Ah, the joys of travelling with kids. While some travel experts will tell you the best way to travel with kids is not to, we have found travelling with kids not only makes our travels more colourful, but also opens their eyes to the world around them. And, if you have a solid plan with room for flexibility, travelling with kids does not have to be the burden some think it can be. The journey to a destination is never fun, especially with kids, but it does not have to be painful with the help of a few tips and some planning ahead.
1 – Have a backup plan
If you are travelling with an older kid, you can largely ignore this tip, but if you are travelling with a toddler or younger child, this one is for you and is one learned from experience. We were 30 minutes into a three-hour flight when my little one turned off her tablet and said, "I'm finished with my tablet." Despite having loads of movie and show options and oodles of games for her to play, she was done with a screen and wanted something to DO. Gone was my plan to relax and enjoy my book. Instead, I entertained my tiny human for the remainder of the flight with whatever random things I had in my bag. I walked off the flight feeling frazzled and disappointed that the time I had to relax and have a little "me time" went out the window. Since that flight, I always have little things for her to do in my bag that are new and are not messy. Examples include:
a sticker activity,
fidgets,
sew and lace cards
water colouring set
mini Uno/card game
a small Lego kit (ones that come in the bag)
dollar store or craft store finds, or
free online printables
These things are all super compact and give her something to do when she needs something different. Some activities she can do independently, some with a parent, or my favourite, some with her older sister. Most of these work well for road trips too! Either way, I am always armed with options when we travel now, so everyone is happy.
2 – Up your snack game
These days, my bag is full of snacks, and rarely are they for me. Last summer, I was facing an eight-hour flight with my kids, and I was looking for a snack solution to get them through, especially considering airplane meals are a hard pass for them. I saw this idea online, and it is fantastic as it mixes an activity with a snack. It can work for road trips and air travel too. Just pick up two craft storage containers (the ones with all the compartments), label them with your kid(s) name and then fill them with different snacks for my kids. It is so simple, but they loved the discovery aspect of it, and it kept them occupied. Plus, there was enough food to get them through the entire day. As an unexpected bonus, they even added an element of trading – WIN! Using a rigid container also meant that I could even include things that might otherwise get squished in my bag that are a little healthier than the standard packaged snacks, reduced how much garbage we had, and the dividers actually kept things separate. As a note, I did have my kids eat the things that were more perishable before getting to the non-perishable eats.
If you want to try to build your own snack box, here are some suggestions:
Apple slices* | Cucumber | Other crackers |
Bite-size cookies | Dried apricot / mango | Pepperoni |
Blueberries | Fruit snacks | Popcorn |
Candies | Granola bites | Pretzels |
Carrots | Grapes | Raisins |
Cereal | Jerky | Rice Krispies |
Cheese crackers | Marshmallows | Sandwich squares |
Chips / Crisps | Mini muffins | Sunflower / pumpkin seeds |
Clementines | Mini rice cakes | Teddy Grahams |
* Avoid apples turning brown by using Bernardin Fruit Fresh or a lemon juice and water bath.
3 – I have to go!
Lastly, it seems like a no-brainer, but avoid some stress and have your kids try to go to the loo as the end of the flight draws near. I usually aim for half an hour before the plane lands to avoid most of the other passengers waiting to go. My kids used to fight up and down about not needing to go, and then (shocker) they would have a bathroom emergency just as the plane was starting to touch down. We would be stuck until we could find a bathroom off the plane. The tricky thing is some airports will have bathrooms when you get off, and then for others it can be quite the search to find one. And while airplane bathrooms are cramped if having to change a diaper or help a little one, it gets one thing out of the way. You are not really doing anything while in the air, so it is the perfect time to get ready, so you can get to where you need to go when you are off the plane without fighting the hordes of people looking for the loo too. The same can be said for road trips and even daytrips when we use public transit; before getting in the car or walking out of the door, the kids have to try, even if they think they are fine. There is nothing worse than the panic when they have to go and there are no/limited facilities available.
I hope your travels with your littles are unforgettable and that these tips serve you well. Good luck!
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