Tips to Make your Vacation Travels Easier and Stress Free
Our house is truly blessed by family who have vacation homes for us to use each year. My cousin has a beach house and offers us a discounted rate for our summer vacations.
Planning the trip is always easy. Getting there, however, is always a pain in the butt. I usually have a toddler and small dog in tow and it is difficult traveling without pulling out my hair.
Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Throughout the Years
- Leave Early. Like WAY earlier than you think you’ll need to. Someone will inevitably have to use the potty every hour and there will be tons of snack stops.
- Snacks, Snacks, and more Snacks. Seriously. My kid eats like, 47 times a day. So I pack a bag/cooler with travel/individual serve snack packs to eliminate multiple stops.
- While you’re packing a snack bag, pack an ‘in case of emergency bag‘. Be sure to include items like acetaminophen, ibuprofen, nausea medicine, band-aids, etc.
- Bring a tablet or hand-held game console. I know, you want your kids completely unplugged. But, do you really want to hear ‘Are we there yet?’ every 10 minutes. Pop on some YouTube and let them entertain themselves for a little bit. Keep them unplugged when you get to your destination.
- If you have fur babies in the car; bring bowls, water, and food for them to have when you make stops.
- If you are flying, you may want to consider jet card cost for travel on a private jet. Imagine no line-ups, no public melt-downs, easy access to your carry-on items, and real comfort. You could all arrive at your destination happy and relaxed!
Things I’ve Picked up from Other Moms
- Encourage those kiddos every step of the way. By re-assuring my daughter that she’s being well behaved and is ‘such a big girl’ I continue to get awesome behavior. I usually reward her at the destination with a candy or ice cream treat.
- Start a behavior chart. For every __ miles or every ___ minutes, give the child a point or a star. If they misbehave, take away a point. At the end, if they make it to the agreed upon number, reward them with something special. Maybe let them pick the dinner spot or get a new beach toy.
- Leave early enough in the morning or late enough in the evening that your children will sleep most of the way. This one is my personal favorite because I usually opt to not be the driver which means I get to catch a little nap too!
- Keep everyone comfortable. Traveling far from home can be tough. Make it easier by bringing favorite blankets, toys, and stuffed animals. Familiar sights can keep children comfortable in new environments.
- RELAX. Nothing goes as planned. Roll with the punches and just have fun!
Did I miss anything? Let me know! Headed to the Beach? Pop over to my post on How I Pack my Beach Bag for a stress free trip!
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