Traveling Tips for the Holidays
Whether you are traveling a few miles, or across the country, this holiday season; we wanted to share a few of our tried and true tips for traveling with kiddos. Check out our ideas below for making car and airplane travel easier with your family!
Car Travel
1. Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is always a huge part of travel and even more so with kids. Not leaving everything till the last minute will help keep you and your whole family calm. If you are embarking on a long car ride, look ahead for good stops along the way for the kids (and you) to stretch your legs and/or do something fun! Along with planning ahead make sure to put some extra time into the schedule. We all know that kids slow things down and giving yourself that extra flexibility will let you enjoy the travel time without being worried about being late after taking that 11th bathroom break of the day.
You know your kids and you know how long they can go before they need a bathroom break and/or how long they can make it before needing to stretch their legs. Keep these things in mind as you plan stops and consider that as you also hand out drinks and snacks in the car!
2. Packing
How you pack can make a huge difference in how smooth the trip is! Make sure to have essential items easily accessible during the trip. Keeping things like bandaids, hand wipes, paper towels, and especially diapers/wipes close by will make it easier when they are quickly needed and avoids you having to stop and dig through the trunk to find them. We’ve found it helpful to let the kiddos keep a small blanket and/or pillow near their seats in case they happen to nap along the way!
3. Entertainment
Finally, the most important detail, is entertainment ideas for the car. Every child, especially dependent on age, has different things that keep them occupied in the car. First off check out this article for some amazing road trip activities for kids of all ages! I still have memories of some of the games we did on long road trips growing up, whether it was the Alphabet game or simply a fun game of I-Spy. It kept me and my siblings busy for hours at a time (or at least it felt like hours 😜) ! Technology can be such a great asset for those long car rides but it doesn’t always have to be watching something, consider audio books for your older kids or even some kid friendly podcasts that are available on Spotify.
Air Travel
1. Plan Ahead
Just like planning for a road trip, it is even more important to plan ahead for air travel. This starts when you are booking your trip, if you haven’t flown in a while make sure you are up to date with the latest regulations and details. Consider things such as: will your airline charge you for bags, do you have seat assignments together, etc. I highly suggest booking seats together even if it costs extra; it is worth the peace of mind you will get from knowing your seats are reserved! If possible travel at more off peak times especially avoiding the day before or after Christmas/New Years. Traveling with younger kids who need a stroller and/or car seat? Make sure you know what that gate check process looks like for your airline.
Finally, give yourself extra time! The security and check in process at airports is already a mess and adding some kids and extra holiday travelers doesn’t help. Plan out plenty of time to get through security and to your gate. If you have layovers, book yourself more time than you think you need. Better to have some extra time at the gate than running through an airport with your kids in tow!
2. Packing
One of the worst feelings in the world is boarding your flight and reaching into your bag only to realize that the extra clothes, blanket or *heaven forbid* diapers are locked away in your checked bag out of reach. Double check that those essentials you need are in your carry on! Along with the essentials don't forget food/snacks; airplane snacks are not always the cheapest or yummiest options for our kids. Consider packing some heartier snacks like a PB&J, Freeze Dried Fruit, Cheese/crackers etc. These will fill your kiddos up faster and keep them from getting hyped up on super sugary snacks when they have nowhere to get all that energy out. (Note: make sure to avoid snacks like apple sauce because it is considered a liquid and needs to be packed separately!)
3. Entertainment
Air travel entertainment usually looks a bit different than car travel but there can be some crossovers. If you are waiting to board, ideas like the Alphabet Game, I Spy, or 20 questions can be a great time passer.
Depending on the age of your child, what you bring for them may look a bit different; this article on Best Airplane Activities for Toddlers is fantastic for those young ones who struggle to keep still.
Some of the toddler ideas can work for your school aged children as well and consider bringing workbooks, downloading learning games on a phone or tablet, bringing a deck of cards, or even a small set of legos for them to play with. There are so many great, quiet activities/toys to bring for your children that can make your family holiday travel go smoothly!
Do you have any other holiday travel tips that have worked well for your family? Dm us on Instagram; we would love to hear them!
As always, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more blog posts and don’t forget to subscribe to our monthly family newsletter here, follow us on Instagram, or like us on Facebook for more content!