Travelling can be fantastic and wondrous – there is so much to see, so much to do and there are so many places to go; but with kids in tow can travelling still be fun and stress-free? Well, yes it can be if you use the following hacks.
Make Your Life Easier
You want to make your life as easy as possible, and to do this you must think about convenience and reliability. If you are travelling by plane then you need to park as close to the airport as possible, for example, by using JFK express airport parking just to make sure you are ready to get going pretty much as soon as you touch down. Nobody wants to be hanging around or waiting, especially when you have kids in tow; so make sure this doesn’t happen. If you are travelling by road then you need to make life easier by planning out frequent breaks and introducing lots of car-based games.
Break Up The Journey
Trying to do too much at once will leave you feeling burned out and exhausted, and it will also leave children of all ages feeling tired, hungry and frustrated, so never try and go too far in one go. Break up how long you are travelling for and ensure you have small breaks at regular intervals. Do not be afraid to incorporate an overnight stay if it makes your journey easier.
Get Your Timings Right
The time that you travel matters, and if you are travelling at odd times of the day or night it is important to think about how this will affect the children you are travelling with. For example, if you are travelling with babies then do not try and do a long journey if you can help it – especially if they are teething or crawling around – as you will literally be pulling your hair out trying to keep them comfortable, entertained and happy. Similarly, if you are in the middle of potty training with toddlers then do not tackle long drives and road trips just yet.
Take Plenty Of Snacks
Food and drink can help calm most children down and it can give them a distraction to look forward to. Having readily available snacks on hand that you can dish out will save you from feeling the physical pressure and stress of travelling with children. Try to keep snacks as healthy as possible and try to make sure there are no salts of sugars hidden within the snacks, as too much sugar could affect the way your children behave. A sugar overload can leave any child feeling and acting hyperactive, which is not what you want when you are just 2 hours into a 10-hour long-haul flight.
No matter if you are travelling for a weekend away or travelling long haul, it is important to remember that it can be fun – you just need to plan a bit more, and take spare clean clothes for you in case of any accidents.
