Travel can be a magical experience for children, opening up new worlds of exploration and play. Whether it’s a weekend getaway or a long adventure, traveling with children can be a joyous journey. Here’s why it’s beneficial, how to make it fun and easy, and some must-have accessories to make the trip smooth and more enjoyable.
Travel is Beneficial for Children
Enjoying travel together can be a happy experience for children…and the earlier they start to travel, the better travelers they become. With appropriate preparation and communication, children can gradually become partners in the planning, decision making and implementing the trip. The excitement of new experiences and the fun of being with the family out of the regular routine are factors in the child’s enjoyment.
When you are away from those routines and familiar settings, no matter how far, something new is usually present—food, sites, shops, people (even relatives!). This kind of exposure helps children open up to new things and gives them something to compare to their daily lives. New environments can stimulate a child’s curiosity and offer them new things to learn. Investigating the new location, learning more about the people around them, using their senses to explore the variety around them can allow fill the time during the travel days. A short conversation in the evening of each day that focuses on what was different and what was the same can help them internalize and remember their explorations.
Family Time is a Plus
Another benefit of travel for children is that family bonds are often strengthened as the trip unfolds. New experiences with family members nearby feel more comfortable and supported. Overcoming challenges and enjoying new activities and sites strengthens family ties.
Conversations that do not occur at home due to time constraints are often an important part of the day. The uninterrupted time together that travel provides is a plus in the lives of most children. Sharing stories, reminiscing about the experiences of the travel and especially taking photos along the way are ways to enjoy the time twice—as it happens and when you return. (For tips on using your phone to record the sites and sounds of your trip, check out these two sites:
Learning Opportunities Are Everywhere
Travel enhances learning. Children get a real-world education with geography, history, and science in an engaging and hands-on way while traveling. Whether visiting places with family history or finding landmarks and historical sites along the way, seeing these with their own eyes builds memories and connections that will last.
Traveling also teaches adaptability, problem-solving, and social skills. Working together with family members to order food in a different language or from a different country, figuring out public transportation or time changes, meeting new people in a variety of roles can all increase executive function skills and give children an opportunity to be responsible and flexible.
Involve Them in Planning
- Using child-friendly maps and guides early on can get them excited about the destination.
- Highlight fun spots on a map and let them help choose activities from a list of possibilities.
- Check out your local library for non-fiction and story books about the places you will see.
- Let kids pack their own bag with favorite toys and clothes. Giving them a checklist (words or pictures) to ensure they remember all their essentials.
- Ensure they have comfort items for naps on the go. A neck pillow with their favorite animal design and a cozy, compact blanket (maybe not their special one—or at least a duplicate if possible) can mean easier rest times.
Keep Activities Handy
- Bring along travel-friendly games, apps, and audiobooks to keep them entertained.
- Play classic car games such as “I Spy”, Twenty Questions or alphabet license plates. (My children always liked the game of how many colors of semi-truck cabs they could find!)
- Listening to a favorite audiobook during a long drive.
- Pack art supplies like crayons, coloring books, or a travel journal.
- (We sometimes had a notebook ring and hole punch in the back pack so that our children could choose a post card from anywhere we stopped. They wrote their memory or reminder on the card, we punched it and the ring kept them all together to make a personalized travel book when we got home.)
- Drawing what they see during the trip or writing a travel diary.
- Pre-packaged kits with stickers, markers, crayons or and small toys can all fit in a metal 9 x 13 cake pan with a lid which can also act as a lap desk.
- Index cards are versatile for art of different kinds; clipboards can hold paper, cards, etc. and a pencil pouch can be clipped to it with a notebook ring.
- A magnetic travel game set like these can provide quiet fun on a plane or care trip
Plan Regular Breaks
Anyone who has traveled with children knows the importance of breaks—and not just for the obvious reasons! Time to stretch legs, wiggle and giggle and have some time to just move around is useful for everyone usually. Plan for breaks at parks, playgrounds, or interesting roadside attractions and, of course, try to find places with bathrooms, snack or water opportunities along with room to run and move. Finding a place for a “multi-function break” is the most efficient use of travel time whenever possible.
Keep a variety of healthy snacks to avoid hunger-related meltdowns. Packing fruits, nuts, and granola bars for easy access. Remember that we are often dehydrated before we feel thirsty so access to water in and out of the travel vehicle is helpful.
Accessories When Traveling with Children
Determining your family preference for screens during travel should be a conversation prior to the trip. If your child is used to screen time daily, suddenly removing the option after taking off could be uncomfortable for everyone! If you do choose to have a tablet or other device available, be sure pre-load it with educational games, books, and movies since internet availability may not always be guaranteed.
Keeping an up to date and recently checked first aid kit is a good idea when traveling with anyone, but especially children. Include essentials like band-aids, antiseptic wipes, and motion sickness medicine. A small, travel-friendly first aid kit that fits in a backpack is available on Amazon; most are waterproof and under $20.
Another decision to make before travel is whether you want to have a tracking device for your little travelers. For peace of mind in crowded places, many people consider a GPS tracker a good idea. A wearable GPS tracker looks like a fun bracelet and has a hidden space for the tracking device. There are available on Amazon where sets of at least 2 are under $15.
Traveling with children is a growing and learning opportunity, along with being lots of fun. Families can bond and create lifelong memories. By planning ahead, talking about all the details beforehand and bringing along the right accessories, you can ensure a smooth, enjoyable journey for everyone.
Happy travels!
