How To Survive Holiday Travel With Your Kids

Four years ago, before I'd had my son, I was sitting on a plane with my husband and was disturbed by a baby crying hysterically through the whole flight.

Before we landed and experienced peace and quiet again, I turned to my husband and said, “It’s really okay if we don’t have kids. I think we will be fine!” I meant it.

A month later, I discovered I was pregnant. Gulp. Of course I was thrilled, but I also knew traveling would never be the same.

With the holidays approaching, many parents are going into overdrive to strategize ways to minimize suffering (for themselves and those around them) while traveling with little ones. And this is no small feat. Anytime you change a kid's routine, have them wait in long lines or trap them on a plane or in a car for hours, there will be hell to pay.

Mom and entrepreneur Deborah Choi has traveled to 16 countries with her 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, so she is no stranger to this concept. "I'd say the hardest part is anticipating the unexpected and accepting that anything can happen!" she says. "A flight can be delayed, an airport may have dirty or poor facilities for changing diapers, the fellow passengers may be 'upset' that a baby is on board, and you can always run out of snacks and distractions!"

Luckily, there are plenty of tricks you can use to help you and your family reach your destination without too much extra stress. We've called on some experts and fellow moms to get their tips so you can get through your travel and actually enjoy your vacation:

Communicate, communicate, communicate

"Explain to your kids exactly what is going to happen from day to day," says Katie Dillon, a luxury travel writer for La Jolla Mom. "Managing their expectations eases their nerves and the ability to deal with new environments. For example, share how the captain will ask them to stay seated during take-off. Involve them in the trip planning to get them invested in the itinerary. Make sure there’s something each day that they can look forward to — which might make them able to handle your shopping detour with a bit less complaining."

Bring the favorites

"For my toddler, I bring very familiar things — her blanket, her favorite snacks, her favorite books, etc. — for the plane, along with new little toys or books that capture her attention," Choi adds. "I have to say, when she was a baby and I was still breastfeeding, it was much easier, as that really soothed her and often brought her to sleep easily on flights."

Invest in accessories

Choi likes to invest in a few favorite travel accessories to make her life easier when she's on the go. "For my carry-on, I use a hard-cased rolley with multi-direction wheels," she says. "And I never travel without my GB Pockit buggy, the world's smallest stroller, which I've been allowed to take directly onto flights and fit either overhead or under the seat. With both, I can easily travel 'solo' with my child and navigate the airport without carrying a heavy bag or carrying a heavy toddler at any step!"

Keep them comfortable

Mom Tamsin Taylor uses this air travel pillow called fly legs up which converts economy seats so kids can sleep flat. How genius is that? During car travel she lets her kids listen to podcasts like "Wow in the World" and she never creates screen time limits while traveling. When it comes to traveling with her kids she says, "If they are happy, I’m happy!"

Download away

Carey Reilly, contributor to FamilyTraveller.com suggests downloading videos on your iPad ahead of your trip to keep your kid occupied while traveling. "Don't rely on wifi to stream video content as you never know what kind of service you will get on a cruise or a plane etc.," she warns. 'You can even set up with your child that they have a $10 allowance to buy movies and snacks both ways while traveling. The more you include your kid in on the planning the better the trip will be."

Look at things through their eyes

Reilly also reminds parents to try and view the trip through the eyes of their children. "When I was in Disney with my son, he was having a meltdown at every gift shop. I realized he didn't really care if we bought the items — he just wanted to have an experience with each toy," she says. "So I made a game of it, and every time we went into a gift shop I'd let him take a picture with any item he wanted. At the end of each day, we looked back at the pictures and I let him buy his favorite toy. This also gave my son a little bit of control, which helped keep him calm."

Stay zen — if you can

"Just remember to stay in the moment and keep calm. Dreading the six hours you have left on your flight isn’t going to help anyone," Dillon adds. "Other passengers can sense your stress if the kids are fussy. Deal with present issues as they happen; staying grounded will help you enjoy your time together."

Or just do what Choi does, and remind yourself that labor was much harder and this too shall pass!

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