Everyone needs a break – even the kids – but vacationing with your children doesn’t have to be costly or exhausting. There are plenty of ways to see a new destination while allowing your little ones to enjoy the experience. With the right preparations, family travel can be fun, rewarding, and affordable. Consider our top 10 tips on how to travel with kids (and without the stress).
Before you go:
- Get your kids excited. Involve them as early as possible by having them select a soft toy that’s big enough to be a pillow on the plane, but not big enough to be a hassle.
- Choose midweek flights. That way, planes and airports are likely to be calmer. Night flights are best for international travel, and direct flights are life-savers for short distances.
- Check the fine print of your ticket. Knowledge is power, so find out what you can expect from your airline. Check details for bulkhead seats, bassinets, kids’ activities and fees for things like car seats.
- Do as much as you can before you get to the airport. Check-in online, pack lightly and select your seat (request the bulkhead seat if possible). Find out what in-flight services are offered so you can focus on fun things early on, like watching the planes take off and land or playing in the kids’ zones.
At the airport:
- Get obligations out of the way. Condensing the airport experience into bite-size chunks prevents it from becoming overwhelming. Clarify each activity by making it clear exactly what they’re participating in: “Now, we’ll go through security and after, you’ll get a treat.”
- Refuel. Refill water bottles and sippy cups right after security. Have more snacks prepared than you think you’ll need. Raisins, dried fruits, and cereals are healthy and easy to pack, and choosing sugar-free options help to avoid in-flight mood spikes.
- Board wisely. If your seats are assigned, don’t board the plane early – the last thing you’ll need is more tarmac-time. However, if you’re dealing with a first-come-first-serve policy, take advantage of the time you have and get in there. If you have the option to purchase priority boarding, do it.
On the flight:
- Surprise them. Have a small bag of toys and diversions that you’ve put together beforehand. Coloring books, cards, action figures, games, and low-maintenance crafts will keep kids happily occupied.
- Ration. Turn to the bag of tricks only when you’ve exhausted all the free fun – cloud spotting, looking at pictures in the in-flight magazine, playing “I Spy” and so on. Then, introduce one new entertaining item per hour, like playing hangman or tic-tac-toe on paper.
- Prepare for battle. Pack an extra pacifier, pain reliever, and an over-abundance of both wet wipes and patience.
Want more? Check out our travel tip for Air Travel and Families.
