Before spilling the beans on travel ideas for kids I’m going to let you in on a few secrets which could change the way you do it. But first let’s cover how best to travel with kids.
Always Come Prepared With The Right Snacks
If you’ve ever been trapped in a vehicle with a hungry toddler, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re going on a road trip or just a simple drive, choose the right snacks, both healthy and easy to handle. That includes light popcorn, individually packaged healthy treats and cheese sticks with a tiny protein boost.
Few of the delicious snacks we give our daughter come from the Made Good brand. That includes cookies, crackers and granola bars. They use organic ingredients and come with very good nutrition.
Plan Your Travel At The Right Time
Let’s look at travel scheduling. I’m here to help you find that sweet spot. You can plan to hit the road during their usual nap times or leave very early in the morning when they’re still asleep. Sometimes that can be an issue though. If they make getting up a difficult task or if they refuse to use the potty before departure.
Choosing late-night travel times means you can transfer them from car to bed without a peep or any signs of difficulty. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s also about ensuring your kids don’t associate travel with chaos and discomfort.
That’s an important one. Making sure your kids associate travel with positive emotions.
You need to avoid leaving home when they become really tired. This can result in a major meltdown. I know from experience. Time your departure properly to avoid the potential meltdown. If you can leave just before they start becoming tired that may work perfectly. Your child is awake and gives minimal issues going into the car seat. After leaving your child starts to doze off and falls asleep.
I’ll also touch on preparing an anti-boredom kit full of items to keep your small companions engaged. Tailor it to your kids’ likes – maybe add some coloring books for the artist or an action figure for the little adventurer. Think ahead about what holds their interest for longer than five minutes and you’re going to find your travel experience more enjoyable.
Keep Your Kids Busy During Your Travels
You’re packing the car, getting suitcases ready and wondering how to keep your kids busy while travelling. Preparing a fun kit based on your kids interests can do wonders.
- Kid friendly music. For our daughter we usually have songs and audio tracks playing off YouTube for her enjoyment.
- Coloring or educational books. Coloring books with crayons is always fun. But depending on how old your kid is maybe something more advanced can work. Lately our kid has enjoyed tracing letters and numbers. Helping her learn how to write. We mix those with a few coloring books.
- Our kid is a huge fan of dolls. She loves her babies and always takes 1-2 of them so she can take care of them during the trip.
Have Your Kids Help Plan The Trip
If you know your travel destination, research online what there is to do over there. Take note of all the things which may interest your kids.
Once done ask them if they want to do any of the things you researched. There’s a good chance they may say yes to every option. But that’s not always the case.
Let’s look at the city of Fort Lauderdale for example. I did a quick search and found the following outside of the beautiful beaches
- Butterfly World
- Flamingo Gardens
- Museum of Discovery & Science
- Bluefoot Pirate Adventures
There are more options but I found the above from a quick search. I then asked my daughter which of the four she wanted to do and she said all of them. But due to time constraints we were only able to choose two.
“Do you want to see pirates? ARGGGHHHHHHH”
“Do you want to see butterflies?”
“Do you want to see flamingos?”
“What about science stuff?”
Of the four we ended up choosing the two she seemed most excited about.
- Flamingo Gardens
- Bluefoot Pirate Adventures
Our daughter had such a great time with both!
Fun Travel Places For Kids
It’s great to research your destination for kid friendly activities. But what if you’re looking for something to do for a day trip with the kids?
Let’s look at fun travel places for kids.
Playgrounds at Different Parks
We noticed playgrounds at different parks are usually designed differently. In one area all the playgrounds are made of steel and need maintenance. Another area the playgrounds are tall, modern and come with a water park and large sandboxes with sand toys.
Sometimes we plan an afternoon visiting different parks.
While on route to our travel destination if we come across a park or public playground we may take a break and stop there. Surprising our daughter with a random park visit always gets her excited.
Giving kids time to play around and have fun will make your travels much easier. They will be in a positive mood which may improve the rest of your drive.
Family or Adventure Farm
There are quite a few in my region. They usually have fun activities for the kids, shows, tractor rides and a market selling locally grown food. Been to three different farms multiple times the last few years. Spent minimum of two hours in each. Always a good time.
Activity Center
While travelling long distances we sometimes come across one or two. From there we check online to see what they offer. Great place to stop for an hour. Problem is sometimes the kids just don’t want to leave.
Some are really good which can be made into a destination of its own.
Museums
Museums usually come with kid friendly sections. Where I live a few include the Ontario Science Centre and ROM-Royal Ontario Museum. We even had a yearly membership to ROM and our kid was there few times a week every week. Kept her busy and she had a great time.
Travelling is about both the journey and destination. You and the family can have tons of fun with both.
I really hope these tips and strategies will transform your travel experience with your kids. Turning potential stress into a fun adventure can be rewarding for the entire family. So choose destinations that spark interest, pack the fun kit and prepare to create some unforgettable memories!