Traveling requires packing and planning at any age, but adding young kids into the mix? Things can easily get a little overwhelming. If you’re going to be traveling with your children in the near future, check out these tips to minimize stress and make your trip an enjoyable one.
1. Plan Your Destination Wisely
The best way to ensure that things go smoothly when you’re traveling with little ones is to plan, plan and plan some more. Minimize any uncertainties ahead of time by making sure that you’ve covered all of your basics with passports, visas, hotels, flights, car rentals and immunizations as far in advance as possible. As you get closer to the date of departure, things will be much easier for everyone.
Along the same lines, look into family friendly options with established resources for parents with young children. There’s no shortage of resorts that can cater to your needs. All you have to do is find them. And when you do place your bookings, use travel coupons from Ebates to find a deal.
2. Be Judicious About Your Packing “Essentials”
Let’s face it, if you’re traveling with children, you’re going to run into over-packing issues. While you might think a third sweater is necessary, your children are not going to be chilly in Orlando in mid-June, trust us.
Start off with the items that you and your family use on a daily basis like a stroller or car seat. They’re the essentials you need most when you’re traveling, but if they’re not going to fit in your overhead compartment, consider investing in a travel-friendly option using BuyBuy Baby coupons. When you’ve covered the basic essentials, move onto clothing, but bringing only what you need is the key to success when packing.
3. Bring Bribes
Inevitably, travel is going to lead to more than one incidence of an exhausted kid, and your best bet for a quick solution is a bribe. While you might not be a fan of the “bribe your kids” school of parenting at home, you have a little more freedom to indulge your kids while you’re on vacation. It’s a different frame of mind, and everyone deserves a treat every once in a while, especially if it’s going to keep them calm, happy and tantrum-free.
4. Kids in Flight
There’s a special place in heaven for parents that can keep their child peaceful for the duration of a long flight. Although there’s no set formula to guarantee a calm flight for your kids, you can certainly take a few precautions to help things out. CNN suggests flying while they normally sleep. If you can take a red-eye to your destination, the chances of getting your child to sleep through a long flight are going to be dramatically higher, making things easier for everyone. But if you’re on a shorter jaunt, just make sure you have enough hours of prerecorded entertainment to keep them busy for the length of the flight. Another episode of Sesame Street anyone?
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