Let’s get real honest: traveling with children is an absolute pain in the ass. From intimidating plane rides to crying toddlers, the chaos can be overwhelming. But even with all the temper tantrums and the endless “are we there yet?” questions, nothing beats seeing the pure excitement on your kids’ faces as they see an airplane take off into the sky. If you think traveling with kids is intimidating, let me assure you—it gets easier.
Traveling with your kids has so many unique benefits. You’re teaching them about another world, different styles of life, and creating core memories for them to talk about forever. The adventure balances out the overwhelm, I can promise you that. At the end of it all, our kids don’t remember us feeling overwhelmed.
Why Travel with Kids?
Building Family Bonds
Traveling together strengthens family connections and creates lasting memories. Building family bonds leaves an impact for a lifetime. Our kids still talk about moments of family vacations that have purely slipped our minds. It always amazes me that we may be in the midst of building a core memory for them and not even know it.
Educational Opportunities
There are MANY educational reasons for traveling with kids. Despite learning and experiencing new languages and cultures, a child’s vocabulary develops tenfold from travel. This is the former teacher in me speaking now. They are exposed to vocabulary they otherwise do not experience in their day-to-day lives and routines.
Preparing for the Trip (Avoiding Chaos at All Costs)
Planning and Packing
Whether we are flying or driving, I make sure we are well prepared with entertainment and food for the kids. Top of the list: iPads, if you’re a tech family like us. In addition, coloring/activity books, lots of “special” snacks (aka- all the junk in the world because that’s what makes them happiest), window clings, and card games for the older kids (UNO is always a hit for our oldest) for the plane.
Itinerary-wise: I always plan ahead so that we have somewhat of a game-plan and aren’t winging it each day. It keeps us in some sort of routine/expectation which kids thrive off of. The older our kids have gotten, I have also shared each day’s schedule with them so they start to be responsible for the flow of the day as well and know exactly what to expect of the day. But as always, we leave room to embrace the heck out of flexibility on vacation.
Setting Realistic Expectations
I keep expectations very low. I go into family vacations thinking the worst, so that it always feels better—haha! But seriously, I expect the plane anxiousness, the lack of patience, the boredom, the overtiredness. That way, when it happens, I’m not as overwhelmed by it. Mentally, I’m prepared for it to happen and can keep my composure much easier. And shit, if I’m mentally prepared and waiting for that chaos to occur and those things don’t happen, EVEN BETTER!
Activities We Love to do
Children’s museums, exploring outdoor parks/paths, nature hikes, and beach games are fun for kids of different age groups. Keeping activities varied and engaging helps maintain everyone’s interest and enjoyment.
I let the kids make small choices with options throughout our trip: where they’d like to eat, which pool they’d like to swim in, if they’d like to do XYZ first. Allowing them small choices in our day-to-day plans also allows them to feel engaged in the trip planning. This always helps postpone any “I’m bored mommy!” statements as well since they are busy thinking about what they’d like to do first!
Keeping Your Sanity Intact (is it even possible?)
If it’s possible, bring extra hands. Traveling can be very demanding, so we are fortunate enough to bring my mom when we travel. If not, sticking to your home routine or schedule as much as possible helps everyone with some predictability and lessens the stress of the days. Bringing small activities for them to keep busy in a hotel room, car ride, or airplane ride is a life SAVER. Think cute activity books, cheap puzzles, card games!
Dealing with Feeling Overwhelmed
Communication is absolutely key. Communicating if you are feeling overwhelmed to whomever you are traveling with is crucial. We make sure we read and check in with one another frequently when traveling with the kids so we can support each other’s sense of overwhelmingness. Now that our kids are getting older, we even acknowledge feeling overwhelmed with them- so they begin to understand patience and slowing the pace down when we internally need to. Acknowledging their excitement, lack of patience, boredom, etc. while also explaining the chaos that can come with travel is a lessen we feel they can only benefit from. Traveling is new for everyone at different degrees, and everyone is navigating the demands of it. Showing them that we are vulnerable and struggle with emotions at times is important, too. Showing and explaining how we personally handle big emotions sets them up for success in the future as well. Win-Win.
Overcoming Common Challenges with kids and travel
Handling Unexpected Situations
When the day has been absolute chaos, kids are feeling sick, or everyone’s groggy we tend to take the pace a bit slower. Slow is the fastest way to get there when you have tired babies. This is where leaving that door open for flexibility comes into play. Don’t be ashamed to quit the day earlier than expected. It sucks, but it HAPPENS. We bring extra baby wipes, anti-nausea meds, and a comfort blanket/toy for those ‘just in case’ moments.
Keeping Everyone Happy
With growing kids, comes growing opinions. We have constantly found ourselves being tugged in different directions in what everyone wants to do. This is a huge reason we give the kids small options on our trips (do you want to go out to eat or order in? what ride do you want to go on next? should we do the pool or the beach after naps?). The choices we give them are age appropriate and do not alter the days incredibly. They are almost pre-planned choices that we are okay with going either way. It allows their voices to be heard and their interests/needs to get met. At times, this even means splitting up so the kids each get to do what they want to do. It’s helping them develop their cute little personalities and we are ALWAYS encouraging that in this household.
All of that being said – our kids have built some serious core memories from traveling with us, they have a bigger sense of fulfillment and have a full rounded understanding of the world around them each time they travel. Feeling like travel is still impossible as a parent? Feel free to ask me any questions you have over on my social media and share your own tips with me! But book the trip, take the time off work, and experience the world with your kiddos! There’s nothing quite like it!
