Happy Travels: Tips for Traveling With Young Kids
If you’re traveling with children this holiday season, there’s only one secret to a smooth trip: planning. It’s all about being prepared for the unexpected. Whether its a 2 hour car trip or an 8 hour flight, I recommend having a game plan to keep the kids entertained and happy. If you were at home, you’d likely know what you’d be doing throughout the day; its the same for when you travel as a family.
So cute, but so hard to travel with! Photo Credit: NiCuCorp
So before you book that flight to Grandma’s, check out these simple tips to help you travel happy as a family:
- Talk Up the Trip
Traveling is exciting for the kids! It can be a whole new adventure for them. Sharing that excitement adds fun to your trip. Tell the kids where you are going and the funs things you have planned when upon arrival. You can even let them wear a special outfit since it is a special occasion. Believe me- nobody on the plane will care when your kid is dressed as Spiderman if it keeps them happy.
- Bring Activities
Not even adults like to sit in a seat and do nothing and this is especially true for kids. If you are flying, consider activities that they can do on the small table in front of them, like coloring or watching movies on a tablet. If you’re driving, purchase a lap desk so they can color and have a hard surface to play on.
- Pack Food
Even if food is offered during your travel, pack extra snacks. It may not be able during a time that is convenient to their normal schedules or, even worse, it could be a food they refuse to eat. Putting finger food in small bags, like pretzels or cereal, can make it easy for them to eat on the go.
- Be Ready for Anything
Pack wipes and hand sanitizer just in case the kids get messy and you need to clean them up. A change of clothes and extra diapers is also a great idea. Accidents will inevitably happen at the most inconvenient times, so be prepared for anything. Traveling with a kid who is being potty trained? Consider packing a portable potty too!
- Take a Deep Breathe and Go with the Flow
Kids look to adults in stressful situations. Try to remain calm when you’re experiencing delays, unexpected change of plans or even turbulence. Hopefully they’ll sense that you’re remaining calm and they will too.
I wish everybody happy travels this holiday season, whether you are traveling across the city or across the country. Planning in advance should help everything go smoother and keep a smile on your face! Then once you arrive, sit back and toast with a cocktail to successful day of traveling with kids.
I have traveled with my kids since they were each under a year old and for us, the key is entertainment and lots of snacks. They are now 8 & 11 & that still holds true.
The best tip out of this whole thing…be ready for anything. haha Those words are so true even if you don’t have kids coming along. I have to make sure and have snacks and some sort of activities even if it’s just my husband and I on the trip as well.
Taking a deep breath is for sure! It can be a handful, but also a lot of fun.
Great tips! I agree! I find making the kids part of the preparations as well as the fun parts of the trips really helps!
Agreed it is important to prepare your child for the flight and I think that using activities will help. Maybe creating an itinerary too?
All great tips! We started traveling with our kids when they were very little. I’m happy to report they’ve always been great travelers with a little prep on my part.
Great ideas for traveling with kiddos! And I LOVE the cartoon of what you pack because it’s SO TRUE! We only pack a tiny bit for us but the kiddos, especially baby has so much stuff!
I decided a long time ago to let expectations fly right out the window if we were going anywhere with the kids. That helps us stay relaxed and actually enjoy what we are able to accomplish rather than feeling like crazed maniacs 🙂 I have three kids, they can definitely wear me down 🙂
These are very helpful tips. Snacks and activities were my weapons when I traveled with my kids.
Activities is the most important aspect of all for me. I always have a bag of tricks, as I call it, filled with new toys wrapped up in shiny paper, puzzles, activity books, busy bags, stickers, coloring pages and what not!
We love taking our kiddos on trips! It can be a lot of extra work but the memories are worth it!
These are excellent tips for traveling with kids! I was so naive on how much planning really needs to go into traveling with a little one. So much for such little people!!
I have found that if we get our son excited about the trip, and really walk him through what we’re doing, where we are going, and let him know what to expect, he’s more likely to go with the flow, too. He does really well with us telling him in advance that there will be long lines, that some people might be grumpy, and that we need his help. It’s all about how you prep the little ones 🙂
I don’t have kids of my own yet but these tips will definitely be useful when we do! I know we’ll be doing a lot of travelling with little ones due to the military and our love of travel. Thanks for sharing. 🙂