Whether it’s your first time traveling with kids, or it’s been a while since you’ve been on a family vacation, it’s always a good idea to be prepared. Travel with kids can be daunting, but there are some things you can do ahead of time to make it easier. Keep reading for easy tips and even easier tricks to make family travel as smooth as possible.
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Before You Travel With Kids Tips
Physical Preparation
Does your travel with kids involve hiking or a lot of walking? Are you planning on spending a lot of time outdoors in the heat? If these aren’t things you do regularly, then you’ll need to prepare the kids before you leave.
You don’t need to walk miles every day before your vacation, but taking evening walks before bed will get those little legs strong and conditioned. If you’ve never hiked with your kids before, find a local park or short trail, so they can get used to climbing on rocks or wading through water.
Get Them Involved
One of the best tips for traveling with kids is to get them interested and involved in the planning! Tell them about your destination. Give them a list of attractions to visit and let them pick one or two options. This will get them excited to travel and give them something to look forward to!
Show Them the Hotel
One of the ways we get the kids excited for our next trip is by showing them where we’ll be staying. If we’ll be staying at a hotel, we’ll look at pictures of the pool and other activities the hotel offers. You can also involve them in the picking the hotel! Narrow down a few choices and let them vote on which one they like best. We can narrow down hotel options based on their amenities by using search sites like Expedia.
Plan Your Days
When you travel solo or with one other person, it is easier to wing it and go wherever you feel like going for the day. But add in more people and younger ones at that, and you’ll need to have a plan in place. Note which attractions you’d like to visit on which day. Have a contingency plan in place in case of bad weather. And, of course, be flexible. This is key when traveling with kids. Know that you might not get to every activity or attraction on your list.
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Keep Extra Activities in Mind
To go along with the above about flexibility, have some options ready for Plan B or C. Sometimes, attractions don’t take as long to visit as you initially had in mind, so you have extra time in your day. Other times, attractions aren’t as appealing in person as they seemed on paper, and you cut out early or don’t visit them at all. It’s always good to have a few ideas up your sleeve that will keep the kids entertained and give you something to do!
Research Restaurants
We’ve all been there. You’re having a great time, exploring a new city, and then out of nowhere, it’s dinnertime, and everyone is hungry! Then the stress of finding a restaurant that fits the budget, has good food, and everyone can find something on the menu hits. There is no greater stress when traveling!
To avoid that stress, take the time before you travel to research some restaurants you know your family will love. Ask friends or family members who have been to your destination before. Reach out to family travel bloggers on social media – we LOVE to help! Search Google Maps and read the menus and reviews. You don’t have to plan precisely which restaurant you will patronize, but having a list with a few options on it will help.
What to Pack For Travel With Kids
Snacks and More Snacks!
Whether you are on a road trip with kids or flying to your destination, one of the best ways to keep kids happy is to make sure they are never hungry. We always travel with granola bars, individually portioned snacks, and fruits like clementines and grapes. Don’t forget to bring refillable water bottles (and take the opportunity to fill them whenever you can). Wipes, hand sanitizer, and napkins should also be readily available.
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Night Time Needs
Depending on your child, they may need a few comforts of home to sleep at night. Things like a nightlight (we travel with inexpensive ones from Dollar Tree) and white noise machines or an app on your phone will make bedtime a little easier. And don’t forget stuffed animals and blankets! Having them in the car or on a plane, in addition to the hotel, will make it easier for them to be comfortable and fall asleep.
Extra Clothing and/or Laundry Supplies
We all know kids are messy! And the mess doesn’t magically stop while you are on vacation. So one of the best tips to know when traveling with kids is to pack extra clothing and laundry supplies. Most hotels have laundry facilities on the property. (Traveling to Disney? Read our Disney laundry tips!) We always bring a pop-up laundry basket, tide pods, and some dryer sheets whenever we travel. This way, when the kids have a nighttime accident or mom spills their lemonade all over them (only me?), they’ll still have clean clothes to sleep in or wear for the remainder of your trip.
Tips During Your Travel With Kids
Find a Playground or Two
While there is no shortage of ways to entertain kids while traveling, one of the easiest ways to let them go wild is exploring the local playgrounds. Playgrounds are in every major city. New York City has several playgrounds in Central Park! These areas give kids a much-needed break from being on their best behavior. Even when they claim exhaustion, a playground will wake them right up. Playgrounds also make a nice place to have a picnic lunch!
Take Breaks
Traveling to new places is so much fun, but it can be both mentally and physically draining, especially for kids. Sightseeing around town can lead to overstimulation for everyone. Taking a mid-day break is the perfect way to recharge, reset, and be ready for all of the evening fun. An hour or two back at the hotel can be all you need to avoid after-dinner meltdowns.
Expect Plans Not to Go, Well, To Plan
One of the best things to plan for when you travel with kids is for the plan to fall apart. Maybe you hit traffic, and getting to your destination is taking longer than you expected. Perhaps the museum you were dying to visit closed early for a private event. Or maybe everyone is too exhausted from the morning to go out for evening activities. No matter what you have planned, most likely, the plan will have to be changed. And that’s okay! Your kids will love being with you and doing all of these new, fun things together. And really, that’s what traveling with your kids is all about!
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