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Travelling with kids can be a challenging task. However, there are ways for you to make this family trip less stressful both for you and your kids. Here’s how you can achieve that.
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Add extra time for toilet stops and tantrums
When travelling with kids, frequent toilet stops and occasional tantrums are very common and should be expected. That’s something you should include in your travelling plans. If you’re travelling by car, make sure to count on the time you’re going to spend making toilet stops. For instance, if it takes you 8 hours to get to your destination on time, leave 10 instead of 8 hours earlier.
Kids tend to get impatient and fidgety during long car rides, so expect a few tantrums along the way. You can easily calm them down by bringing things that will quickly calm them down. You can get a tablet and download some movies, TV shows or cartoons that your kids can watch. This will keep them distracted and time will pass for them faster.
Pack enough snacks
Your kids will also likely constantly ask to eat or snack on something on the road. Whether it’s because they’re hungry or just out of boredom, they will crave snacks and sweets during long car rides. For that reason, it’s smart to come prepared. Buy some favourite snacks and enough water to last for the trip. That way you will save some time you would otherwise waste on making stops in supermarkets on the road to buy more snacks.
Avoid airport terminal trauma
If you’re travelling by airplane, you need to be aware that the onboarding process can be quite stressful and scary for small children. Especially younger children have a hard time going through the airport when it’s crowded. Walking through a security scanner is a whole different level of stress for small kids. Making them hand over their favourite teddy bear to be scanned by the X-ray machine.
What you should do before going to the airport is have a talk with your kids. Try to reassure them that there’s nothing to worry about. Tell them the airport has a lot of people who are also travelling like them. Their teddy will get checked by nice people at the airport who want to make sure the teddy is healthy and happy and everything will be fine. Try to make a story out of going to the airport. They might find it more amusing if they see it as an adventure trip.
Also, make sure to get there early enough to avoid rushing to the plane with your kids through the crowd last minute.
Make yourself a home away from home
When booking your stay, make sure to find a place where your kids will feel comfortable. If they like to run around and play, try to find a spacious place or one that has a backyard where they can spend time outside. For example, if you’re visiting Indonesia, you can find some of the spacious yet affordable Bali villas with stunning views. Your kids will love spending time in nature and you can make the villa feel like home for them by bringing their favourite toys with them.
Stay calm when you hit turbulence
Lastly, even though you carefully plan everything and talk to your kids in advance, you will hit turbulence nevertheless. When this happens, make sure to stay calm and collected. Remember, your kids are young and full of energy. They need an outlet for that energy. When they don’t have a proper outlet for that energy they will most likely start crying and throwing tantrums. It can be annoying at times, but all you need to do is find a way for them to release their energy. Whether it’s running around for a bit, singing, or something else, your kids will eventually get tired, and fall asleep during the road, leaving some quiet time for you to relax.
Conclusion
To sum up, kids will inevitably get fidgety during your road trip. That’s completely fine and you should expect it and make your plans around that. If you leave enough time and space for them to cry it out, make regular toilet stops for them pack enough snacks and make your vacation house feel like home for them, they will absolutely love this trip and you will be able to have stress-free travelling experience.
Read more: 6 Travel Tips for First Timers
