Tips for Family Travel
Checked Child Items
Most airlines will allow you to check 2 child items for free (be sure to check the website of who you're flying with- we usually fly Delta). When flying with little kids, this is super useful to check a travel crib and our Slumber Pod.
Packing
Knowing what to bring for time away with a little one can feel overwhelming! I figured out a system that works for us. Two weeks before we travel, I start taking inventory of everything we use on a daily basis by writing it down in the Notes app on my phone. It takes forever the first day, but then I'm just adding a few things here and there as they come up. I note what chargers we used, how many times my kid needed a change of clothes, how many diapers we went through, etc.
Then when I start to pack, I look at my list. I figure out what's worth the luggage real estate and what's not. I look for ways I can consolidate chargers. I think about what's not worth the battle to leave behind (for example the Tonie Boxes are bulky, but having them with us on a trip maintains their bedtime routine).
Finally, I look at what we may need that is unique to our destination, such as snow boots/ski bibs, swimsuits, specific outfits (such as our Mickey ears if we're going to Disney), rain jackets, etc. Also think about things that you didn't use during those two weeks but very well could have, like a First Aid kit (ours has an epi pen, band aids, wound cleaner, Tylenol, Zyrtec, and Motrin).
A final note on packing: I am not skilled at paring down when it comes to packing for trips. If we are changing hotels 2 or more times, I will force myself to do it. But if we are staying in the same place the whole trip or just moving once on a longer trip, I'd rather suffer through getting the luggage through the airport than wish I had something that I didn't pack. This is a personal opinion and I accept that most other travelers would balk at it 😁. I will probably never be the girl that only packs a carry on and that's okay.
Sound Machines
This could probably be nested under "packing", but I think it's important enough to get its own header. If you use a sound machine at home, bring a sound machine when you travel. If your accommodations have multiple bedrooms, be sure to have one for every room where a sleeper will be.
Planning Your Itinerary
Every family is going to be different, so it's hard to make a blanket statement about planning activities for your travel. What I have found works for us personally when traveling with our kids is to plan one singular activity that we want to get done in a day. I plan it for the morning time after breakfast (ideally so that we don't have to wake up earlier than we normally would). From there, anything else is a bonus. If we finish activity one and we're ready for more, we can continue with the "would be nice to do" activities I have planned. But if kids are tired or hungry or in need of down time, that will always take precedence.
Getting Through the Airport
You'll see this come up *often* when I talk about flying with kids. When it comes to getting through the airport and flying, I let screen time restrictions go out the window. Especially If you typically enforce screen time limitations at home, tossing them out will be your greatest tool on travel days. When we get to the airport, we put our kids straight in the stroller with their tablets a headphones. This typically allows us to make it through security smoothly.
And on the note of strollers...many airports send families with strollers through a separate security line. If you have TSA Precheck, this will not make a huge difference for you. But before we had Precheck, I used to joke that I would shove my kids into a stroller until they were teenagers to get through security more quickly.
Strollers
Sticking with the theme of strollers...at the time of writing this, my kids are 4 and 7. In our day to day lives, we have outgrown the stroller. But travelling is a totally different story. At home we are active, walking, biking, and scootering around our neighborhood. But travel days are longer, cover more ground, and are stimulating in ways that are different that our familiar neighborhood. We still bring our stroller on vacation with us and use it religiously.
Last December we went to London with my kids were 3 and 6. I decided this would be a great opportunity to try out travelling without a stroller. It did not go well and I ended up purchasing a $100 push chair that the kids could take turns in during long days exploring the city.
My oldest child is just getting to the point now where he doesn't fit in a stroller (at 7 years old). But up until this point, having him in a stroller made travelling possible where it may not have been otherwise. And every trip we've gone on since he was 4, at least one stranger has made a comment about him being too big for the stroller. Every time I laugh it off and don't think twice about strangers' opinions, but I know this can be hard for a lot of people. I just remind myself that we are off schedule/routine and are covering way more ground that is typical, and I'll take any tool that can help make that easier!
Moving forward (now that my oldest has officially outgrown the stroller), we will try using a scooter at new destinations. I'll have to get creative figuring out how to fit his scooter and a helmet in my checked luggage 🤔.
The Snackle Box
If our flight is three hours or longer, I make each of my kids a snackle box (similar to the one pictured below). I try to balance special sweet treats they don't usually get at home with some starchy and high protein options. The novelty of having a variety of snacks in a unique container is oddly exciting for my kids-- and adults! I can't tell you how many adults near us on airplanes want to look at what all is in the box. My kids really look forward to the box and it makes flying fun. Sometimes I involve my kids with the preparation of the box and other times I surprise them,.
