Some of our best childhood memories are from the times we traveled with our parents. Better still, traveling young can spark a greater interest in the world around or forge a little historian in the making.
Still, nobody said traveling with kids was easy. There’s a lot to consider in the lead-up to the big day. But, with these 20 travel hacks in hand, you’re setting yourself up for some smooth sails.
Compare Airbnbs vs. Hotels
Did you know the price between an Airbnb and a hotel can be markedly different in the same city? Also, traditional accommodations on Booking.com may be cheaper, yet again. Once you have your dates in mind, check all your options for accommodations.
With the whole family in tow, you might like the idea of an Airbnb with your own kitchen, washer and dryer, and possibly even a pool or other fun features. But, then again, a nice hotel with a pool may be more affordable in that particular city at that particular time of year, as well.
For example, a full-blown resort or theme park hotel is often the way to go. With their travel packages, you can usually score a real deal. But, don’t overlook the possibility of staying in a nearby Airbnb with a pool and Ubering back and forth, as well.
Travel at Night
If you’re driving (and have had the proper amount of rest), see if you can travel at night. Tucking your tykes into their cozy car seats for a few hours at night is far more achievable than the hustle and bustle of the day.
Put them in their favorite pajamas, position all the pillows and blankets around them, and put something soothing on the sound system. This hack isn’t as easy to pull off if you’re flying. But, if this is a nice road trip, this tip could make the whole excursion a whole lot easier.
Leave Yourself Plenty of Time
Ever since you had kids, do you feel like you’re always running behind? Makes sense. You have a lot to contend with.
When you’re traveling, you always want to look at things as if you need to be there 15 – 30 minutes in advance. Sitting in the waiting area for 30 minutes longer than necessary is far better than sitting around for the next few hours because you missed your flight.
Prepare a Checklist
Sometimes, the ramp-up to a trip is (almost) as much fun as the trip itself. When you’re travel planning, always start with a checklist.
Whether you’d like to do this the good ol’ fashioned way with paper and pen or use the Notes app on your phone, this will help you make sure nothing is left behind.
Purchase a Car Seat Travel Bag
Have you ever seen a mom or dad smartly pull their car seat off the baggage carousel at an airport?
They did this for two reasons: first, they were protecting their car seat from damage. Second, they were using it to store added supplies like wipes, diapers, and clothes.
Use Your Shoes
Don’t forget to make use of the shoes you pack in your luggage, too. That’s a golden opportunity to store some water balloons to fill up at the beach or an extra bottle of baby powder.
By being smart with your space, you can consider any of these 25 places around the world to travel with your kids.
Use Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are a relatively new phenomenon with a lot of credit to their name. While it may seem like they just take up added space, they actually create more.
In addition to that, cubes also help you stay organized. Need to find the kids’ swimsuits in a pinch? No problem; you’ll know just which cube to pull out.
Roll Everyone’s Clothes
The best way to pack extra pairs of clothes and still be able to close the suitcase is to roll their clothes. You might need to watch a YouTube video or two to master the technique.
But, like packing cubes, they open up a lot of space for backup pairs or t-shirts, shorts, and bathing suits.
Purchase a Travel Seat
Have you ever seen a parent rolling their small child through the airport on a seat atop their rolling suitcase? If you have, you surely thought that was a great idea.
Play around on Amazon. There are plenty of options like the Lugabug Travel Seat, as well as other options to prop them safely atop your rolling bag while you sail through the airport.
Pack Plenty of Snacks
Now that you’ve saved some space by allowing your car seat to do double duty, take the opportunity to pack plenty of easy to reach snacks in everyone’s bag. (By the way, giving each kiddo their own little backpack can help with that easy access.)
Keep your snacks small and simple so they don’t require a lot of clean up. Fruit bars, nuts, raisins, fruit snacks, and other easy-to-transport items will do the trick and save you from making unnecessary purchases at the airport.
This tip is in line with our 55 Disney World travel tips to pave the way for a beautiful day.
