Kids are wonderful and amazing in so many ways but they certainly have a way of disrupting old routines. The people you see, the places you go, and generally the way you spend your time is all greatly impacted by your kids. So what about traveling? How can you possibly navigate the logistics of traveling with children while maintaining the joy, sense of adventure, and feeling of wonder that accompanies travel? While any parent knows there isn’t a foolproof plan for anything, here are some tips to help you navigate travel with your children.
Know what you’re getting yourself into.
Traveling with children might look differently than it used to before you had kids. Take some time to identify the new challenges and new joys that this trip will bring. Making sure you are in the proper mindset will allow you to direct your children through any of the stressors that arise before or during your travel. Part of this mindset shift might simply be coming to terms with the fact that something will go wrong. Any trip will have its snags and traveling with kids certainly doesn’t lower the degree of difficulty. Intentionally removing yourself from the need for perfection will go a long way in preparing you to adapt to any unexpected roadblocks.
Time management
While these tips are relevant to any traveling, they’re especially important when kids are involved. Make sure that you leave yourself with plenty of time to meet all the timed checkpoints in your traveling schedule. You never know when a dirty diaper, a mood swing, or a forgotten suitcase item will delay you by 20 minutes. Another way to manage time wisely is to prebook everything! As much work as you can accomplish ahead of time will pay off immensely in the long run.
Keep the kids full and distracted
Finally, and maybe most importantly, it is crucial to keep your kids entertained and well fed! It is essential that proper snack times are observed before, during, and after travel times. Along with this, the boredom of a long flight or car ride can promote some frustrating behaviors in kids, so make sure to keep them engaged in an activity book, family songs and games, or an electronic device. This is also not a bad time to break out a new toy or activity which will only help to draw your kids’ attention away from the tedious travel and focus it on the new and shiny object.
Traveling with kids can be one of the most rewarding things that you can do but it isn’t something to jump into with the proper preparations. Follow the tips above to ensure that you and your family are able to focus on the wonders of travel on your next trip.
– The Globetrotting Team
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