If you’ll be camping, keep in mind the two most important rules of campgrounds: “Only you can prevent forest fires!” and “Don’t feed the bears.”

Unfortunately, I learned that second rule the hard way. I didn’t feed the bears on purpose. (I knew better than that.) All I did was leave a pot of stew out overnight at our campsite in Yellowstone National Park, and the bears got into it.

The way I see it, it’s their fault they suffered intestinal problems. I did feel a little sorry for them when we found them doubled over with stomach cramps, gravy still on their faces.

The campsite was in shambles. (Apparently the bears rummaged through our stuff in a desperate search for antacids.) When the park rangers asked what I knew about the incident, I pointed to the pot of homemade stew. The rangers mentioned something about my endangering the species and left me to tend to the bears. Fortunately the bears recovered. But like I said, I learned to never again inadvertently feed the bears. They don’t have the stamina for my cooking.

Up, Up And Away
If your family vacation involves air travel, I have other tips. If this is your first time flying, try not to let unexpected turbulence frighten you. Remember that airplanes are designed to handle turbulence, so relax and enjoy the flight.

Also, if you have any questions, be assured that the flight attendants will be glad to answer them. I even answered a girl’s question once on behalf of the flight attendants. The girl was flying for the first time. As we taxied to the runway, she looked at me and asked, “Do the wings flap when it takes off?”

Road Trip
Maybe your vacation plans include time in the car. Here are some road-trip tips.

First, make good use of every stop. Don’t tell your parents that you don’t need to stop if there is a chance you’ll need to 15 minutes down the road.

Also, there are many fun travel games that you and your family can play to pass time. One game is map origami. See how many different shapes and ways you can fold the road map. But don’t do it while Dad is reading it, or you’ll likely end up in Canada instead of Grandmother’s house in Kansas.

Try the license plate game (see who can find the most states), a bubble gum blowing contest, the alphabet game (players have to find all 26 letters of the alphabet in the correct order using license plates, billboards or road signs) or play counting games (who can find the most Volkswagen bugs, police cars, trucks, minivans or red cars). I wouldn’t recommend counting white dashes on the road. I tried that once and was cross-eyed for the rest of the trip.

Another option is singing. When my sons were young, they requested me to sing on road trips. I’d roll down the windows and sing with all I had within me. It was the boys’ favorite part of the trip. They really didn’t enjoy my singing, but they loved watching cows try to cover their ears.

Whether you sing songs, tell jokes, count cars or whatever else you may do during summer vacation, remember that the vacation doesn’t start when you reach your destination. The vacation is also in the journey, so have fun with your family from the moment you leave home until the moment you return.