Now that Thanksgiving has finally arrived, we all know what comes next….Christmas! For many of us, we will be hitting the road and taking a road trip to visit our families over the Christmas holiday season. Traveling with children can be stressful for families, especially if that road trip is a long distance one.

Years ago, we took our daughter (age 7 at the time) on a cross country holiday trip from Pennsylvania to Arizona. We spent 6 days on the road going out to Arizona and then 8 days on the road coming back. During that road trip, I learned many things about traveling with children and today, I thought I would share those things with all of you.

#1. Pack a change of clothing for each of your children along with pajamas and keep that bag within easy reach. (we kept ours on the floor in the back seat). If they have a potty accident, spill something on their clothes or if you are traveling at night, you can easily change their clothing without unpacking the trunk.

#2. For each day that you will be on the road, pack a bag full of snacks. You can also pack shelf-stable juice boxes and milk boxes for beverages. Kids often get bored or get hungry and need things to snack on. Snacks should include granola, snack bars, raisins, dried fruit snacks, pretzels, etc. Try to avoid the sticky & sugary snacks like candy and chocolate which makes a mess.

#3. Pack several different activity bags and only bring out one of those bags per day that you are traveling. Children often get bored with doing the same activity over & over, so place different things in each activity bag. Some suggestions would be: travel size games, flash cards, dot-to-dot books, sticker & coloring books, felt and/or paper dolls, miniature play sets, colorforms play sets, puzzle books, board puzzles for small children, etc. Let your children decide at the beginning of the travel day, which bag they would like for that specific day. The following day, insist that they select a different bag, to keep things fun & interesting.

#4. Media Entertainment – Pack a portable DVD player that also plays CDs. Bring along some of your child’s favorite DVDs and CDs, but also invest in a few new ones that they have never seen or listened to. New media entertainment usually keeps kids entertained while traveling, along with favorite old hits.

#5. Take a break every couple of hours and allow your kids to get out of the car and stretch their legs. If possible, visit a public rest area and let them run around & play for a little bit to burn off some of their energy. Just like adults, they need those breaks too!

When it comes to traveling with your kids this holiday season, what tips do you have to share? We would love to hear all about them! Please leave your comments & tips below in our blogs comment form. Thanks!

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