Travel Tips
With the holidays upon us, many of us moms will be hitting the road and airports with our precious little wiggly ones in tow. This might be an appropriate time to start thinking, “How will we get there in one piece?”. Here are some tips I’ve accumulated from recent trips:
Car Travel:
For an older child, buy a travel lapdesk. A friend recently loaned me this one for a road trip and it was a lifesaver for eating meals and snacks, coloring and puzzles. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on this- I even found directions on how to make one out of a box.
Start collecting little toys and prizes for your trip and keep them hidden until needed. I like to look for them at the Dollar store or the dollar bins at Target.
Let your little ones pack their own backpack with a few treasures and projects they will want to take with them on the trip.
Car games- Play “I Spy” with letters on signs and objects (cars, trucks, planes, cows, etc.) There are tons of great car game ideas on the internet- here is one site that had a ton of free ideas: http://www.momsminivan.com
Food- Don’t forget to pack some healthy options so you won’t be stuck buying sugary junk food on the road. One road treat with sugar: A milkshake for kids will quench their thirst, but not result in an immediate potty break.
Air Travel:
If you are flying with a lap infant, don’t forget their birth certificate for proof they are under 2 years old! Allow plenty of extra time if you have to wait in line to check in at the counter with your baby.
The Nashville airport now has a separate security line for families and an enlarged security area (more room for all of our diaper bags and strollers!). Our last trip through this area was far more pleasant than in the past.
Pack extra snacks and diapers, enough to last for double your expected travel time, in case of delays!
Keep a few surprises for on the plane- a new book, a new movie (if you are traveling with a dvd player), a new puppet. Also, our kids are interested in objects easily found on the plane- plastic cups, pictures of the plane and magazines.
Airplane rides are a great time to talk with your preschooler and anticipate the trip ahead (or review events from the trip). It’s also a great time to talk about family members you will be seeing and pray for them.
- Christina Stewart
Do you have some great travel tips? Please post them as comments below!
Jill Guinness, and 
Tiffany Foss are discussing. 
Tiffany Foss 12:52 pm on December 17, 2008 Permalink
We travel a few times a year with the kids in tow. We let them enjoy movies for part of the trip, but then also let them have play time and nap time as well. The rest time helps everyone’s mentality and keeps their little brains from being fried from too many movies. (My kids get cranky with too much TV or movies)… Some other things that we make sure to have are snacks, old hand towels for spills or spit ups,a roll of paper towels, and spare grocery bags for trash, and a toy bag filled with a variety of things that they enjoy…
Jill Guinness 10:50 pm on December 17, 2008 Permalink
Even though our kids are past diapers, we always bring a pack of diaper wipes – and we’re always glad that we did! All those nasty tables at fast food restaurants etc. etc.
Jennifer Howe 2:10 pm on December 19, 2008 Permalink
We’ve found that planning plenty of extra time to stop at parks/playgrounds is a huge help on car trips. The kids have something to look forward to, and have a chance to burn up some energy.
If your car has a DVD system you can also purchase cheap video games that plug in (we bought some at Ross last year). The kids have fun with learning letters, colors, etc. You can even make playing these games a reward for good behavior in the car. The dollar bins at Target were mentioned in the post…Michael’s also has dollar bins for little toys/stickers etc.