Protecting Your Child While on Vacation

It is every parents’ fear that one of their kids will become lost or kidnapped. It is a valid fear, but with a little planning ahead, you can make your child confident they can handle a situation they most likely would panic.

On our recent trip to Disney World, we lost our son in a store, but we had covered this several times with him on what to do if he became lost. See, a year before I bought him a LG Gizmo Pal 2 watch that allows him to make phone calls to only those in his contact list, up to 10 people. The caregivers (parents) have the app and can with a touch, get his GPS location. Each morning we went over the routine, what do you do if you can’t find us and become lost? We had him pull up his contacts on this watch and call one of us to make sure he knew how to make the call and wouldn’t panic. Then we instructed him while on the “phone” with us to find a cast member so they could help tell us where to find him. 

When one night we were all looking around a store, I turned around to my husband and asked where our son was? He looked around and couldn’t find him either. Our two teenage daughters were nearby and hadn’t seen him in a while. We fanned out to find him, all with our phones ready while both my husband and I pulled up the app to locate him. On the flip side, my son located a cast member right away and told them he had lost his parents and was going to call them. My oldest daughter found him first, but she found him while I was talking to him. All ended up the way I hoped. My son didn’t panic, remembered what we told him to do and did it confident that we would find him.

Now, I know this is a very high-tech way to do this and it can be a little costly, but I am also using this at home when he goes to a friend’s house to play. This way I always know where he is at and if he needs help, I am a phone call away.

There are a lot of other ways to do this without getting high tech and each has their positives and negatives. Before all the technology, when my daughters were young, I remember all the little things I did to make sure they could find us without a lot of technology. In fact, we didn’t have smartphones when they were young!

First, be sure to practice the routine with your child. Each morning review what they should do if they are lost or even taken by someone they don’t know. When it happens, kids will often panic, so practicing each morning before you head out will help to make them confident on how to alert you. This isn’t foolproof but walking my son through it paid off when we needed it.
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Here are a few other things we bought or made:

1. Kids Safe ID Cards the include and up to date photo, finger print, hair color, weight, height, eye color, our names, address and phone number. We got 5 of them and kept one on each kid, one with each parent and another in the room. 
2. Shoe tags – these come in many forms, but they attach to the child’s shoes with your information on it to contact.
3. Tattoos – custom temporary tattoos that has your phone number and name on them. Only draw back is you need a few as they wear off.
4. Travel ID Bands – these are waterproof and don’t tear easily that you put all your information on
5. Take a picture on your phone each morning. This way you know what they were wearing, and you have the most current photo of what they look like. 
6. ID bracelets and necklaces also work!
7. Teach your kids to know what to do if someone tries to take them. Scream this isn’t my mother or father. Make sure they cause a fuss, but make sure they act in a way that people won’t think this is their parent dealing with a meltdown from their kid. Have them yell they are being taken, kidnapped or something that doesn’t sound like they are just being a bad kid.
8. As a parent, know what you need to do the moment you realize your kids is gone. Contact a worker, security, police! The earlier you put up the alert, the more likely they can lock things down or locate your child.

While nothing is ever foolproof, preparing ahead of time may save you from heartache. I know I felt silly grilling my son each morning, but when we were separated, he knew what to do and didn’t panic. That is the biggest part of the equation: making sure they handle the situation when you aren’t there to help.

For more planning information for your vacation, be sure to contact the team at Whitney World Travel!

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About the Author:

Shari Jung, Travel Advisor
Shari grew up where vacations were a mix of local venues and big city tours. When she met the love of her life, he introduced her to Disney World for their honeymoon and she was instantly hooked. More than 30 Disney trips later, Shari has made it her mission to plan great family vacations where the magic last long after returning home. No matter what Disney Destination you are interested in, she brings her personal experience to bear to help plan the perfect trip. Shari has lived her entire life in southern Indiana, where she resides with her husband of 22 years and three children. She is a graduate from the University of Southern Indiana.