Instead of letting the kids watch DVDs during your next road trip, use those long hours in the car to sharpen their minds.

That’s the advice from Dr. Katherine Wiesendanger, an education professor at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. She offers these tips for turning those mindless hours in the car to mind-sharpening opportunities.

Official Navigator

No minivan sallying forth to vacation wonderlands can arrive without a designated navigator. Why not appoint your child to the post? An official trip navigator’s title and duties are a great way to reinforce map reading, mathematics and geography skills.Dr. Wiesendanger recommends that during the trip, parents require the navigator to trace the family’s progress on a map. Every hour, call for an official report from the backseat, asking the navigator to detail location, current direction of travel, the next exit, the nearest town and the next state.

Mom or Dad can also add a mathematics component to navigator reports by asking for the total miles traveled and remaining, which the navigator can learn to compute using location information and the map’s scale. The driver can use the odometer to double-check.

A to Z

Dr. Wiesendanger suggests that road trips also present opportunities for kids and parents to sharpen verbal skills. Story-telling, for example, can involve the entire family and exercise everyone’s mind.

One idea is to use “story starters.” One family member starts the story with a simple “Once upon a time” statement. Each family member then takes a turn to build on the story. These stories can take imaginative, often humorous turns that entertain and create memories.

Another mind exercise idea is having kids keep a daily vacation journal, starting in the car. Writing brief reflections on the day’s experience and tomorrow’s anticipation lets kids practice expressing themselves. The journal also becomes a vacation keepsake that kids and parents are likely to treasure a few years down the road.

Whether you tramp through the rain forest or bask on a love boat—travel presents new and different health concerns mostly unknown at home.

We do not want to set on you with our lectures just, please, keep in mind some facts – that will be useful for you.

Preparing before you go is the best way to stay healthy while you’re traveling. See a doctor at least 6 weeks before you leave so that you’ll have time for immunizations that may need to be done in advance. Check with your doctor to see if there are medications or extra precautions that you should take. For example, people who have heart failure may need to take shorter flights with more stops to avoid long periods of sitting or they may need to adjust their medications.

Before you go, research local sanitation and other conditions so that you can take appropriate measures while you are traveling:
- Is the water safe to drink?
- Do insects, such as mosquitoes or ticks, carry disease?
- Is there air pollution?
- Will the altitude make you sick?
- Is it safe to swim in pools, lakes, or the ocean?
- Could you get heat exhaustion, sun stroke, or a sunburn?

Basic precautions, such as drinking bottled water or using insect repellent, can prevent some illnesses, ranging from an inconvenient bout of diarrhea to life-threatening malaria.

Preparing for a journey takes planning and time. Proper planning is the best way to stay healthy during your trip. See a doctor at least 6 weeks before you go so that you’ll have time for immunizations and other health precautions you may need to take in advance. There are several factors to consider in preparing for a trip.

Enjoy your trip.

Ever since man has moved from place to place and took his belongings with him some sort of luggage was used.  It was used to keep all belongings together and even organized. Like everything luggage has evolved.

Christopher Columbus likely had a trunk filled with clothing and necessary navigational tools such as maps. Trunks were often made of fine woods like oak, pine, or cedar. Others are made of a combination of materials including cloth and leather. Trunks were often ornately decorated with nails and brass clasps with locks. Families have passed them down through generations and have become family heirlooms.

Luggage was and is made of a variety of materials. The hides of animals such as deer, horse, and even cow were used and were very popular. Come to think of it, Leather is still a popular material used in the making of luggage. They were meant to last a long time.Since trunks were often large and cumbersome smaller bags were made such as the carpet bags. We now have suitcases, tote bags, and backpacks. We have luggage with wheels, luggage that expands, luggage that is soft and able to be put in tight spaces, and hard luggage that protects your belongings and will survive the very rough handling of baggage handlers.

Luggage now comes with wheels. Telescoping handles and leather pull straps are used. They come with places for bottles of water, CD players, and lunch pouches. They are laptop computer compatible and are more durable than ever before.

As the most easterly of the seven islands that make up the Canaries, Lanzarote is also the island that has seen the most recent volcanic activity. Back in the 1730’s, the world’s longest recorded eruptions began and went on for six years.

