It’s All in the Planning: How to Enjoy Traveling With Kids

The thought of taking your kids on vacation might bring back a few painful memories. You know those disastrous trips of the past that have you worrying about how they might cope and behave on a forthcoming vacation.

It doesn’t have to be tough to travel with kids. All you have to do is plan ahead and know what to do to help them cope and keep their behavior in check.

Here are some tips that can help you enjoy traveling with kids, including some useful time management pointers. Plus a surefire way to keep them entertained in moments of boredom!

Give yourself plenty of time

The pressures of meeting a time schedule that can't be adjusted, like making your flight is an easy way to raise stress levels.

Know your itinerary well and what time you need to be at certain places. Make sure to give yourself plenty of leeway if you are going to be traveling with young children. You never know when they will decide to take 20 minutes to put their shoes on. 

Toddlers definitely aren’t always compliant when it comes to coping with the time pressures of travel. Avoid a potential meltdown by taking your time and arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

If your kids can take their time exploring and not be rushed things will be way calmer. Whereas hastily cramming meals and toilet breaks before having to board the plane is a VERY bad idea.

Check-in arrangements

The vast majority of hotels are more than happy to confirm check-in arrangements beforehand. They will let you know when your room will be ready on the day you arrive so everything will run smoothly.

Arriving at your destination with a tired and hungry child and finding that your room isn’t ready is a potential disaster. It can trigger a meltdown as you try to come up with a plan B until your room is ready.

Talk to your venue about your arrival time and check what facilities will be available on arrival. This way you can start your vacation on the right foot instead of dealing with a cranky child. 

Keep emergency supplies handy

Think about what you pack in your carry-on luggage and where it is located. This way you don’t have to scramble around in a hurry when you need something like a new diaper.

A few snacks, spare diapers, and anything else they are likely to need to keep them calm should all go into your carry-on. This way you can deal with any tears or tantrums as quickly and effectively as possible.

A bit of tech goes a long way when traveling with kids

Even if you have screen limits at home softening those rules on vacation is sometimes necessary.

Traveling can be boring for little ones. Once they start getting frustrated with nothing to do that is when their behavior can sometimes take a turn for the worst.

Letting them watch a movie or play a game on a device could even be viewed as a vacation treat. It will keep them sufficiently distracted during dull moments which is a win for everyone.

Travelling with young kids can be a breeze if you think about what you need beforehand and plan ahead.