kids electronics in coach/bus (Costa Rica or anywhere)

[AZlady]

Stupid question~ I know we are going on this trip to SEE a new area and my kid should not be "plugged" into electronics.....but it looks like we have a lot of travel time one day. Is it normal for kids/teens to bring DVD/Ipod/DS on the coach ride?
TIA!

 

[tufbuf]

Stupid question~ I know we are going on this trip to SEE a new area and my kid should not be "plugged" into electronics.....but it looks like we have a lot of travel time one day. Is it normal for kids/teens to bring DVD/Ipod/DS on the coach ride? TIA!

Yup and is amazing how much time they spend on it! As long as the volume is down, it's perfectly ok.

 

[tchrrx]

The kids on our trip have used electronics some, but most of them (lots of teen/preteen girls on our trip) have spent their time playing games and having fun together.

 

[alagille]

The kids on our trip have used electronics some, but most of them (lots of teen/preteen girls on our trip) have spent their time playing games and having fun together.

What type of games have you all seen the kids doing together? Leaving in 1 week, have to start packing!

 

[knewton64]

Yes, I will be bringing my Ipod but.....
will have it flipped to music that's topical for the area I'm in.
(I feel it really enhances "motor coach" time)



Do agree to the previous poster's comments.....just gotta make sure it's (the music) on low.





T.T.F.N.
& Cheers Y'all

 

[carpenta]

We made our daughter leave her electronics home. We wanted her to enjoy the scenery, listen to the guides talk, and enjoy a lost art of conversation.

 

[tchrrx]

What type of games have you all seen the kids doing together? Leaving in 1 week, have to start packing!

Our girls have been playing a hand clapping/rhythm game called Concentration. Your girls may know how to do it from school.

One day they got a deck of cards out, but they didn't play with them very long. I don't think they were very confident in any games.

 

[tufbuf]

What type of games have you all seen the kids doing together? Leaving in 1 week, have to start packing!

If your guides are good, they will engage the kids in playing a game together. Chris, our guide in Greece did just that staying at the back with kids playing a game with them. I definitely agree that kids should be playing games but there are kids who are more into electronics. We had 6 hour long drive in Scotland, (3 hour max at a time) and there were kids who played just as long, which amazes me since I'd be dizzy and disoriented if I played that long. Some people don't like interacting and would isolate themselves listening to music with headphones. My DD drew during these long driving days. So to each their own, might not be what some prefer and I guess it depends on the parent how they want the child to spend their time during a long drive.

 

[RSM]

What we tend to see is that the kids (junior adventurer's) tend to migrate towards the back of the bus. During long bus rides 2-3 hours the kids play with their electronics for a while, talk and interact for a while, and will look outside for a while. So, it is not just one thing. We have found with boys anyways, that what they have on their ipod/ipad is a great icebreaker and gets them bonding pretty quickly. We have noticed with our son that his ability to multi-task is better than ours was at his age. Often times, when the guide is talking on the bus, we'll look back to see if he is paying attention. We'll see he is playing something, but when we ask him what was said, most of the time he can tell us the important points. Because we tend to sit towards the back half of the bus, for us the important thing is that the kids are not so loud that they are disruptive. In general, we have found that the kids are really good about this.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Yup and is amazing how much time they spend on it! As long as the volume is down, it's perfectly ok.

I can't imagine why you wouldn't use headphones. Other people don't enjoy listening to hours of someone playing video games. I don't care how low the volume is, people can still hear it. Use headphones!

 

[kristilew]

I can't imagine why you wouldn't use headphones. Other people don't enjoy listening to hours of someone playing video games. I don't care how low the volume is, people can still hear it. Use headphones!

This! The only unpleasant time we've ever had on an ABD was when we were trapped on a bus with children playing video games with no headphones.

I've learned over the course of my travels that parents all have different levels of tolerance for "loud." Those with kids who seem loud to me don't even notice the noise. If your kids have video games, or even play loud games (there were twins on our last ABD who had a game of slapping each other, loudly), maybe check with other adults on the bus to see if they can hear it.

 

[alagille]

Love the feedback here! Our boys 8,5 don't own any electronic hand held devices (my choice, at least for a little while...) they like drawing and a few card games. didn't even consider drawing, thanks guys. Am torn as to whether I bring my ipad or not for myself. I have a very few games/drawing apps on it. I like meeting other folks, chatting. Not sure how conducive the bus set up may be for this. We hop on a bus at Phoenix and drive 2 hours after flying to the west that morning. I didn't have all the 'arrive the day before' advice when I booked my flights, unfortunately.

 

[sayhello]

Love the feedback here! Our boys 8,5 don't own any electronic hand held devices (my choice, at least for a little while...) they like drawing and a few card games. didn't even consider drawing, thanks guys. Am torn as to whether I bring my ipad or not for myself. I have a very few games/drawing apps on it. I like meeting other folks, chatting. Not sure how conducive the bus set up may be for this. We hop on a bus at Phoenix and drive 2 hours after flying to the west that morning. I didn't have all the 'arrive the day before' advice when I booked my flights, unfortunately.

I really don't think you need to worry about the drive from Phoenix to Sedona on the first day. Your Adventure Guides will give some talks, you'll look at the cool scenery, about an hour and a half in, you'll stop at Montezuma's Castle, then continue through more gorgeous scenery to Sedona. I brought my iPod with me, loaded with music and books on tape, and never once touched it.

Sayhello

 

[Tozzie]

Love the feedback here! Our boys 8,5 don't own any electronic hand held devices (my choice, at least for a little while...) they like drawing and a few card games. didn't even consider drawing, thanks guys. Am torn as to whether I bring my ipad or not for myself. I have a very few games/drawing apps on it. I like meeting other folks, chatting. Not sure how conducive the bus set up may be for this. We hop on a bus at Phoenix and drive 2 hours after flying to the west that morning. I didn't have all the 'arrive the day before' advice when I booked my flights, unfortunately.

I use my IPAD to occupy myself on the plane, you may not want it for the tour but the plane and sometimes I get insomnia so I will read to put myself to sleep

 

[AZlady]

Thanks everyone for your advise!!