I also have done numerous car trips with my kiddos (both with my husband and by myself-which was CRAZY b/c it was 22 hours solo)
Here are a few tricks, tips, and sanity savers I've discovered in my travels with my munchkins!
- Don't over pack! It's hard to know what to take, what to leave behind, etc. but the flipside of that is no one wants to be "That mom" in the airport with 18 extra bags, a million car seats, screaming kids, and no clue where she put her boarding passes! The simple trick is to carry-on only what you would take on a long-ish day trip to a park or the zoo.
- Pack using Ziplock Bags! Count how many days you're going to be gone, and put that many outfits in individual bags (including socks and underwear/morning diaper) label the bag with the kid's name (and if you're super anal like me, the day they will be wearing that outfit). Roll the clothes when you put them in the bags and then squeeze out the excess air-this will save you TONS of space. *NOTE: for very small children who may need more than one outfit per day, I use the rule that you take the number of days you will be gone, divide it in half and then add that many extra outfits-for example, if your trip is 6 days, you pack the normal 6 outfits-one for each day, and then 3 additional in case a clothing change is needed.
- NEVER carry-on the car seats! You NEVER have to pay to check a car seat for a child-NEVER! So save yourself time and aggrevation, don't you dare shlep that thing through security, up to the gate, and onto that plane yourself! It's a hassle that can easily be avoided. If you're worried about what may happen to it under the plane, you can buy bags that zip around the car seat to protect it, or the airline you're flying with will have a clear plastic bag they can put around it, just ask when you check in!
- There are NO RULES when you travel on an airplane! I know you must think I'm crazy, there are TONS of rules on airplanes, when to sit, when to stand, when to pee, and the list goes on and on-what I mean is for your kids there are no rules-this is not to say if they hit each other that you just look the other way, but remember (especially for the really little ones) this can be a new and scary experience, so they may act out in ways that you don't understand. Resist the urge to limit them on the plane-if they want 4 bags of gummy snacks, GIVE them 4 bags of gummy snacks! This teaches them 2 things, 1: riding on an airplane is fun, not scary (so there is no reason to scream and cry), and 2: Your vacation starts on the journey to the destination, so the fun begins as soon as we leave the house!
- Surprise Packs are a MUST! About 2-3 days before we go on any trip (plane or car) we go to the local dollar store. The kids get to walk through and pick any snacks, stickers, coloring books, etc. that they think look fun. At this age (2 and 4) they each pick about 6-8 things. When we get home I take all the stuff and divide it up amongst various envelopes, small sandwich bags, etc. I make 1 bag per kid for every hour of travel. When the trip starts each kid gets a "Surprise pack" with some of the items they picked. I then explain that if they are good travelers, listen to directions, and have fun then they will keep getting surprise packs as we go along. *NOTE: I know you must be thinking, about the previous tip of "No Rules" so if the kid doesn't listen and still wants a surprise pack, do I give them one? The answer is yes-I make my surprise packs vary in size, so if child "A" is being difficult, they get a smaller pack, and then I let them know that the more fun we all have, the bigger surprise pack they will get when it's time again!
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