places that you normally wouldn’t go into, even if you were in the U.S. We suggest that people don’t drive at night, mainly because in a lot of the rural areas, there’s insufficient lighting, and there’s a lot of livestock that jump on the road, things like that. We always ask, not only women but also men, to not pull off to the side of the road and sleep over there, things like that.”
John Fritz, owner of Fritz Travel in McAllen, takes frequent tour groups into Mexico. Although he lived in Mexico for 10 years and has no problem eating from street vendors, many people do, and he advises against it.
“Make sure they always eat at a respectable restaurant, and not to eat salads except for restaurants they feel is a very clean restaurant,” he said. If it’s not a clean restaurant, I would not recommend eating lettuce and stuff. That’s just something that most people won’t do unless it’s just a real nice restaurant.”
———
Travis Whitehead covers features and entertainment for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4452. For this and more local stories, visit www.themonitor.com.
TIPS FOR THE ROAD For more tips look online at www.themonitor.com
BEFORE YOU GO:
1. Leave an itinerary with grandparents or neighbors.
2. Research your planned destination with hotel Web sites.
3. Cancel mail and newspaper deliveries.
4. Pack the car the night before — it always takes longer than you think.
Survival Checklist: 10 Must Haves for the Road:
1. A “car” bag packed by each child with books, games and toys to pass the time during a long ride.
2. A few surprises, like a Frisbee or jump rope to pull out at rest stops to help everyone stave off restlessness.
3. Cold beverages and healthy snacks (kids generally get hungry before Dad’s ready to stop).
4. Wipes and hand sanitizer for sticky little fingers.
5. Maps for each child so they can answer “Are we there yet?”
6. Chargers or extra batteries and headphones to ensure the music and games don’t stop before the car does.
7. First-aid kit, including prescriptions; pain, allergy and stomach medicines; Band-Aids and anti-bacterial cream.
8. Jackets, a new bottle of sunscreen, insect repellent and hats.
9. A trash bag in arm’s reach so everything isn’t handed up to Mom for disposal.
10. Small pillows and blankets for the comfort of those lulled to sleep by motion.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep on the Road:
1. Bring ear plugs to minimize sleep stealing distractions on the road (for passengers).
2. Limit caffeine and sugar consumption a few hours before bed.
3. Ask about the beds, as well as cots and cribs if needed, when selecting your hotel. You’ll be surprised how much a hotel can tell you about their beds and pillows.
4. Don’t let travel get meals off schedule and drink plenty of water.
Travis M. Whitehead
Monitor Staff Writer
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