How to Travel with Kids (and keep your sanity)

The year is already flying by! Spring has just arrived, which means family vacation season is about to begin! I love family vacations because you get to spend valuable time together and create memories that will mean so much to you and your kids as they grow up. We love traveling together as a family. Taking our kids to Disneyland and Sea World has been some of our favorite memories together.

I know planning a family vacation can be stressful and expensive- trust me, I’ve been there. Hopefully these tips will take away the stress, and my friends at Get Away Today can help you save a ton of money too. You can get amazing prices when you book with Get Away Today, a travel agency that specializes in family travel. Use my exclusive promo code TCMOM to save even more on any 2-night or longer Southern California vacation package, too.

If you have little ones, the idea of traveling with kids might seem daunting. The great news is that it doesn’t have to be! You don’t have to miss out on those great memories. Just follow these tips and you’ll be traveling with kids like a pro in no time:

Be prepared

Preparing for a vacation can be a little overwhelming, but being prepared will help you be at ease during your trip. Bring a first aid kit, kid-friendly pain reliever, cold medicine, bug spray and sunblock. If your family is going to be swimming, don’t forget goggles, floaties, and swim diapers (have you ever tried these reusable swim diapers? life changer!). Oh, and don’t forget wet wipes! Wet wipes are essential travel items, with or without kids.

Take your time

It’s pretty much a given that traveling with kids is going to take longer than traveling without. That means giving yourself an extra half hour for each pit stop on a road trip or leaving even earlier for a flight. Not only will you be less stressed, but you’ll be able to slow down and enjoy the trip.

Give them a camera

Now, I’m not saying let your little one have control of your DSLR. Instead, buy a few disposable cameras or let them use the sturdy family camera. This trick keeps them engaged, plus you get a unique look at your child’s favorite parts of your trip. Some of our favorite pictures were taken from the point of view of a 5 year old.

Have a lot of activities for them

Most kids aren’t entertained by a single coloring book for an entire car ride or flight. Have a few different games and activities ready for them. Multiple coloring books, picture books, tablets loaded with kid-friendly apps, scavenger hunts and “I-Spy” games are all perfect for traveling with kids. You can even personalize these by making scavenger hunts or activity sheets specific to your destination. These travel books seriously saved us when we drove to San Diego last year.

Bring snacks

Have you ever had a hangry (hungry + angry) kid on a flight or stuck in their carseat for hours? Yeah, let’s just try avoid that all together. Easily portion and store snacks with resealable snack bags. This makes it easy to carry a wide variety of snacks for your little ones. Plus, if you’re packing things like Cheerios, you can use a marker to draw a tic-tac- toe, bingo or similar game on the snack bag. You now have both a snack and game to keep them occupied!

Let your kids pack their own special bag

Letting your little ones bring a bag they packed makes them feel important and gets them excited to travel. My kids each have their own cute suitcase. While you’ll want to let them put it together, you can always help with suggestions. Things like favorite toys or small blankets would be great to include. Make sure to do a once-over before you leave in case they tried to pack their entire toy box or the family pet! I’ve noticed when they have their own special bag, they’re happy to help carry it. That way you don’t get stuck lugging around all the luggage on your own.

Enjoy it!

No matter where you are traveling to, don’t stress. Just accept that there may be a thing or two (or ten) that won’t go exactly as planned and enjoy it. Family vacations mean making memories– memories that will be much better if you focus on everything that goes right. You’ll be surprised at how many of your favorite memories come from things not going according to plan!

Traveling with kids is a great experience that will create so many priceless memories for your family. Use these tips and your trips are sure to be fun for everyone. Don’t forget to save money on your next family vacation by booking with Get Away Today. They have great prices for trips all around the globe. Plus, you can save an extra $10 off when you book a 2-night or longer Southern California vacation package by using promo code TCMOM. After all, it’s even easier to enjoy your family vacation when you know you got the best deal!