Tips for Traveling with Young Kids

Whether it be on a plane, train, or automobile, keeping kids quiet and happy is a major goal.

Tip #1 Stock Up

Be it for a road trip or a flight, we let our kids go to the store with us and pick out special snacks themselves to bring along for the ride. This has worked well for us as it makes them more excited about the trip. Quite honestly having their favorite snacks is a great bribe tactic. I tend to prefer a hard-sided tupperware for storage, because even though takes up a little more space, it also prevents chips and crackers from getting crushed. We all know once they are broken, they somehow become inedible from a kid’s point of view.

Tip #2 Entertain, entertain, entertain

Entertainment is a key factor to keeping kids happy for long periods of time. Limit their toys to one or two favorites you know will entertain them for a long time. Space is always a factor and the last thing you want to do is leave one of their favorite toys in a different state accidentally because they brought so many.

It’s also fun to pack a couple new surprise items. Take them out one at a time to get the longest longevity out of each one. One of my favorites is Wikisticks because they are clean, small, and are somehow extremely entertaining. Coloring books and crayons, pipe cleaners, and stickers could also be good options. For road trips, we now keep this Crayola travel coloring set in the seat backs so we never have to remember to grab entertainment.

Download videos to tablets or removable SD cards because you might not have access to in-flight entertainment or wifi, and games that work at home may no longer work when you are on a road trip in a stretch without internet access. Test electronics at home first with airplane mode turned on to make sure the things you want to use will be available.

Headphones are something we always bring for kids on road trips and flights. Some kids’ headphones have sound barriers on them which is great for keeping the kids’ ears safe, but you will want to make sure it isn’t too restrictive since planes are loud. The first pair of earphones we got our kids were worthless because of this. One low priced pair that works well for us is this pair from Amazon.

Tip #3 Plan Your Travel Time

As far as what time of day you should travel; it really depends on your kids. Some people like to coincide with naps or bedtime, but personally I have never had a problem flying or driving in the middle of the day. When flying, I care more about the stops and starts. If I can avoid two flights by going at a less than ideal time of day, I will usually choose the nonstop.

To the contrary, when taking long road trips (more than 5 hours I’d say) we like to drive at night. I have the rare blessing of a husband who does not fall asleep while driving so we tend to take advantage of that time. I would say very few people can do this without putting themselves and their families at risk, so don’t try it if you aren’t completely confident in your ability to stay awake, and if you feel the slightest bit tired just stop.

Another thing we do is pre-plan our route and find fun things to do along the way. We make planned stops so the kids have something to look forward to every few hours. The important thing about road trips is to be flexible with your time. You never know what might happen on the road, so just relax.

Tip # 4 Provide treats for fellow travelers

This one is primarily for mass transit – long bus rides, planes, or trains. A few people have told me they bring little treat bags or notes to give to the travelers near them. This in my opinion is over and beyond nice, and as a fellow traveler I would totally appreciate it, but in all honesty I will probably never do it myself. Just one more stressor to put on myself that I don’t need. (But I’m that mom who refuses to let the Elf on the Shelf come visit because I don’t want to deal with his shenanigans and any role I would have to play in his visits). I might think differently if I had bad experiences in the past though. For the most part I have found flying with kids to be a surprisingly good experience.

Tip #5 Take Advantage of Airline Perks

For a list of these perks, check out the post about the benefits of flying with kids. It has additional flying-specific information for kid-travel. One tip I would like to expand on from that article is when you are checking your free stroller and carseat or booster seat.

I want to reinterate with older children a normal booster or car seat is a pain to travel with. On a previous flight, our kids were booster seat age and we got sick of lugging them around, so we later purchased a mifold booster seat instead. Game changer. It is a fraction of the size and still safety approved. Basically, instead of boosting the kids up, it pulls the seat belt down. It did take a little time to figure out how to install for the first time so if you can use it at home first, that is a good idea.

We now keep it in our entryway so when the kids go with Grandma or friends that don’t have seats we don’t have to pull one out of the car (and then forget it in their car, whoops). I will say it isn’t my kids’ favorite for everyday use, but hey, they’re not using it every day, so big deal.

Do you have more travel tips? Comment below with things that worked for you!