While traveling with your family can be fun, it can also be one of the most stressful things you endure as a parent. If adults in your group outnumber the kids, it’s often easier to keep things under control and keep everyone properly supervised. But once the kids in your group or family outnumber the adults coming on your trip, you’ve got to be prepared and strategic about how you’ll handle everyone and keep your trip moving forward without everyone breaking down or winding up in some kind of accident. So to help ensure you’re able to take your trip without worry or incident, here are three travel tips when the kids outnumber the adults.
Relax On Some Of Your Rules
For most kids, they function best and thrive with routine and normalcy. This means that you likely have rules and plans that your family usually sticks to. But when you’re traveling or on vacation, some of those rules are going to have to be relaxed a bit if you want everyone to stay positive and have a good experience. According to Ondine Cohane, a contributor to the New York Times, the more you’re able to loosen up and relax about keeping everything in perfect order, the more you and the kids will be able to enjoy themselves and go with the flow. While you’ll still have to enforce some of your normal rules, giving the kids a little more autonomy will usually be necessary at times, especially when you’re distracted by other things or smaller kids.
Bring An Ample Amount Of Snacks
Whether you’ll be traveling in a car or on a plane, spending a long day traveling can be made infinitely better if you have the right snacks to bring along, especially when young kids are involved. According to Sarah Pinault, a contributor to Wired.com, it’s a wise idea to bring snacks that your kids love and are familiar with. Additionally, try to pack things that will be easy on their tummies just in case someone starts feeling a little sick along the ride.
Have A Plan For Entertainment
When traveling with kids, they can really only sit still for so long without some kind of encouragement. So when you’re stuck in the car or on an airplane, it’s wise to have a plan for entertainment for each kid you’re toting. According to Sara Clemence, a contributor to Travel and Leisure, you should pack toys and playthings that will keep your little ones busy and entertained for hours on end. And if you can swing it, try to have a device for each kid so you don’t have to worry about agreeing on a show or having to share a favorite game when everyone’s nerves are already fried.
If you have travel plans and are worried that you’ll have more kids than the adults can easily handle, consider using the tips mentioned above to help make things a little easier.
