Traveling with kids is an adventure of its own. I’ve traveled with Maddie so many times in so many ways that I have lost count. Maddie was on her first plane before her first birthday and road trips have always been a thing for us.
We have done flights from 2 hours to 31 hours and driven across the country and back with her in tow so, I think it’s safe to say I know a thing or two about traveling with a kid. I’ve compiled a list of some of the essential things I could think of on traveling with this little one and included a little bonus of how to get her to hike without too many complaints. I really hope it is helpful to you as you prepare to travel with your mini person!
Personally, I find flying to be a hassle but more so because of the airport shenanigans that goes into it. As I said, Maddie took her first flight from Virginia to Florida to visit grandma and grandpa before she was even 1. But that would only be the first of many. Our longest flight was about 31 hours when all layovers are added in and that was an emergency flight from Japan to Michigan when Rob’s dad was sick.
Essentials for flying:
Headphones: Kids love the tv in the seat and when they don’t have their own headphones it’s a problem. Do yourself a favor and make sure you pack some!
Snacks: We have been on short flights; we have been on long flights. We’ve never been on a flight that fed this kid enough food! Pack good, healthy snacks and save yourself some money.
Book or two (depending on age): Sometimes the tv screen gets a little overstimulating and having something to defer to is so helpful. I also just love to get something educational in so I’m not just rotting her brain away with screen time.
Novel toys: When Maddie was younger, my biggest trick was having new toys she had never seen before. We aren’t talking anything big but something I could whip out when she started to get rowdy and was over sitting in a seat. I would only take one out at a time and she never knew I had them until they were needed but it saved my sanity and the sanity of the people we were flying with.
Essentials for driving:
Snacks: This goes without saying. If you don’t want to be stopping every hour to buy more snacks, just pack some good ones. We keep a bunch just for her and within her reach so she can just grab as she’s hungry and I won’t feel too bad because they are usually good snacks.
Book/books (depending on the overall length of our trip): I try to start Maddie off with a good amount of reading knowing that, once the screen is on, she’s occupied. I also try to plan to get the reading in while there is daylight. Again, I want her to get something educational and that stimulates her intellectual health so we do what we can with what we have.
Random travel activities: Being the only child on road trips is hard. Usually, I would like to read or get work done while we drive which means she is left to her own devices a lot. But we have some road trip bingo cards we love using which help a bit.
Tablet: Here is our last resort. After we’ve exhausted all other options, the tablet comes out. I do still have restrictions on her apps, so she doesn’t get unlimited time on them, but it is more than when we are home. And if it’s a long trip like we took this summer our to Oregon and back, she will get more time than usual.
Every kid is going to be a bit different and of course, traveling with multiples will be harder in some respects and easier in others. But these are the basics I have found helpful, and I hope you do too.
Before you go, I want to share with you my tips to get Maddie to hike with us without too many complaints. When we road trip we go to places that need to be hiked because it’s the best way to explore but Maddie doesn’t exactly love it the way we do, but I’ve found a few things that help make it a bit easier on mom and dad.
Essentials to hiking with a kid (age 6+):
Quality shoes that fit: Kids grow so darn fast so don’t judge too hard when you hear that we took Maddie on a 2.5-mile hike with shoes that were too small. In our defense, she didn’t tell us they were too small until we were halfway through it. But quality and fun shoes are a must. If they are excited about the shoes, they will be excited to wear them and at least that is one complaint off the list!
A walking stick: Kids are funny! One of the first things Maddie finds on almost every hike is a good walking stick to use. Yes, we have a metal one from REI and a nice wooden one we spent time sanding, but a random and large stick from the woods is what she treasures most. Then, at the end of the hike and if the stick was good, she will lean it up somewhere for the next person to find. If the stick wasn’t as good, she will “javelin” it into the woods, but we had fun while it lasted!
A baggie for collecting cool things: Free souvenirs are the best! We are always looking for cool rocks, neat pieces of driftwood, interesting sand, something we can take home for free as a reminder of our trip. We use a baggie on the hike but keep a jar in the van to fill throughout the trip.
Long socks: Bugs are a thing! Long socks keep them off the skin and keeps any itchy stuff on the skin too. We each have a few good, quality, long socks specifically for hiking.
Keep the hike between 2-5 miles. We have found this to be Maddie’s “sweet spot.” Any longer and she just isn’t having fun anymore and there is more grumbling than there is excitement and exploring. Of course, each kid is different, but this is what we have found works for us.
Taking trips as a family is as much about exploring as it is about keeping ourselves healthy. We get to further our social and spiritual health by being together and getting to thank God for the opportunities He has afforded us. We find time to get outside and do something active which improves our physical and mental health. And we try to learn something new on each trip to improve our intellectual health.
Where is your next trip?
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