Way back in the day, I used to blog religiously every.single.day and while there was always fresh content on the blog, you’d get high quality content like, “I have nothing to say today. Come back tomorrow.” Now I’m much more of a capricious blogger, posting only when I’ve got something to say or the ten minutes required to say it (or ideally, the intersection of the two!) and the posts seem to come in energetic binges with droughts in between. I’ll let you make up your own mind on the quality issue.
I’ve been trying to think of a blog post all week that isn’t about family travel but with our trip pending and all the final details falling in to place (or not, which will also make a great post one of these days!) travel is just about all I can think about.
Packing for air travel and a cruise is a totally different beast than packing for our usual road trips. I’m very good at the latter and completely freaked out by the former. Not only do we have to be very economical with our packing (and we’re flying out on Delta, which makes you pay for every single checked bag) but we have to pack smart because we can’t just pop in to the local Shoppers Drug Mart and pick up what we’ve forgotten. Oh sure, there will be places to buy stuff on our mega-ship, but I’d rather spend my $20 on entertainment than a tube of tooth paste.
So in addition to the sunscreen and the sandals and the shorts and the toothbrushes, I’ve been trying to figure out which electronic devices to bring. (And oy, what camera gear to bring, which may also merit a post of its own!) There’s about five hours of air travel altogether, and I’m thinking handheld games will come in pretty handy during the flights, let alone as distractions in the airport. While we will have, I am sure, no shortage of fun activities during the cruise, I do think it would be good to have the devices available for down time i.e. mommy needs to sit quietly on the balcony and look at the sea while drinking her morning coffee and you guys need to do something other than bicker with each other.
(Yeesh, not only do I not blog regularly anymore, but it takes me forever to get to the point!)
So here is what I am asking – can you suggest some fun iPod/iPhone/iPad apps that don’t require wifi to play? We have (and love) Angry Birds, but most of the kdis’ favourite games need an Internet connection. Got any others to recommend?
I don’t think any of these games require wifi, and we’ve relied heavily on them for flights to Scotland and travel generally: Plants vs. Zombies, Doodle Jump, Cut the Rope, Asphalt 4, Snail Mail, Fruit Ninja, Bejeweled, Fast Ball 2, and Scribblenauts. I don’t think the app version of Minecrafter requires WiFi but I just don’t know, plus maybe that’s only for older kids? Anyway, everything but Scribblenauts is certainly non-WiFi and you can get a lot of time out of all of them.
Hope that helps!
Oh, and there’s a Harry Potter Lego game that was only $4.99 for the iPad, and it’s more or less exactly the same as the DS version that sells for $19.99. No WiFi required, I don’t think.
Jody, no kidding? There’s a Minecraft app? That sound you hear is the sound of three kids’ heads expoding. They are all about the Minecraft at our house.Cut the Rope is another fave at our house and Plants V Zombies is one I’d meant to look into. Thanks for the awesome suggestions! 🙂
What about the new game by the makers of Angry Birds? Something about the pigs??? I haven’t purchased it yet so I don’t know if it’s worth it, but it might be good for “something new”? Angry Birds Seasons or Angry Birds Space might also fit the bill, if you they don’t already have them.
I’m not much help otherwise since our Little Man is still into things like Elmo’s Monster Maker, Handy Manny’s Workshop and Thomas the Train.
Ooo, what about Snood? Have you every played that? It’s like the original version of games like Bejeweled.
My kids love Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride (bonus points – this one is free!), Cut the Rope, and Where’s my Water?
Good luck!
You didn’t specifically ask about this but I flew United this week when I went to Las Vegas and the rules regarding check carry-on baggage are very loose. Some people had huge bags that they brought along and where never looked at twice. you may get away with bringing some bags on and not having to check them. At least one (plus purse) for you and Beloved and the kids can each have a bag as well. Seriously, the stuff people had as carry on was crazy but as long as it fit in overhead they weren’t stopped. And if the plane fills the airline will check your bag free of charge (if you’ve yet to board)
Casey’s Contraptions is one that my girls always play on trips! Oh, and don’t worry about the travelling too much – in my experience, our kids have always found plenty of interesting things to watch in the airport (don’t break out the electronics yet if you don’t have to!) and with a couple of writing/sticker projects, in-flight snacks, the always exciting trip to the tiny bathroom, time goes more quickly than you’d expect. A couple of UNO decks or a game of Crazy 8’s can work too 🙂
Thanks all, great tips! And yes, the Uno cards are packed already – it was that or the yahtzee dice, and I figured it would be likely and awkward to be digging around under somebody’s seat looking for a missing die! 🙂
For Windows powered devices, there is Zillions of Games. Beyond a demo assortment, it goes for $25 with over 2,000 free games. The program mainly plays chess, checkers, reversi, etc. type games and puzzles; there is also a wider variety available. Solitare programs (some cheap, some free) can also be found online.
It’s not wham and bam, but it might (quietly) keep a kid’s attention.