Most people find traveling stressful.
It’s essential if you want to enjoy vacations and trips, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always enjoyable.
This stress can be made much worse if you are traveling with children, especially young children who might have short attention spans, be overwhelmed by new situations, and might not have much experience with travel.
If you can keep your kids calm and content for the duration of the journey, you’ll have a much nicer experience, and arrive at your destination relaxed and ready to start your break.
Here are some tips to help you.
Prepare Them
If your children have never traveled, their last long trip was too long ago for them to remember clearly, or they are taking their first flight, they might not know what to expect.
This can mean that everything overwhelms them, that they are very excited or nervous, and that they become frustrated or scared easily.
Spend some time in the run-up to your break preparing them as much as you can.
Read books and watch videos that are about travel, talk to them about what to expect, share stories from your own journeys and give them a chance to ask questions.
Build Up Slowly
You might not be able to take practice flights, but you could take a long car drive or a trip on the train. Go to a beach nearer to home for a day out or take a trip to visit family.
Often, just sitting still for a long period is the hardest part, and you can start to practice that at home.
Give Them Plenty of Attention
Often when our kids misbehave, it’s because they want our attention.
You might pack plenty of toys and games, but they’ll also want your time.
Make sure you talk to them throughout the journey, ask them questions, answer theirs, point out interesting features and talk about things that you are looking forward to on your vacation.
Move as Much as Possible
Sitting still is difficult for young children. So don’t do it until you need to.
At the airport, keep moving around as much as you can, and try to board the flight as late as you can (even if you are offered early boarding) to delay sitting as long as possible.
On the flight, let your children go for walks up and down the aisle if they become restless, to burn some energy.
Time Naps Sensibly
In the ideal world, younger children would sleep for a good amount of the flight. While it’s hard to time these things perfectly, you can try to avoid naps at the airport to increase the chances.
Relax Your Screentime Rules
At home, you might have strict rules on how long your children are allowed to watch TV or play on electronic devices.
Relaxing these rules while you fly won’t hurt and can make the experience more enjoyable for everyone.
Pack Plenty of Entertainment Options
Screens are great, but try to make sure you’ve got plenty of options, as young children can get bored very quickly, especially when they can’t move.
Pack coloring books, simple games, and toys and make sure you’ve got things like word games that you can play as a family.
Just make sure you’ve got an unscrambler that you can use with any mix of letters if you get stuck and frustrated.
Pack Easy Snacks and Drinks
Snacks and drinks make an effective distraction and offer comfort.
Just make sure anything you take is easy to eat, and not too sticky or smelly.
Trips with children can be a wonderful experience, and if you can keep them calm and content while you travel, your break will get off on the right foot.