Traveling With Children

This summer, you and your family may be planning a trip somewhere. It may be a short trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa, a day trip to the lake or a museum, a beach vacation, or even a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country trek. Whatever your travel plans, you can implement simple strategies to keep your kids happy and yourself sane.

If you plan to travel this summer, here are some travel tips from our experts at Parent Connext®.

Traveling With Younger Children

Traveling with younger children can be stressful and difficult. Here are some things you can do to make your trip a little less stressful. For babies and toddlers, ensure you have supplies you need for the days gone, and then add at least an extra day’s worth of supplies (like diapers, bottles, snacks, etc.).

Have new activities/toys (you can even gather old toys they have not seen in a while). Bubbles, stickers, and band-aids are all good items to have on hand when your child starts to lose it.

Pack a change of clothes for your child and yourself to carry on if you are flying.

Take a stroller, even if your child rarely uses one. You will be out of routine, and if you are flying, you may need it to carry stuff and/or run through the airport. 

Although it is hard, try to stick to their routine. Make sure to have nap times (even if it is in the car or on the plane) and eat meals & snacks around the same time. 

If you’re driving, plan to take frequent breaks, and if flying, let your child move around and explore on layovers.

Traveling With Older Children

Older kids may require less prep time and less work, but it can still be a chore to get your teens to travel well. Here are some tips to get you started.

Get them involved in packing. Create a packing list and have them gather the stuff and pack together. Involve them in planning the itinerary and activities. Make sure they take activities to do other than technology. Create space for downtime and breaks from the family. Your teens can probably keep themselves busy but try to get them involved, limit technology use, and maybe use this time to talk to and listen to them.