Whether it is a long distance drive, a flight to another city, or a short trip for the weekend, your travel itinerary shouldn't be complete until you've properly planned and added safety tips to your agenda. East Tennessee Children's Hospital's Child Life Department has suggestions for making this year's family vacation even better-and safer.

"Family vacations often become stressful for families, and this can ruin parts of the trip for both parents and children," said Sara Sealine, Child Life Specialist at Children's Hospital. "Parents need to take into account the ages and attention span of their children. This plays a key role in planning an agenda for a trip."

For younger children, it is important to keep them on their same schedule (or as close to) as at home. This will lead to less irritable children and make the trip more enjoyable for everyone involved. Younger children need less involved vacations; parents should consider visiting the beach or camping at a national park. More involved vacations, such as sightseeing in various cities, visiting a theme park or vacations that require a busy schedule, should wait until children are older.

Below are some additional tips to keep in mind when planning a family trip. Not only will these tips help plan the next family trip, but will help keep children safer as well.

• Before planning your trip, allow children to have input in planning the activities they would like to do. Allowing each child to plan a portion of the trip makes them feel important and special. Fewer problems should occur if children each have their own specific "fun-time" and activity.

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