Are you one of the millions of families who head “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house” for the holidays?
Once you have kids, holiday travel takes on a whole new meaning 🙂
Not to worry, we have a great group of FREE printables and AWESOME travel tips that will help you have a relaxing and fun holiday road trip!
5 Tips for Stress Free Holiday Travel with Kids
Our main goal when we travel for the holidays — use ‘car time’ as a time to connect!
On most of our trips, we are with extended family so much of the time (which is great!) but time in the car is when our immediate family is able to connect and rejuvenate.
Here are a few ways to be sure the trip is enjoyable for everyone!
1. Prep for the Trip
Nothing ruins a trip qucker than car problems (unfortunately we know this from first-hand experience 🙁
Use this FREE Getting Ready for a Family Road Trip checklist to be sure there are no expected stops on your trip!
2. Transform Your Car into a Cozy Living Area
Even if it’s windy & cold outside, you can create a wonderful holiday atmosphere inside the car.
See what we LOVE to bring on our trips along with ideas for cozy winter travel in our 9 Family-friendly Road Trip Ideas!
3. Have the ‘Santa’ Talk before you Go
If you have young kids, they are bound to ask “But will Santa be able to find us?”
This can actually stress some kids out BIG TIME! Be sure to the kids know that you’ll send the ‘big guy’ a letter so he’ll know where you’ll be spending the holidays.
4. Make Packing Easy
Travel during the winter months can be more challenging with all the extra gear that may need to be packed.
In order to be sure you have everything you need, use our Packing List for Family Trips which helps to record the details of what you’ll be doing and what you may need to bring on the trip.
5. Enlist the Kids to Help!
On the day we leave, each person has a specific job or two to help get the house ready.
When the kids were younger, they were on ‘light patrol’ — making sure that all the lights were turned off and most of the power strips were off too.
As they’ve grown, we put them in charge of various items – helping to pack the cooler for a road trip, getting all the power cords together for our electronics, charging all phones and camera batteries, putting together our ’emergency’ kit and picking up any papers or mail delivered on the last day.
Remember the phrase “Many hands make light work” not to mention if everyone has something to do, you are less likely to hear ‘how long until we leave?‘
Be sure to see our eBay guide for great items to bring on the trip!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.