Pack Plenty of Baggies
Ziplock bags don’t take up too much space and serve a multitude of purposes when you’re on the road. First, it serves as a garbage bag for all those snack wrappers.
Second, it can store any soiled or stained clothes. It can also help in the worst case scenario – if someone gets sick. Finally, it can also keep the almighty cell phone safe from water damage when you’re at the pool or beach.
Reload Your First Aid Kit
Double check your first aid kit. Reload anything that’s running a little low. Travel-size hand wipes, face wipes, and baby wipes remain tantamount.
Band-aids and pain-relieving Neosporin are also helpful for minor cuts. Children’s Tylenol and Benadryl are also handy to have as you change environments and hit any minor bumps in the road.
Create a Cozy Space
It’s best to avoid giving your kiddos too much medicine unless it’s a very long flight. Otherwise, their drowsiness may make it more difficult to disembark.
What you can do, instead, is create a cozy space with a children’s neck pillow, their favorite blanket, and even a small plush animal if you can fit it in.
Invest in Noise-Canceling Headphones
Headphones may seem like an unnecessary addition to their cozy space. But, see if you can find an affordable pair.
While it’s true it allows them to watch their movie or play their game (which we’re about to discuss in a moment), it also does something more.
Noise-canceling headphones can reduce the overstimulation they may be feeling. By quieting the outside world for a little while and playing a movie on low volume, you can help calm their nerves – even if they weren’t showing signs of overstimulation.
Load Up the iPad
No matter how strict you are about screen time – and rightly so – prepare to loosen the reins during travel time.
It’s far easier to pass off an iPad to enjoy a Disney movie than to struggle with the restlessness kiddos tend to feel while traveling.
Download Everything You Can Offline
In keeping with the loaded up iPad, make sure everything is downloaded and able to work offline. For example, Netflix and YouTube Premium allow you to download movies and TV shows offline.
It would be a terrible fate to promise the latest installment of The Descendants and then not be able to get it to play on the airplane.
Bring Some Old School Toys
Bring some old school forms of entertainment like a coloring book and crayons, or a deck of cards. Uno is a classic for a reason.
In case you’re conscientious about screen time when you’re back home, you don’t want to go too far off the deep end, even if it’s a helpful tool when you’re on the go.
Imagine playing a deck of cards at night on the balcony in one of these family-friendly escapes? It’ll be one of the most authentic memories in the making.
Pack Chip Clips or Claw Clips
In case the travel day was long and arduous, you might want to put the kids to sleep for a longer nap than usual during the daytime.
Chip clips or claw clips can help you secure those curtains and blinds in the room so a bright burst of sunlight doesn’t come through and disturb the precious time that everybody might need for a few extra hours.
Stick to Your Bedtime Routine
Whatever your nighttime routine is, stick to it as much as possible when you’re on vacation. Everything works better when everyone’s had a full night’s sleep.
For example, it’s worth it to make room in your suitcase for a tiny sound machine if that’s part of their routine.
While running a bath after a long day may seem arduous, if that’s part of your normal routine, you’ll find it’s worthwhile to push through, maintain that consistency, and help everyone get a full night’s sleep.
Allot 15 Minutes for Yourself
If you’re traveling with your partner, work 15 minutes of personal time into each day’s schedule. Just let it be known that you’re “taking your 15” (or 30 if you’re lucky).
Use this time to take a walk, close your eyes, or lay in a hammock undisturbed. Of course, the main purpose of the trip is to make endless memories. But, everyone needs a few moments to themselves from time to time.
Here’s to Memories In the Making
Sure, traveling with kids is a lot more work than solo or couple traveling. But, the secret to success is preparation and planning.
Start with your checklist; utilize every inch of space in your luggage; and be prepared to roll with the punches. Then, it’s all about the memories in the making.
No matter where you’re headed, we have a destination guide to help you find all the best kid-friendly attractions wherever you wander together.