Summertime is synonymous with vacations. Memories made on warm, sandy beaches or in the car playing slug bug. C’mon you know you’ve had a bruise or two in your life from that game! But as any mom knows traveling with kids can be equal parts stressful and fun. We want to help you move the pendulum to more fun less stress so we have compiled a list of our best tips for traveling with kiddos.
Tips for Traveling with Kids
Boost Immunity before going
Start before you leave. There is truly nothing worse than getting to your dream destination and not feeling 100%. Chrissy has covered exactly how she boosts her & her families immunity in her Travel Tips podcast. Check it out here.
Pack Smart
This is such a tricky one. You want to bring enough but not too much. I highly recommend a capsule wardrobe for everyone who is traveling. What does this practically look like? For a 5 day trip I suggest 2 bottoms, and 5 tops that are all interchangeable.
ALWAYS bring a wet bag whether you are traveling by plane, train or automobile. Heck, even by spaceship. I have used our wet bags for wet swimsuits, trash, dirty clothes, puke covered shirts, and toys.
We always travel with 1 backpack per person. This backpack includes toys, snacks, backup clothes and any electronics each person needs. Even my 3-year-old gets his own. It just makes grabbing what they need so much easier than digging through mom’s big bag.
Sleeping arrangments
No one is having fun on vacation if everyone isn’t sleeping. Make sure you get a full idea of where everyone will sleep in advance. And for those of you with babies… BRING YOUR DockATots! They are easy to travel with and will give the baby a safe/comfy place to lounge too!
Get unpacked
With kids, everything is easier when you are organized and know where your stuff is. Even if you are camping in a tent just for a night, get your stuff organized as soon as you get there so when you need a wipe/ special toy/ whatever you can easily find it
Bend the rules
Live by the 80/20 rule. Just because it is vacation doesn’t mean you have to throw all the rules out the window but definitely be willing to bend them for experiences. This is especially true for naps/bedtimes. Some of my kids’ favorite memories made on vacations are when we let them stay up “late” to night swim. Late, in this case, was 9 pm vs. 8 pm. Bonus for us was they slept in because they were exhausted and hotel blackout shades!
Remember why you travel
I know sometimes you have to make road trips for things other than pleasure but my guess is the majority of the trips you are taking with your under 5-year-olds are for fun. Try to remember this along the way. Some of my favorite travel memories as a child are the “adventures” we took getting lost, the funny stories that came from a stressed-out parent saying something ridiculous, and the unplanned events along the way. Yes, I remember going to Disney as a kid but I also remember Anderson’s Pea Soup and sitting and chatting with my Grandma about her nasty looking green soup. I promise there will be a tantrum or five (make sure you check this post out before you go to help handle those toddler fits) but try to let the little things slide. Your creating memories and they should be fun! The best part ut vacation is, you are likely to never see these people again! So don’t worry so much!
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