Family Travels

Holiday travel survival guide

TRAVELING OVER THE HOLIDAYS WITH KIDS in tow is about as high stakes as it gets—the picture-perfect family reunion: Grandpa assembling little Johnny’s new workbench, the aroma of baked goods wafting from the kitchen, and cousins playing happily together in front of a brightly-lit tree, can quickly turn into the kind of full-blown, “What were we thinking?” chaos that would leave any parent swearing off holiday travel for good. A good dose of patience, some careful planning, and a few tricks up your sleeve will have you navigating your holiday travels like a pro.

Manage family gatherings

Whether your holiday plans include a cozy gettogether with grandparents or an all-out family reunion, chances are no one’s thinking about your toddler’s nap time, your tween’s food allergy, or your partner’s determination to watch the Broncos play on Christmas afternoon, except you.

Avoid frustration with your extended family members by accepting right off the bat that there will be times when you won’t all be able to do every activity together, and be okay with that. If your sister and her teens want to head out late one night on a Christmas light tour, but your kids are 20 minutes away from bedtime, it’s probably better to wave sis on her way and spend a relaxing evening in. You’ll thank yourself the next morning and can take your early birds out sledding while their cousins sleep in. Likewise, if your kids won’t eat what’s on the menu at the restaurant the group chooses, skip the inevitable hassle of dining out with a large party and go out for pizza instead.

Make flying a breeze

Start your journey off on the right foot by arriving extra early to the airport. Not only will you save yourself stress over making it to your gate on time, but you’ll thank yourself later when the kids have had plenty of time to grab a snack, use the restroom a time or two, and stretch their legs (no one wants to go straight from sitting in a car to sitting on a plane, least of all a hyperactive 3-year-old.)

Once you’ve boarded, pop those snacks open and keep ‘em coming. Nothing occupies busy little hands and mouths prone to screaming like a bag of trail mix. Dollar bin gifts wrapped in foil make great distractions throughout the flight, and when in doubt, a tablet with pre-downloaded content and a set of headphones almost always does the trick.

Gift the hassle-free way

Sure you could have Amazon ship the kids’ entire wish list to your parents’ house and figure out how to shove it all in suitcases to bring home later, but why would you?

The experiential gifting movement has been gaining momentum for years, and screams practicality when traveling over the holidays. For young kids, consider tickets to an upcoming children’s production, trampoline park, or museum. Older kids are ready for gifts involving delayed gratification, like a family vacation, and you’ll have teens jumping for joy over ribbon-tied wads of cash money. Clothes which can be worn on the trip and books for the plane ride also make smart gifts when traveling. Throw in a traditionally wrapped gift for each and consider your holiday shopping complete!