How to Make Traveling Fun and Stress-Free for the Whole Family

advertisement

After months of limited mobility during the pandemic, the opportunity to get out of the city and explore is just too tempting to pass up. Visions of sandy beaches and Great Wall hikes shimmer like an oasis on the horizon. But having kids add a whole new dimension to the travel experience, and gone are the days when all you needed was a last-minute flight deal and a backpack with a bikini, passport, and sunscreen. Here are a few ideas to make your summer vacation plans a little less stressful and a lot more fun for the entire family.

The Anticipation

Half the fun of a new adventure (at least for me) is the planning, dreaming, and research beforehand and there is no reason you can’t get your kids involved. Pick up some child-friendly books about the place you are visiting, locate it on a map, and have them help you do internet research. Let the smallest members of your family choose activities, which can be as simple as building the world’s greatest sand castle or as involved as mapping out a Peruvian hiking trail. By doing this, you learn more about your child’s interests and they might turn you on to activities you never would have thought to try. So your little football player wants to learn the art of Batik? Cool!

The Backpack

“Are we there yet?”, “Will you stop touching me?”, and “Mom, I’m boooooored!!!!!” are arguably the most annoying phrases in a child’s vocabulary and all of them are likely to pop up if you spend more than 30 minutes in transit. Many people recommend packing a bag filled with activities to keep kids occupied, but pretty often the bag is ripped open and rifled through, and the kids are kicking the seat in front of them by the time you have reached cruising altitude.

Creating a series of ‘mini packs’ is a clever way to make an activity bag last the whole journey. To do this, get several smaller opaque bags, pencil cases, or containers and label them 1,2,3 etc.  Put things in each case that relate to a different phase of your trip and tell the kids you will let them know when to open each numbered bag. This adds an element of anticipation and makes opening the bag as much of an activity as the books and games inside.

The first pack can be opened while waiting at the terminal. It can include things like a blow-up beach ball to burn off excess energy, and which you can then deflate and save for later. The second bag should be opened after boarding/pre-takeoff and include things like sugar-free gum or candy to help little ears adjust to the altitude, and a new storybook. The third can be opened after the meal and can include a no-mess art project. I love Melissa & Doug brand ‘Water Wows’ (coloring books with a water pen) for travel because they are cheap and reusable. Depending on how long the trip is you can have an additional pack with soft PJs and a new toothbrush before bed. Finally, an hour or two before arrival you can let the kids open a pack with a healthy snack and books or photos about your destination and the friends or family you are about to see.

Advertisement

Don’t Over Pack

Especially with small children, it’s easy to want to bring everything you might possibly need, including enough baby wipes to survive the zombie apocalypse. But checking in luggage makes trips longer and more exhausting for everyone. Do you really want to chase your five-year-old around the luggage carousel with a cranky two-year-old on your jet-lagged hip? Instead, try to pack light and purchase disposables when you arrive. Better yet, ship things like diapers and formula to the hotel or place you are staying so they are waiting for you, and call ahead to ask hotels if they can set up a crib for you.

Make Adult Activities Child-Friendly

You don’t have to steer clear of the things you want to do just for the sake of the kids. With just a few minutes of preparation, you can enjoy a traditionally grown-up activity with your child. If you have scheduled a tour, write up a scavenger hunt for your little one. It can be as complex or easy as you like. For example, if you’re doing a Chiang Mai temple tour, you can get older kids to look for the ninja turtle sculpture at the white temple and try to find the Buddha in all seven traditional positions at the Blue Temple. Younger kids can tally how many elephant statues or pictures they can find throughout the day.

Cooking classes are also a great alternative to tours, as they introduce your kids to the local culture via food and are interactive. Just call ahead and make sure the menu is child friendly. The kids will need you to help with cutting but they can mix, measure, and of course, taste.

Plan, but Don’t Over Plan

On vacation, a healthy balance between activities and poolside chill time is vital. Remember that as exciting as travel can be, it can also get overwhelming. So, if three days in a row of tours and classes are too much, break it up with a beach day or afternoon at the movies. Stay flexible, as the objective is quality time not checking off a list of Must Do activities.

Grown-Up Time

Not every activity needs to be about the entire family. This is your vacation too, so plan at least one or two things that are special for you and your significant other. Get a babysitter and take time to reconnect. After all you were a family of two before the kids came along and you will be again long after they are planning vacations for their own children. Travel is a time to reconnect and strengthen your bond with each other away from the noise of everyday life.

Keep a Family Journal

My travel journal is one of my prized possessions. It is an evolving record of cherished experiences and it is one of the few things I would grab in a fire. To make your own travel journal, once a day during the trip have each family member share a moment and take turns recording their experiences. You can also add admission tickets, maps, pressed flowers, postcards, or hand-drawn art that you or the kids made of the day’s activities. You can of course record this on your laptop or tablet but for me, there is something special about a physical book filled with barely legible handwriting, coffee ring stains, and washi taped ticket stubs.

Step Away From Social Media

I know, I know this is a radical statement and I am a traitor to my generation… but hear me out. Social media is a great tool for staying connected, but so often I see parents missing actual experiences because they are trying to craft a narrative for virtual ones. This sends a powerful subconscious message to our kids that the way others perceive our experience is more important than the experience itself.  I’m not suggesting that you go completely dark during your trip (unless you want to), but maybe limit your posts to one a day after the kids are asleep or one large post at the end of the vacation so you can relive the experiences. I also encourage parents to limit posed pictures. Instead, grab organic moments as they happen. The internet is flooded with posed, airbrushed photos that took an hour to get everyone framed and smiling, but pictures of imperfect people in a perfect moment are rare, beautiful, and worth sharing. May your summer be safe, happy, and filled with adventures whether they are two hours or half a world away!Julie Wolf is the Director of First Five Early Education Centers in New York and Director of International Education for Newhattan Early Education Centers in China. She has been working with children and parents for over 18 years as a teacher, arts integration specialist, curriculum designer, and staff development expert.

Advertisement

Photos: Chinadaily, pxhere, travelchinacheaper.com, medium.com

What's Hot This Week