As winter break approaches, many of us are gearing up for some family travel. Whether you’re heading to a snowy mountain retreat, exploring a city, jetting off to a sunny beach, or visiting loved ones, traveling with kids and teenagers can be a joyous yet challenging adventure. Over the years, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) a few tips and tricks to make family travel more enjoyable, or at least less stressful. Let me share my mom tested, kid approved travel tips with you!
Plan Ahead
Start by involving your kids in the planning process. This gives them a sense of ownership and excitement about the upcoming trip. For teenagers, allow them to suggest activities. I like to ask each child what the one thing is that they want to do on vacation. This can make a huge difference in their enthusiasm. My kids are 17, 15 and 12 years old, and they love to get involved in the planning process. Max is 17 and Ella is 15, and they both love to do research and help to plan our vacations. It really does get them excited and involved. I also like to see what we can schedule ahead of time so that we have things booked and ready for us. Some people want no plan, and they want to see what they feel like doing and some people want every day planned out. Figure out your style and make it happen.
Pack Smart
Packing can be daunting, but we know we need to get it done! Make sure all the laundry is complete so that you all have what you want available to pack. If your kids do their own laundry, remind them to get it done so that they can pack! Create a checklist for each family member to ensure nothing important is forgotten. Encourage older kids and teens to pack their own bags and make their own lists. This teaches them life skills and ensures they have everything they want for the trip. I’m going to encourage you to check it over and to make sure that they include things like glasses, contacts, enough underwear and socks and bathing suits. I will never forget when my daughter got into the car for a road trip without her shoes or jacket. We certainly learned from this! Don’t forget to pack snacks, entertainment for the journey, and weather-appropriate clothing. I tend to pack rain gear because then I won’t need it!
Set Expectations
Discuss travel plans and expectations before you leave. This includes behavior expectations, schedule plans, and any rules about device usage during the trip. Setting these ground rules ahead of time can help avoid conflicts during the trip. Max already asked to have time with this friends online on Christmas to play games together like they do every Christmas. Have discussions and work out what the trip is going to look like so that your children know what to expect.
Keep Them Engaged
Traveling can be tedious, especially for young children. Keep a bag of tricks handy with coloring books, games, books and toys to keep them entertained. For teens, ensure that they have their music, books, and games. Also, plan for some offline activities, like travel journals where they can write about their experiences. We always encourage our kids to download movies before we leave on a trip. On our last 7 hour car ride our 12 year watched her shows and some movies. She can lounge in the third row and nap and watch her movies. She was very happy.
Include Downtime
While it’s tempting to pack your itinerary with back-to-back activities, remember that kids and teens need downtime. Plan for leisurely mornings or relaxed evenings at the hotel. This downtime can be vital for teenagers who value their sleep and personal space. I may want to go, go, go, but I need to check in with my family and see how they are doing. Even if you go back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation before dinner.
Capture the Moments
Encourage your kids to take photos or to keep a travel diary. This not only keeps them engaged but also helps in preserving memories of your family trip. Remind your kids to be prepared to write and/or share about the trip when they go back to school. Teachers often include this as assignments when kids return from breaks.
Be Flexible and Have realistic expectations
Things might not always go as planned. Flights can be delayed, weather can change, and kids can be unpredictable. Keep a flexible attitude and be ready to adapt your plans. Sometimes the unexpected parts of a trip can be the most memorable. I know that the restaurant that I want to go to has zero reservations available. I will see if we can get on a waitlist, but I am not getting attached. We can have an idea of what we want to do on vacation but going with the flow and being flexible to changes is very important for trip sanity and enjoyment. Also, your children may decide that they don’t want to do something that you had planned. That is when you have to decide if you are going to make them or if you are going to change your agenda for the day.
Feed them
One of the most important things to me on a daily basis and when we travel is to make sure that I feed my children three meals a day and snacks too. Well fed children (and husbands) are much happier and have a much better time. We don’t want to deal with hangry kids on vacation! Predict and plan for barriers such as hungry children!
Focus on Family Time
Ultimately, the goal of your trip is to spend quality time together. Engage in activities that the whole family can enjoy, like board games, beach days, skiing, or exploring new places. Make it about creating lasting bonds and memories. Being together is what this is all about. We are making memories!
Traveling with kids and teens can test your patience, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity to teach them about the world and create lasting family memories. With a little planning and a lot of love, your winter break can be an adventure that everyone will cherish for years to come.
Happy travels! I would love to hear your travel tips! I would love to hear about where you go and how it went! Let us know! whinypaluzamom@gmail.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok!
Laughing, Learning, Loving,
Rebecca Greene, LCSW-R
Check out my 
:
Whinypaluza Notes:
Whinypaluza Mom Group:
If you are looking for a supportive community, come join the free Whinypaluza Mom Facebook group. I created this as I wanted us to have a place where we can talk about tips, strengths and challenges we are having. It is another step I took to help everyone to know that you are not alone. The December holiday challenge, Mom birthday challenge and 400th podcast episode challenge were a lot of fun. Come join us and bring a friend with you! I love to give away prizes. This group is private so please find me on Facebook at Whinypaluza or Rebecca Greene and message me to ask for an invite. I’m also on Instagram @becgreene5 and @whinypaluza_mom. I am also on Tik tok @whinypaluzamom.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/whinypaluzamoms
The Whinypaluza Schedule:
Whinypaluza Wednesdays: My weekly blog comes out every Wednesday. I am always open to your topic requests. A new Vlog (video blog) also comes out every Wednesday night on Facebook and You Tube live at 8:00 PM Eastern time to discuss the blog. If you would rather listen to a podcast than watch a Vlog, you can wait for the following Wednesday and the Vlog is released on my Podcast.
Family Fridays: Every Friday morning a new Podcast is released. Most of my episodes on Fridays are me discussing parenting and marriage with experts on the topic. If you would rather watch the Podcast instead of listen, you can watch it on You Tube. If you would like to be on my Podcast or know someone who would like to please message me on Facebook or Instagram or at whinypaluzamom@gmail.com
I would so greatly appreciate it if you would subscribe, rate my Podcast and leave me a five-star review. This leads to it being shown to more people that we can help. I appreciate it when you share my blogs, vlogs and podcasts with a friend so that we can build our community and help people one mama at a time. Every time you like and/or comment on a post it helps and is so appreciated!
Please feel free to email me with suggestions for topics that you would like me to cover. I would also love to hear about any lessons or takeaways that you learned from blogs, vlogs or podcasts that Whinypaluza releases. I hope that you are finding all this helpful and seeing that you are never alone. We are in this parenting and marriage ride together. xoxo
