Traveling with Kids
Traveling with kids can be daunting. The two words alone are daunting. Travel and Kids. It doesn’t have to be. At least, it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think. This of course depends on you; your level of stress, your patience, and of course how prepared you are. Are you a person who stresses over travel anyway? Do you just roll with it? Somewhere in-between? My experiences are plenty. My kids are now 10, 14, and 15.
We have been traveling with them since I was pregnant with my first. Of course, that made life really easy. Once you have a little one in tow, it gets a little more complicated. For one thing, babies/toddlers have “stuff”. So. Much. Stuff. You feel that you need it all and would be easier to just take the house with you. I get it. But take it from a mom who has done both. I tried taking all the things but realized(after another little was introduced) it wasn’t all needed. Wherever you travel to will be different. Different in where you eat, sleep, play, etc. You will not be able to keep your exact routine with all of your things because you’re not home. Let it go. Yup, just let it go. Bring necessities and only the necessities. It will make your trip so much easier.
Now, I know some of you will think I’m crazy and if you insist on bringing all the things try shipping them ahead of time. I’ve done that and it was helpful but expensive and I still didn’t need most of it.
Moving on to older kids.. As soon as they can start “helping”. Let them. Let them pack. Let them help you pack. You are going to go through it all anyway?! I have all toiletry bags packed for my kids under the sink in their bathroom so all they have to do is grab it. It’s great not only for travel but for sleepovers, grandparents house, whatever. They throw it in the suitcase and you don’t have to even think about what they are missing. I limit everyone in the house to one bag or suitcase. If that means getting a huge suitcase, so be it. One bag is easier to deal with. Also, if they are old enough to pack, they are old enough to tote their own items. Yes, mine were lugging their own suitcases by four years old. As far as carry-on go, everyone has a backpack. Even mama. As cute as some vaca bags are they’re just not practical unless you are alone.
When your kids get to be 13 they can apply for TSA pre check. DO IT. My husband and I have it and with three kids it’s necessary. Our youngest can still go through with us but the other two would be sent through the regular line. Alone. Not only do you not have to deal with the hassle of shoes and long lines, but your kids do not have to go through the radiation scanner. No thank you!
Hopefully you find some (or all) of this to be helpful? I know it makes our traveling circus go that much more smooth. If you have any specific questions, throw them in the comments below! Now go out there and travel with those kiddos.