You may be looking forward to your family vacation over the holidays, but on the back of your mind you’re worrying about traveling with your kids. Is there something you’re missing? Are you forgetting anything? Here are a few tips for traveling by car, plane and just general travel!
General Tips
Regardless of travel plans, here are tips you should follow when traveling with kids:
- Develop a game plan for your family and have a meeting before the trip to go over details and rules for your children
- Have your child pack a favorite toy for the trip
- Always pack snacks for your kids
- Always back a first aid kit with medicines, band-aids and ointments
Traveling by Airplane
The difficulty with plane travel with kids is that there are a lot of rules, time lines to follow and many other people involved. Here are some tips to help the process:
- If you’re traveling with an infant, during ascent and descent try to get them to nurse or drink from a bottle to avoid ears causing pain
- Allow more time than usual for your family to get through security and to the gate on time
- Strollers are allowed to go through security, so you may want to use them until you get to your gate to make walking with kids goes by faster
- Discuss with your kids the process of the security check so they don’t get scared
- If they’re a little older, discuss what is and isn’t allowed at an airport, and how to talk appropriately to TSA guards
- Dress your kids for easy security screening, especially shoes and any outer layers
- Frequently have them wash their hands or use hand sanitizer
- Always educate yourself on the most up-to-date rules of air travel
- Never leave your child out of sight
Traveling by Car
Luckily car travel usually only involves your family and is more flexible. However, it’s longer and can be more draining for you and your kids, and it can be more hazardous. Here are some tips to help the process:
- Make sure at all times children are buckled in and proper car seats are used. Set a good example for your kids by always wearing your seatbelt (even if when you’re not driving, like in a taxi or bus if applicable)
- All children under the age of 13 should sit in the back of the vehicle
- You’ll need to take breaks more than you would if you were driving with just adults. Plan to stop once every two hours for your kids to go to the bathroom, stretch and eat.
- Never leave your child alone in a car for even a minute. If your child is in the car, make sure an adult is with them at all times, and the AC/heat is turned on
- Come up with games to play during the car ride, or ways to entertain your kids with movies, books, or mobile games
If you have any questions about traveling with your kids, especially if it’s your first time, we’re always here to help. We hope you have a great trip with your family!
