Traveling with Little Ones; How we Survive the Trip

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. If you have fur babies in the car; bring bowls, water, and food for them to have when you make stops.

Things I’ve Picked up from Other Moms

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.
5. 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!