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Family vacations are some of the best times in our lives. Being able to spend quality time with the people we love is amazing, and it is great to get away from the routine of life. If you are traveling with kids on a family vacation, there are some simple things to do to make it go smoothly!
Scan everything
I very rarely fly, and just thinking about all that it involves overwhelms me! I hate keeping track of documents and with flying that can be pretty important!
Before scrambling out of the door with your kids, make sure you have a back-up plan. The worst thing you could do is end up leaving your documents at home. when you arrive at the airport. This can be a nightmare for everyone.
To avoid this, make sure you scan everything into your computer. Make sure to have a copy on your phone when you get to the airport. This will ensure that if you do forget the paper documents you’ll still be able to get on the plane.
This is honestly a great tip for any documents in your life. I scan EVERYTHING that isn’t already digital, and I use OneNote to keep all my important documents organized.
OneNote is great for things like this because it organizes everything like a binder. I also use my Google Drive to store things because it’s easy to share. I can download directly off of my drive or send a link straight to the document. It’s also very easy to access it from anywhere.
Since most everything is over email now, when the time comes to need things, it’s already scanned and ready to email. This has made so many processes easier for me!
Savvy packing
When you are going on a vacation with your family there will be a lot of things to pack. This can get very stressful. Make sure that you are clever with the things you bring and wear bulkier items when you get on the plane to save space in your suitcases.
I have to give credit to my husband. He knows how to pack a bag! He can fit so much into a single bag it’s crazy! Our last weekend trip, he packed all of our clothes in one duffel bag. It saved a lot of space in the car that we needed for a pack-and-play and other
Simple strategies like putting things in your shoes can help save space in your luggage. Also, my husband introduced me to rolling our clothes and I’m not sure why, but it works!
You can also make sure to pack things that work for multiple outfits. If it’s a casual trip, I pack a pair of jeans that will go with any top. For a longer stay, most places have a laundry room and you can make use of the washer and dryer to keep from packing so many clothes.
If you are going by car make sure to install Roof Racks to pack your stuff into and this will help free up space in the car. Making sure that you don’t forget anything and that everyone is happy can be hard but you can do it!
Cover the car
As said before, we don’t usually fly (we’re cheap). This means LONG car rides with kids and lots of
If your kids are like mine, your car is trashed after a trip. You are basically living in your car for a short amount of time and it can get gross!
When traveling with kids, cover the seats with a fitted sheet to catch crumbs and spills. This will make things easy when you get there because you can just take the sheets out and shake them. After the trip, you can throw the sheet in the washer!
Money ahead of time
If you want to make sure that the kids aren’t waiting around for too long and becoming agitated, the best thing you can do is make sure you exchange money ahead of time. This can even be done online!
Don’t wait in line at the airport, make sure instead that you get your money exchanged before the trip. The bureau de change has stations in many places and it will save you some stress on the day.
Know Where Your Going
Planning ahead when traveling with kids is extremely important! Anything you can do to make the trip shorter and smoother is absolutely necessary.
Using a GPS is a great way to make sure that you are not prolonging your trip. Many GPS devices get traffic updates that help them give you adapted routes. Even if you have looked ahead and know the route (which you should still do), when something unexpected happens, prolonging the trip because you are figuring out your bearings is not ideal.
Even if using GPS it’s really important to know your route too, as said before. Things happen, and technology can fail. If all the sudden your GPS stops working, you should know where you are and how to get where you’re going.
Rent Baby Seats
Rather than bringing along all of your baby car seats and strollers for your trip, it is much easier for you to simply rent them when you get there. It is less stressful for you and it means that you don’t have to pay a ton of extra money for your luggage if flying.
This also keeps you from leaving it behind! Imagine taking your nice stroller that you take walks in the park every day with your baby in on a trip then LEAVING IT THERE! To me it’s totally worth it to do without my fancy stroller for a few days and go with a rented one and know that I won’t accidentally leave it.
Snacks and Entertainment.
When it comes to traveling with kids, it’s time to forget your screen time rules… Sorry. We do have a DVD player in our van and we pack plenty of movies to take to keep the kids entertained. If you have a tablet take it! Download some games that do not need internet access that your child can play.
Technology helps us have games and fun things to do with the kids without packing a million toys.
We also pack plenty of kid-friendly snacks. The things that are never turned down like Goldfish crackers and peanut butter sandwiches are a must.
What Are Your Favorite Tips for Traveling With Kids?
This is so brief and there are a million great ideas for how to make travelling with kids (and travelling period) a pleasant experience. What are your most clever tips for other parents who travel?
Tablets!!! they save our sanity during long flights/drives:) for sure 🙂 and a good way to organize all your document and passports- I thought I lost all of ours once after landing in a foreign country - because I was busy handling the kids and needed free hands, so I stuck the passports somewhere mindlessly and couldn’t remember doing it. I know have a special packet for it. Traveling with kids is no walk in the park:)
Absolutely! I’m bad with documents and paper on a good day so while wrestling little ones, it’s a real struggle.
I love the fitted sheet idea! The car gets so messy so fast…..
Yes!!! It’s amazing how messy it gets in just one trip!
These are all great tips! We are flying for the first time with both kids later next month. It’s so much to think about and pack.
Ah! Good luck! I hope it all goes smoothly!
Amazing tips! Traveling with kids is so hard.
I LOVE all of these tips and ideas!!! Especially the fitted sheet trip - genius!
Yess!!! Pretty much just everything should have a protective covering until our kids turn 18…
These are great tips! My mother in law wants us to visit them in Michigan (we live in Georgia) in June or July and by that time my son will be around 6 months. If we go I already dread that trip.
Good info! I never thought about renting strollers while on vacation but that’s an excellent idea and saves a lot of space! I love the idea about covering the seat with a sheet….so much easier to clean!!
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