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Trip Advisor: On tour with a baby, have exit strategy
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Q: Are kids allowed on tours of microbreweries? My family is going on vacation near the place where they bottle my very favorite beer. I heard there is a factory tour, and my wife and I would like to do it, but we will have our 9-month-old son with us. Also, do you have any general tips for taking a baby on a tour like this?
A: I have seen kids on brewery tours before, but I imagine each brewery sets its own policy for this. You might, for example, be able to take a baby in a carrier but not a stroller. Call ahead and ask.
My top tip for taking a tour with a baby is to have an exit strategy. If your baby gets fussy, you and/or your wife should be prepared to leave early with the baby. When everybody's milling around waiting for the tour to start, ask the guide if he or she can help you escape if necessary. Usually the guides are very accommodating -- they don't want a crying baby on the tour, either. And if you do have a stroller, I'd walk at the end of the tour group rather than have everyone get stuck behind you. Finally, I'd take toys (non-noisy ones are best) and a bottle, and do a diaper change right before the tour starts.
Q: My friends Alicia and Sarah and I are going to Dublin together in December. We'll be eating out and going to pubs a lot. Should we all chip in an equal amount at the beginning of the trip and have one person carry that cash and pay every bill out of it? That would be easier than splitting every check, and I think in general it will be fair because we all tend to eat and drink the same amount, but no one really wants to carry all that cash in her purse.
A: I can definitely see why no one would want to carry a whole vacation's worth of cash. That's just asking to get your pocket picked. (Although Dublin's safe, in general, this could happen anywhere.)
I have two ideas. First, you could have everyone chip in small, equal amounts every day or two rather than a big chunk before you leave. Or you could use a single credit or debit card for all the charges. Then the cardholder could add things up when you get home and figure out what each person owes.
I think the first option is better, though, because it avoids any nasty surprises when you get back. One can easily underestimate how much Guinness one will drink in Dublin, and you don't want to be in a position where anyone has difficulty paying the cardholder back.
First Published October 28, 2012 12:00 am
