Family Travel

FAMILY TRAVEL Travel Tips for Family Trips

By Sarah Lyons

Whether you take a two-hour plane trip or a 14-hour car ride, traveling with kids can be stressful. While a family vacation is a great way to spend time together, relax, and make memories, you must make the journey there first. Here are some tips for making traveling with kids a little more enjoyable.

Fight hunger. Hunger can affect kids’ behavior and attitude. During travel, pack easy snacks for the car like grapes, smoothies, and crackers. This is a great time to purchase those individually wrapped snacks you usually don’t. They are easy for the adults in the car and seem like a treat for the kids. Stephanie Pratt, mother of two, suggests planning lunch stops that allow kids to burn off energy, like a restaurant with a play area or a picnic for the park. “Much like you need to stretch your legs, kids need to move,” she says.

Timing. Timing is everything when you are traveling with little ones. Try to plan travel around normal naptimes or bedtimes so that kids will rest during most of the drive. Plan enough breaks and recognize that a trip with kids is going to take longer. Leave extra time in your travel schedule for impromptu stops, as well as planned ones. Websites like www.roadtripradar.com can help you find attractions and hidden gems along the way.

Get the kids involved. Cut road trip boredom by getting the kids involved. Use games like license plate bingo or car color bingo. Encourage kids to keep a trip journal. Have them write down or draw favorite memories from each stop and add stickers and ticket stubs. “Make a checklist of cities you will drive through with a fun fact about each or what you will do there. It helps cut down on the ‘Are we there yet?’ questions” says Kara Thomas, a Colorado Springs mom.

Surprises. It is always nice to have a few surprises up your sleeve to break up the trip. Try packing up the kids’ backpacks and have them waiting in the car. When they get bored, pull out a few surprise items – new magazines or books, crayons and a new coloring book, special snacks, small activities, and maybe some new movies to watch. Websites like Pinterest are full of ideas for traveling with kids. “Paint a cookie sheet with chalkboard paint and give the kids magnets to play with,” suggests Darcy King, Kansas mom of two. She also suggests gluing magnets to the back of puzzle pieces to use with the magnetic cookie sheet.

Electronics. For most families, the go-to solution for road trip boredom is electronics. DVD’s and video games are a great way to kill time in the car. “Loosen electronics time while traveling, but when you get there, restrict time more than usual. Without a gadget in their hands, they will get more out of your vacation time.”” Thomas says.

Summer vacations teach kids to explore what is outside their hometown, the importance of family time, and to make downtime a priority. Best of all you will create memories that last a lifetime.

Sarah Lyons is a freelance writer and mom of six kids.

Tips for Family Efficient Packing

By Sarah Lyons

Family vacations are a great way to enjoy time away from the daily routine and create lasting memories. But if you are anything like me, packing for a family trip can be overwhelming, especially if you have multiple kids to pack for. As a mom of six, I’ve learned the hard way how to make our vacation packing more efficient.

Start by making a master list. If you don’t have a list, you are bound to forget things. I have a list on my computer that I can copy, paste, edit, and print each time we are going out of town. I have additional lists for the type of trip. For example, we would need to bring different items if we are camping versus staying in a hotel. If you edit this list after each trip, it will become perfectly tuned to your family.

Once you have a list, begin to delegate. My older kids receive a copy of their list and are told to pack their own bag. “Everyone gets a master checklist of items for the trip. We go over the bag they pack together to make sure they have everything.” says Jenny McKeever, mom of two. “This gives kids choices selecting items along with becoming responsible for packing, with just a little guidance from you.” This helps to reduce the amount of packing the parent has to do.

For the most efficient packing, items can be packed by outfit. One option is to place a shirt, pants, underwear, and socks together and place in a zip top bag and seal. When you arrive at your destination, kids can grab a bag for the day. Dirty clothes can be placed back into the bag as well. “I am a roller.” says Holly Searles, mom of four. “I take an outfit, pants, shirt, underwear, and socks and then tightly roll. I often use a hair tie to secure the girls outfits.” Whatever method you choose, remember to place the outfits needed first on top.

Another way to make packing more efficient is to bring fewer items. Make sure you only bring what you absolutely need, or you may find that the family vehicle is bursting at the seams. “I do not bring a lot of stuff for the car ride. My kids do very well with a small toy, coloring book, small activity book, reading book, and the DVD player going.” says Sarah Imbierowiz, mother of seven.

Remember that most items that are forgotten can be bought, borrowed, or gone without for a short time while you enjoy your vacation. The most important thing to remember is to plan ahead of time. If you have a complete list and you start working on packing well in advance, it should go smoothly, and you will be able to enjoy your vacation without dreading the packing that goes along with it.

Sarah Lyons is a freelance writer and mother of six children.