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Tips for Traveling with Kids

Tips for Traveling with Kids

By Alfred Patrick

Dress the kids in comfortable clothes. Even if you are going to visit grandma and you want to impress her with your very best outfits, just carry these in your carry-on luggage and change after you arrive. It makes for a much less stressful trip if everyone is comfortable.

Travel During Off-Peak Days and Times: If possible, try to travel during the slower times, when the airports are less crowded and planes are not completely full. These are typically Monday-Thursday mornings and not over major holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas or spring break.

Being children, they can be mischievous at times, so you do need to be daring, observance and patient with your kids. The next issue you need to know is that when small children are traveling, they are actually out of their familiar zone. When they are in their familiar zone, they can expect certain things to happen; it is sort of like following a pattern.

Make sure you get enough sleep the night before. Many moms are up late finishing laundry, packing and making sure everyone is ready for the next day. The journey ahead will be so much easier if you all start out feeling rested instead of exhausted.

If we are travelling by car we spend a lot of time playing verbal games and most times I find they are happy for the "on board entertainment" that talking and playing games with us provides. An example of a simple game we play is we work through the alphabet, someone picks a letter then we go round and everyone says a word beginning with that letter.

You can save a great deal of money by taking your own food. Stock up on granola bars, energy bars, powdered drink mixes, dried fruits and other non-perishable items so you don't have to spend a lot of money on meals. Although it's nice to enjoy the food of the culture you're visiting, you have to remember that money spent on food could be spent on sightseeing and other activities.

Instead of bringing large amounts of cash with you, always pay for gas, hotel rooms, and souvenirs with a credit card and get a receipt. Keep your receipts and check them against your monthly statement. It's good to take at least two credit cards, in case one credit card company doesn't approve a purchase, Many times, for your protection, your credit card company will deny a purchase if you try to use the card outside of the area where you usually make purchases.

Perhaps one of the best ways to keep your children interested throughout your family vacation is to involve them in the planning process. Your children will be excited to have a hand in the itinerary and will learn about the destination before you depart. Once you arrive, you can be confident that your kids won’t complain about the chosen activities.

The most important thing to be prepared for with a long road trip is the possibility of someone getting motion sickness. It may be helpful to purchase an over-the-counter motion sickness medicine. One person getting motion sickness can make the trip miserable for everyone in the car.