Vacation Tips 101 – Tips When Traveling With Kids
I am pretty sure that many of us have heard a horror story or two about traveling with kids, especially the small ones. Traveling with kids can be quite a challenge, as any parent would know. It’s really tough and there are really some instances when the kids can get on our nerves when we’re traveling. There’s the constant bombardment of questions such as “Mommy, are we there yet?” or “Mommy, I’m so bored”. And then there’s their constant urge to pee, to eat, to play, to cry and to throw tantrums. Oh the horror. Fortunately, there are ways that you can do to reduce your stress when traveling with the kids. Let me share to you some of them.
1. Make your kids feel comfortable on the idea of traveling. Like for example, if you’re traveling by plane, talk to your kid days before your trip and help build up their anticipation for the trip. Tell them that flying is fun and exciting so that they wouldn’t freak out on the day itself. This is very important especially if it’s your child’s first time to fly.
2. Pack snacks. Kids tend to get grumpy when their hungry. This is easy to manage when you’re traveling by car. You can just bring a bagful of snacks and place it inside the car. But when you’re traveling by plane, you can’t just bring a basketful of junk food inside the plane. As a tip, you can stash some snacks like Froot Loops cereals, or any cereal for that matter, on a small ziplock bag on your hand carry. This prevents your child from getting grumpy while waiting for the meals to be served.
3. Bring entertainment. Kids also get grumpy when they’re bored. To avoid this, bring along a gaming console, a nice book, an iPad or an iPod to keep them occupied. Keeping the kids busy is the key to having a smooth and stress-free trip.
4. Separate your kids. If your kids quarrel a lot, it’s advisable to separate them so that they can’t physically assault each other. Once kids fight, there’s surely some kind of drama that’s going to follow so it’s best to prevent it from happening. This way, you can avoid stress and embarrassment, especially when you’re traveling by plane.
5. Entertain your kids. Apart from bringing all sorts of gadgets to keep your kids occupied, it’s also nice to have some kind of a travel game such as memory games or car numberplate games when you’re traveling by car. It’s a good way to keep your kids distracted while traveling.