Are you in need of tips for traveling with kids? Over the years I have learned a hard lesson… taking kids anywhere requires a lot of time, forethought, patience and maybe some bribing.
When I’m planning to travel with kids I do a few things to ensure we have a smooth trip. The last thing I want is for the trip to be ruined because I was a poor planner.
So let’s dive in and make traveling with kids fun for your family.
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Tips for Traveling With Kids
The first one might be a bit obvious but I think it’s worth talking about.
Change Your Mindset Around Travel Days
First things first we need to talk about your mindset. If you go into a long trip with your kids in tow and you think the entire time that it’s going to suck… it’s going to suck.
So you need to change your mindset to a positive one. Be positive about the experience and your kids will pick up on it.
For the longest time, I dreaded being in the car for long periods of time with my children. I even voiced it to my husband in front of the kids.
They are like hawks. They pick up on everything. So be positive and change your mindset around travel days.
Packing List for Kids
Pack Plenty of Snacks
This has to be the most important part on the tips for traveling with kids list because they are always hungry. It never fails that they will eat and immediately ask for a snack. Munching on the road always helps to pass the time even for the adults.
I plan and pack plenty of snacks. I usually pack a variety of things like fruit, crackers, chips and even cheese. Since we are traveling in the RV and have a fridge this is easy for us.
If you are traveling in a car just grab a small cooler and some ice and you’re all set.
I just like to make sure we have salty and sweet things to choose from and I always make sure I have plenty of water to drink.
Pack a Pillow and Blanket
Once upon a time when we traveled by car, we didn’t pack pillows and blankets because we would have those things wherever we were staying. Now in the RV, we pack a pillow and blanket for each kid.
This way they have the comfort of home. This helps to relieve a bit of the stress from travel on our toddler.
We let her choose her own blanket since she has like a thousand of them.
Don’t Forget Diaper Wipes!
Diaper wipes are great for so many things that we still use them even though our kids are both potty trained. Don’t forget the diaper wipes! You never know what kinds of sticky little messes you will need to clean up before your trip is over.
Take Plastic Bags
I like to ensure we have grocery bags and ziplock bags on hand when we travel. It never fails that my kids need to get up and throw something away or store their unfinished snack so it doesn’t make a mess.
In this case I always make sure we have plenty of plastic bags on hand.
Travel Ideas for Kids
To make road trips with kids fun you should pack fun things. You can even pack car games if you’re traveling by car for keeping kids busy. If you’re traveling by RV then have more flexibility with what you bring. We take actual board games with us on the road.
Travel Activities for Kids
Entertaining kids while traveling can be a struggle because they have such short attention spans. That’s why packing travel activities might take some extra planning but I like to make sure we check this box because the last thing I want is for my positive mindset to be trashed.
Here are a few things we pack when traveling with kids:
- Crayons and notebooks
- Trouble the game
- Kindle Fires with headphones
- Slime – This is especially great for to keep toddlers busy on a long car ride!
- Dry erase board and markers
These are just a few of the items we pack to keep them entertained. I also allow my kids to pack a bucket of things for the trip.
We have plenty of these collapsible bins for our cube shelf at home. Each girl gets a different color and they are allowed to put their favorite toys in it as long as they fit.
They always choose to bring their barbies, baby dolls and shopkins toys.
These things keep them entertained for quite a while. This makes traveling with kids so much easier!
Play Road Games
We like to play road games while on the road. You know the typical games we’re talking about like I Spy and in our case spot the RV or Jeep.
There are a number of road games you can play with your kids to keep them entertained.
Road Trip Games:
- License plate game
- Road trip bingo
- 20 questions
- Storytelling
- Karaoke
These tips for traveling with kids has saved us time and time again. They are sure to help you on your road trip with kids too. Make your packing list and don’t forget the positive mindset!
Related:
Our Decision to Become A Full-Time RV Family
Lessons Learned While Decluttering to Travel Full-Time
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