3 Tips for Travelling with Kids to Keep You Sane

We love travelling with our kids. We love exposing them to new adventures, new places and new people; when we can find a great deal on-line we like to expose them to entirely new cultures by heading overseas. While taking our kids to new places is one of our favourite things, that doesn’t mean that doing so doesn’t come with a few drawbacks. Here are 3 tips for travelling with kids to keep you sane.

Kids can get fussy, and being in new places can sometimes be stressful leading to unpredictable temperaments. So to keep your trip moving smoothly, play some travel games for kids and consider planning ahead by adhering to some of the following:

1. Forget the Itinerary

Creating a strict itinerary is only going to cause you and your family to be stressed out. Kids tend to take a little longer to get ready and get moving, and often want to spend more time in a place that they are really enjoying for further exploration.

When you create a strict itinerary, everyone constantly feels like they have to run around to make it on time. A vacation is supposed to be an enjoyable time. So ditch the schedule and create a wish list of places to go instead. If you make it, great! If you don’t, keep those destination on the list for next time.

2. Prepare for the Unexpected

You never know what may happen during your travels, whether you are road tripping or flying abroad. Debit card fees in other countries can be incredibly high, so you may want to pack additional cash to cover entrance fees and random souvenirs. Packing a good credit card is also a must because you never know when a transmission may go out or when the perfect theme park with high entrance fees may pop up. Airline credit cards with no annual fee are always good options as they allow you to get a little something back with every purchase you make.

3. Always Pack Snacks

Kids can get hungry at the drop of a hat. To make sure that you don’t have hungry kids wailing on the open road, or don’t have to pull over to a drive-thru or gas station for fatty snacks, pack healthy snacks ahead of time. Keep them in easy to grab zip-lock bags in a cooler so once your kids get hungry, they can easily pick out something to eat without needing to whine.

While us adults want to enjoy our travels just as much as our kids, we need to ultimately remember that we are traveling for them – to expose them to new things which will hopefully broaden their view of the world. Because of this, remember to always have patience when traveling with your kids, and don’t be afraid to go off the beaten path. It will create great memories for both you and your kiddos, and will keep them hungry for the world.