Taking vacations with young children is nothing like taking vacations before they came along, but quite frankly I undoubtedly prefer the adventurous vacations that unfold as I lay aside my expectations and see the world through my children’s eyes. Don’t expect vacation to be unusually restful, but expect it to be worth it. I’ve learned a few things about taking trips with little ones that have helped our family to have unforgettably exciting times on trips that on the surface may seem rather unexciting.
We do not make big plans. Keep the expectations low and go with the flow. In the past year we’ve taken our little ones on trips to Brazil, Boston, Northern Michigan, New York City, South Carolina (twice), the Upper Peninsula, and Illinois. Before each trip, we made a list of activities that were kid-friendly and relatively interesting to us the parents. We included cost and location to help in the moment of decision-making. Each day, we aim for one major activity in the morning and potentially one additional smaller activity in the evening. With this strategy, we can all get sufficient rest overnight and in the afternoons.
While an agenda full of well-strategized activities seems efficient, that only lends toward frustration and exhaustion, if vacationing with young ones. Taking time to rest seems like a waste of precious time on a trip, but it’s the key to enjoying the activities that we end up undertaking. With our handy list of activities, we can make spur-of-the-moment decisions for what to do each day based on weather, how late we all slept in, and other unpredictable circumstances.
As another way to minimize frustration and chaos while on a trip, I organize our suitcases using compartment bags so that I don’t have to deal with the inevitable disarray as well as the unnecessarily time-consuming process of digging through the luggage and then reorganizing every day of vacation. As an added bonus, this system aids in the unpacking process as well. I bought my compartment bags over a year ago, and already they have been worth every penny!
We also pack the van with a basket of books and a few toys, as well as a basket of wipes, hand sanitizer, and trash bags. This applies to our road trip adventures, obviously. (Flying is a whole different bear, one I can tackle in a different post.) The books and toys keep our little ones busy for hours, and the basket to store them in keeps our van tidy. Wipes, hand sanitizer, and trash bags come in handy wherever we go.
I know I haven’t shared anything earth-shattering here, but it took a few trips for me to finally get the hang of these things. We’ve come away from our trips with countless memories that were made from moments that might have been swallowed up in frustration, exhaustion, or chaos had we not learned some of these helpful approaches to traveling with our adventuresome children.
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