This devastating event in fact increased the island’s land mass by one quarter. But it also destroyed what had been the most fertile part of the countryside and drove many farming families to emigrate.Since then, however, Lanzarote has steadily rebuilt itself and its resident population and now regularly welcomes almost a million visitors a year in the form of holidaymakers. They are attracted by the incredible climate the island enjoys and its unspoilt, rugged beauty, which includes many stunning beaches.

These days, a good proportion of visitors choose to hire a private villa. And with a large number of villas in Playa Blanca to choose from, it has become even easier to find exactly the type of accommodation you want.

Although that doesn’t always suit every holidaymaker, so it is just as well that an excellent range of Lanzarote hotels is also available, especially in Playa Blanca as this is the newest resort. Many are located right by the seafront promenade, with commanding views across the Bocaina Strait to Fuerteventura.

The volcanoes on the island have been put to good use in the last few decades. As Lanzarote’s most popular tourist attraction is the Timanfaya National Park, a protected area of the volcanic region that remains as it was just after the eruptions came to an end.

Elsewhere on the island, the underground lava tunnels that were created by molten rock flowing down towards the sea have also been turned into sites of interest. Chief amongst these is the amazing Jameos del Agua, which is home to an underground lake, hanging gardens, a nightclub, restaurant and museum all in a collapsed tunnel.

The inventive use of these features is surprising and charms many of the island’s visitors. And as flights to Lanzarote are only four hours from the UK, it is well worth a trip to discover for yourself how captivating this volcanic outcrop can be.

Le Marches aux Puces de Saint-Ouen

Founded in 1885, this is the world’s largest flea market, with 3,000 stalls of furniture, clothing, jewelry, décor and housewares. Merchandise runs the gamut from genuine antiques to funky vintage to plain old junk, and patience is required to uncover the gems. However, those with persistence will be rewarded and those intent on soaking up atmosphere will not be disappointed. On the outskirts of Paris and reachable by metro, Saint-Ouen is open Saturday, Sundays, and Mondays, though many stalls are closed on Mondays.

Port de Vanves

Smaller than Saint-Ouen but centrally located, the Port de Vanves flea market is considered one of the best in France. The eclectic mix of merchandise includes everything from fine art to jewelry, books, linens, vintage clothing and pop art items from the 1960s and ‘70s. Vendors cull their wares not only from Paris and other regions of France but from Europe and beyond. The favorite of many visitors for its manageable size, moderate prices, and close-in location, Port de Vanves is open Saturday and Sunday mornings only, so go early for the best pickings.

Boulevard Richard Lenoir

It comes as no surprise that the world capital of fine food boasts dozens upon dozens of food markets. One of the best begins at the Bastille monument and proceeds north for a good kilometer along the Boulevard Richard Lenoir. Stalls ranged along both sides sell gourmet meats, cheeses and prepared foods along with a smattering of clothing and textiles. Don’t miss fish impresario Jacky Lorenzo and the vintage wines on offer from wine seller Eduard Mace. Open Thursday and Sunday mornings.

Marché Beauveau and Rue d’Aligre

Parisians with a taste for exotic food and an eye for a bargain flock to the 12th arrondissement, where north African spices and ingredients vie for attention alongside traditional French cheeses, poultry, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables. The vibe is true Parisian, and there’s lively and sometimes boisterous competition among merchants who compete with each other to offer the best prices. This is a great spot to wander, soak up the atmosphere, and have lunch at a local café. Open Tuesday through Saturday mornings until 1pm and late afternoons from 4 until 7.30pm; open Sunday mornings only, until 1pm.

Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux

Though few visitors plan to transport fresh flowers or canaries home with them, this historic market, in operation since 1808, is a tradition not to be missed. In addition to fresh blooms, vendors sell flowering trees, shrubs, bulbs, exotic plants, gardening tools and books on gardening. The flower market is open seven days a week, and the best day to go is Sunday, when bird sellers are on hand with their colorful, chattering merchandise and an impressive selection of ornate cages. Ile de la Cité at Place Louis Lépine.

There are countless more markets to explore, and with cheap flights to Paris from a city near you, you can discover them all.