 1. Leave at the right time. If your children nap, depart for your road trip just before they're ready to fall asleep, and you might buy yourself a few hours of bliss in the car. This can also work on long flights, especially red eyes.
2. Consult a packing list. You can easily find a list geared specifically to families online, so you don't forget to bring the Children's Tylenol, baby wipes, and most importantly the teddy bears your kids need to fall asleep.
3. Make your kids carry their own luggage. Even a 4-year-old can roll a small suitcase on wheels through an airport. There's no reason that mom and dad should have to schlep their little one's stuff. You'll save your back and teach your kids some responsibility.
4. Create an art pack. Fill a small canvas bag with crayons, pens, scissors, and paper. This will keep the kids occupied in the car, on the plane, at the restaurant, in the hotel.
5. Pack tons of snacks. It's not easy finding inexpensive, healthy snacks for kids when you're on the road. Stuff your suitcase with nuts, granola bars, and dried fruit--and bring twice as much as you expect you'll need.
6. Pick a hotel with a pool. A swimming pool provides a family with endless free entertainment.
7. Buy travel journals. Your kids can fill them with postcards, ticket stubs, and brochures, and they can keep themselves busy writing down their memories from the trip.
8. Find time to run around. If you're on a road trip, stop every two hours, even if it's to just let the kids chase each other around the car. Plan delayed? Nearly every airport has a children's play area--go find it.
9. Never come home on a Sunday. The last thing you want to do the morning after returning from a relaxing trip is wake up at the crack of down to get the kids to school and yourself to work on time. Return home on a Friday afternoon or Saturday and the family will have some time to transition back into everyday life.
10. Have the right attitude. If you're stressed, your kids will pick up on it and become fussy. But if you're confident and upbeat, they'll take everything in stride. |
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