PHILADELPHIA - Though waiting until your children are old might be tempting enough to remember a trip, traveling while they're young is worth your while - creating memorable experiences and encouraging them to open up more minds!
Our best tips for traveling with children are:
1. Plan Ahead
Traveling with kids requires planning ahead to avoid potential crises on the road or at your destination. Consider details such as transportation arrangements for your family, extra supplies you might need, and possible activities you might book before travel.
Attractively inform and excite your children about your upcoming vacation by showing them pictures or magazines dedicated to that destination, giving them ownership and making the vacation even more exciting. This will also create more fun memories!
Planning ahead can also mean booking your accommodation early. When traveling with young children to a big city, spending extra money for hotels closer to the action may save time and stress when commuting between activities. Renting through companies such as Kid & Coe allows families to have their own kitchen to prepare meals more affordably during vacation time.
2. Bring Your Own Baby Gear
Traveling with young children (particularly air travel) can be stressful and disorienting for infants and toddlers. A change of routine, sleeping in unfamiliar places, and being away from home may result in crankiness or tantrums - toys and activities may help keep them calm, happy, and entertained during their travels.
Consider packing your gear rather than renting it; this can save money and hassle. If renting is unavoidable, invest in a lightweight car seat suitable for airport use; SheBuysTravel provides an excellent guide on selecting an appropriate seat.) Most hotels and resorts offer cribs and Pack 'n Plays, while many vacation rentals may provide them.
Used baby and toddler gear can often be found at local moms' resales, Facebook groups, or Grandparent's houses near where you are traveling. Your grandparents may already have high chairs and Pack 'n Plays waiting when you visit; otherwise, you can often purchase second-hand baby items at very reasonable prices at these resales. Another fun activity to keep little ones busy on a plane trip is creating blank scrapbooks where children can draw or color while adding photos and tickets as souvenirs from their journey - creating the ultimate souvenir from their trip!
3. Have A Backup Plan
Every journey with young children requires careful planning. From visiting Aunt Carla three hours away or traveling across the globe, children need something engaging to keep them engaged during travel. Therefore having a backup plan ready just in case your initial one falls through is crucial for keeping everyone entertained!
One effective solution is to prepare a small backpack containing games, snacks, and crafts for each of your child's travels - this will give them a sense of responsibility while keeping them busy during travel. Be sure to include headphones for audio entertainment (especially during long car trips) and a charged device (in case PJ Masks repeat playback causes meltdowns!). Also, keep a headphone handy (for when it becomes uncontrollable!).
Another way to create a backup plan is to preload your children's devices with movies or episodes from their favorite show, helping ease stress during long wait times at attractions or airports. Furthermore, special accommodations may make your trip even more pleasurable; for example, some airlines allow parents of autistic children to skip security, and hotels and restaurants may allow families with young kids to move tables closer to exits.
Plan your trips during off-peak hours or seasons to avoid crowds and long wait times, which may prove easier on anxious or challenging children.
4. Don't Be Afraid To Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Your best way out of your comfort zone is by taking small risks and pushing beyond them. Doing this will enable you to face your fears head-on while making the most of your travel experiences; plus, it's an invaluable way to build self-confidence!
One of the most significant risks of traveling with children is flying. While the whole flight process can be intimidating and intimidating, direct flights offer relief by eliminating time spent going through security and layovers. Furthermore, prepare them beforehand by discussing what will be expected during their trip, such as length and any anxieties they might experience during travel.
Help them feel confident by encouraging them to write about their new experiences; according to Maryville University, travel writing is an effective form of storytelling to build confidence and courage. Furthermore, celebrating their successes will show them they can accomplish anything they set their mind to while inspiring more adventurous pursuits in the future.
5. Don't Overdo It
Traveling with kids doesn't need to be stressful; packing smart, planning ahead, and being open-minded about their moods and needs can make it an enjoyable experience for all involved.
An effective way to minimize stress when traveling with children is to avoid connecting flights as much as possible. Connecting flights often causes delays and long layovers that can be uncomfortable for babies and toddlers, increasing security risks and the chance of lost luggage.
Please bring plenty of snacks and activities to help keep your children calm and content during long flights or road trips, like Ziploc bags with puzzles and felt toys to keep the back seat occupants occupied or drawing pads and pencils for coloring in pages with blank drawings. These low-tech boredom-fighters could include anything from Rory's Story Cubes (made out of folded paper accordion style) to monster-making games (Rory's Story Cubes or folded pieces of paper accordion style folded accordion style).
Be sure to mark your children's clothing with their names in case they get separated during your journey, or consider getting each a GPS tracker to monitor their location and quickly locate them if they get separated.
6. Don't Overpack
As an adult traveling with children, overpacking should be your priority. This is stressful for everyone involved, but overpacking may result in additional baggage fees, which quickly add up.
Before embarking on any trip, double-check your packed items carefully - this is especially crucial when traveling with children, as their attention span can often decrease during long flights. In addition, make sure that all necessary travel supplies such as diapers, snacks, and anything else might be packed.
Even when flying nonstop, it's still wise to bring something along to keep the kids occupied on your flight. Child-sized headphones or downloading movies and shows ahead of time could work. At the same time, TPG writer Kristy Tolley suggests getting an activity bag explicitly tailored to your children that includes books, games, coloring sheets, stickers, and small toys to pass the time.
Consider including them in their itinerary and activities if traveling with tweens or teens. This will foster independence while simultaneously keeping them engaged throughout their trip.
7. Have Fun
As you travel with kids, it's essential to remember that things won't be the same as before you had children. You can still have a fantastic trip together by remaining calm, planning ahead, and enjoying family travel experiences together.
Engaging children in planning your holiday in advance is one of the best ways to build anticipation about what they will experience. They can also assist in selecting destinations and activities. Involvement also teaches children about cooperation and compromise. This invaluable lesson could make this vacation experience all that much better!
Make sure your family has plenty of entertainment lined up before embarking on their trip, from books about their destination and decks of cards for toddlers and younger children, as well as games to keep everyone occupied during travel.
Avoid flights with multiple stops for younger children, as this can be exhausting and stressful for all involved. When booking flights for yourself and others, always select direct routes with minimal connections if possible - this helps eliminate stress between flights and minimizes any chance of lost luggage.
