Wednesday, 26 November 2008

• Tips for Traveling with Kids

  Guest post submitted by Kates533

  

  I feel as though I've gotten pretty good at traveling with kids. We travel often enough, and in the last 6 months have flown twice with both kiddos (currently 3 years and 9 months old). I'd like to share some of the strategies that have worked for us and made traveling with our children much easier!

  Avoid layovers:
  I know it isn't always possible, but whenever you can, avoid layovers. They can be brutal, especially with kids in tow. Layovers provide more opportunities for luggage to be lost, flights to be missed, delays, and so forth. All of these situations can muddle your plans. The last few times we flew, we chose to fly to an airport that was a few hours away from our destination. Not only did this save us money because it was a larger airport, but it also allowed us to avoid a layover and allowed my kids to nap in the car (see next point). Often, going directly to an airport that's a few hours away can actually end up being shorter travel time than going to another airport, waiting for a layover, and then getting to your destination. It's worth looking into.

  Try to schedule around sleep patterns:
  When planning our trips, I try to avoid booking an early flight that interrupts their sleep (especially if the flight is long because that will mess up their naptime). If I know that naps are going to be interrupted, then I won't take an early flight. However, if we can arrive at our destination, or at least be driving while they nap, an early flight is sometimes helpful. When we flew last week, we took an early flight and then had a 3 hour drive to our destination; the kids slept nearly the entire time in the car. It worked out perfectly. On the way home, we took a later flight. The kids napped in the car on the way to the airport, and although we landed rather late, it didn't bother them since they had good naps. If we would have flown directly to our destination instead of a different airport, we would have been flying all day. Additionally, neither child would have been able to enjoy an uninterrupted nap.

  Plan ahead:
  Whether flying or taking road trips, planning ahead is always helpful. This time, I took Reagan to WalMart with me a few days before leaving and let him pick out a few snacks and drinks that we usually don't buy. (You are allowed to take pre-packaged juice boxes onto the plane if you are traveling with small children). We bought them especially for the trip, and he was very excited to have his special snacks on the plane. I also had a folder that contained all of our travel information. Confirmation numbers, flight schedules, rental car #s, directions (to the airport, and from the airport once we land - something a lot of people don't think about!). I always carry at least two extra outfits for each child, just in case of spills, flight delays or lost luggage. I also allowed Reagan to pack his own little backpack with toys and books to take on the plane. He could take whatever fit in his bag and whatever he was able to carry.

  Be flexible, be prepared:
  Traveling, especially with kids, can be unpredictable. On our flight coming home earlier this year, we ended up being delayed by a few hours and in the end we had to spend the night in a nearby hotel and fly out the next morning. I was so thankful I had packed a few extra bottles for Anna and extra clothes for both kids. Even so, I hadn't packed enough diapers and had to go to ridiculous methods to get some (since we had already returned our rental car) and ended up paying 3 times the amount for diapers, of which I was really only 3-4 short. (Grrr... Believe me, I was annoyed at myself for spending an arm and a leg for a few diapers.) Ultimately, it never hurts to throw a few extra snacks and diapers into a bag. There are just a few things one cannot live without with kids, and food and diapers are two of the basic necessities that you're better off overpacking.

  All in all, both of my kids have become seasoned travelers. Anna's not at the best age for traveling as all she wants to do is crawl around, but Reagan loves it and gets very excited when he knows we're going to board an airplane!

  Do you have any tips for traveling with kids?

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