10 Tips to Survive Holiday Travels with the Kids
Tis the season for family gatherings, indulging our tastes and our senses, and hoping we will survive travelling with children to all four corners of our family and friendship trees. Whether you live across town from your parents or across the continent from your in-laws, travelling with children for the holidays always poses some challenges and some excitements along the way. Check out these 10 tips to help you survive the chaos of travelling for the holidays and make memories that will last a lifetime.
- Give your kids a camera to help keep them occupied along the way, as well as to help document the adventure. There are almost foolproof cameras made for toddlers and it seems that as soon as kids can walk they can operate a simple digital camera. There are no rolls of film to purchase and develop, and kids get instant gratification when they can see their shot on the preview screen. If you are making an extended visit, pack a small scrapbook album and print some photos when you arrive. On quiet evenings at Grandma’s house your kids can work on completing the scrapbook together with family.
- Plan for delays and prepare for mishaps. Between the unpredictable weather and the random unreliability of vehicles and airport schedules, there are bound to be delays in your schedule. Keep one small tote (even a spare make-up bag) for your bag of tricks in these emergencies. This bag could include a travel game, packs of gum, or a new video game or movie for a handheld device. Add in a small notepad and a few pencils – easily turned into tic-tac-toe, hangman, doodle equipment, or lists about why we want to get to Grandma’s house.
- Have a family meeting the day before your trip to go over ground rules for travelling together and expectations for behavior once you arrive. Make the rules age appropriate – for your 4 year-old this might mean reminders about dinner manners, and for teens this might be rules for limited texting once you arrive.
- If you’re visiting relatives or friends with whom your children are not very familiar, turn it into a game of getting to know loved ones. During your trip you can tell stories about the people you are going to see and why they are special to you. Make sure you show the kids recent pictures to help get them ready for the onslaught of new faces. Just don’t expect your child to immediately love your Aunt Susie as much as you do – give them time to warm up to all of these new adults.
- Shop for your contributions to the family dinner once you arrive so you don’t have to transport. If you need gifts for your holiday, shop online and have the gifts delivered to the destination ahead of time or ship them ahead of your departure yourself. This will save on room in your suitcase and be one less item to pack.
- Bring along a few simple items from home that can be used along the way or once you arrive to fill in gaps of downtime and bring familiarity for younger kids. If you’re reading from a special book at bedtime or have a favorite DVD or CD, pack those for when the togetherness gets to be too much and the kids need a touch of home.
- Bring along weather appropriate gear. When the family time is on overload take the kids and head out on the trails, snowshoe together, or pack your child’s scooter for a few trips around the block. Wearing off extra steam is a great way to bring some balance back into the schedule. If you have a long road trip, consider bringing a few simple outdoor supplies like Frisbees, balls, or snow pants (depending on where your travels take you) and stop every once in a while to let the kids roam outside.
- Pack a few nutritious fillers for the overabundance of fast food stops, Thanksgiving pie, or Christmas pudding. Cups of applesauce, dried fruit, nuts, and a baggie of carrots are easy snacks with no prep time and can help counterbalance the sugar overload Grandma might provide.
- Keep a routine. Often when travelling the family routines go out the window on the first stop, but finding and keeping at least a few small routines will help keep kids from overloading and help keep you out of your cranky pants. Even if the bedtime gets later, keep the same story time routine. If your child likes to start the day with cocoa and fruit while snuggling with you, keep that routine going as well.
- Pack your patience. Don’t rush through your holiday travels with your kids as your frenzied pace will only contribute to their meltdown factors. Taking a few extra minutes to let them explore new places or rest in between outings will help make sure that you survive your holiday travels and maybe even look forward to next year!
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