travel tips

The holiday travel season is officially upon us and like many other families this year; we will be traveling to see family and friends. Thousands of American families travel during the peak travel periods of November 26th through December 27th and it can be a stressful time because let’s face it – traveling with kids is hard!

Personally, I hate doing it and I don’t care how prepared I think I am, I always seem to under prepare & leave something important behind or the kids just don’t feel like cooperating with me at all. Cross-country road trips seem to be the worst for us since my children inherited motion sickness from their father and I have to clean and quick change one of my kids and pretty much every single rest stop. I haven’t been on an airplane with them since they were babies but I can’t even get out the door to buy groceries so imagining wrangling them in an airport with luggage is a nightmare I don’t want to bring on myself until they are older.

Some of the best tips I have collected from different sources over the years include:

  • Share information about the destination with the kids and let them help you plan the trip. If you get them excited about the end goal and plan different interesting stops along the way, it breaks up the monotony of travel and makes it more bearable for them.
  • Be realistic about the amount of time spent in the vehicle or airplane; you should consider breaking it up and allowing yourself enough time to arrive without forcing the kids into the confined space of a car seat or airline cabin for longer than they can stand.
  • Make sure that you bring different things to entertain them since they will get bored with that one book or Ipad or coloring book sooner than you thought. Younger kids have an average attention span on an hour for any new toy or object when focused on it with no other distractions. I suggest buying small little surprises and unveiling them as the “wiggles” set in and you notice boredom or irritability setting in with your cranky traveler.
  • ALWAYS triple check to make sure that you have enough supplieson hand (medicine, baby wipes & diapers, formula, etc). You wouldn’t believe how many times these things get packed and get left behind at the last minute. Bring a simple first aid kit – just trust me on that one.

Check out Kidspot to see helpful websites that might help you get ready for your vacation traveling!

  • Packing for the family holiday
  • Packing checklist
  • Family friendly airlines
  • Packing for baby
  • Planning a family holiday
  • Flying with a baby
  • Camping packing list

Do you have any tips that might help someone else with traveling safely this holiday season? We would love to hear them!

Liz Cameo   Liz