Traveling with Kids

Travel is one of my absolutely most favorite things to do.  I love exploring new places, turning points on a map into real places in my mind, shopping in new stores, finding cool things for my house or my Christmas tree and eating new foods (and surprising myself when I find something I like!)  I am really looking forward to sharing that love of travel with my boys, making sure they grow up with a concept of just how big and amazing the world is, and how people really are the same at heart no matter how different they may appear.

We traveled some when I was a kid - my dad was stationed in Germany, and we did some traveling in Europe.  I didn't appreciate the food, loved the outsides of castles (but thought the insides were boring), thrilled at the mountains and beautiful vistas, and remember my interactions with the locals with more clarity than anything else.  I think about those trips and wonder if my parents had fun, if my sister and I were well behaved or difficult, and wonder what made some trips so much more memorable to me than others.  And then I wonder what I can do to make our trips a success, to maximize the fun while minimizing the frustrations.

I learned a few things on our trip a couple of weeks ago, and I want to write them down (in no particular order) for future reference before I forget them.

Be Flexible and Listen
We had a full day at Disneyland with some friends, and early in the day we found ourselves rushing past rides and we went across the park, trying to make a show.  After the third time of me telling an increasingly disappointed Finn, "I promise, we'll come and ride this ride soon!" it occurred to me that he was not at all interested in the show.  He wanted rides. And so we rode.  He skipped, he hopped, he beamed with the thrill of it all.  We didn't see the show, but he loved every second of our day. When we were at Sea World, the rides were almost deserted and Finn was able to ride the Elmo ride over and over again, without getting off.  I was tired and dizzy, but he was in heaven, so I let him ride.  And ride.  And ride.  When I ask him now what his favorite part of Sea World was, he says without hesitation, "The Elmo ride!"  

Bring Food and Drinks
I actually learned this one from my friend Mindy when we were somewhere (Peru?) and hungry - she whipped out some peanut butter crackers and suddenly the world was a better place.  With kids, you can never have too many (healthy) snacks.  They'll always want something at the worst time, and huge meltdowns can be averted by quick access to a snack.  I'm so glad I learned this one from Mindy instead of from a hungry 3 year old.

Have Surprise Treats
I packed Finn's backpack with (cheap) little toys and games he'd never seen before, as I knew the iPad would only last for so long.  He loved all his surprises, and it made the flights much easier to bear.  The biggest hit were the $1 rolls of paper tape that he used to decorate his seat.

Bring Back Up
With kids this young, it's so much easier to have other adults around.  I think it's doable without another adult (though I wouldn't want to brave an airplane bathroom with a baby and a toddler at the same time), but so much easier with the extra pair(s) of hands.

There is no such thing as overpacking
I can pack light when I want to (I once went to Greece for 10 days with just a carry on).  But there is NO reason to pack light with young kids.  And don't forget extra clothes for yourself, both in your carry on and in your luggage.

Be Silly
Dress up. Wear silly wings that light up.  Have a light saber battle with your little pirate.  This is what you'll remember.

Don't Overschedule (or Be Flexible)
Have you ever tried to get a 3 year old to hurry?  It's miserable.  It's even worse on vacation.  We had crazy busy days, but we also managed a few days of relaxation, where we were in no hurry.  Those were the best days.  Yes, Disneyland was awesome.  The zoo was cool.  But the time at the park with friends I've known since before we had children, watching our kids play together?  That was the best.  Kids need downtime, and so do mommies. If you do like we did and overschedule, don't hesitate to change plans last minute.  

Take Time to Roast Marshmallows
Finn loved our s'mores roast - the thrill of being out after dark, of catching marshmallows on fire, digging his feet in the sand - it was a fun way to spend together that didn't involve running around and gave us time to just be together.  I'm looking forward to doing it again when Zachary is old enough to join in.  (It was a lot more fun once I embraced the stickiness and mess and just enjoyed it.)

Expect Craziness
Towards the end of the trip, I realized that toddler meltdowns are inevitable.  Baby meltdowns, too.  Water would be spilled, peanut butter smeared everywhere, fingers stepped on, ice cream dropped - and all of it was only a big deal if I let it be a big deal.  My kids follow my lead, and when I stayed calm and dealt with hassles with a sense of humor, they did, too.  (And when I didn't remain calm, their bad behavior just got worse.)

Embrace the Snuggles
It's been 6 months since I've had this much time with my boys.  It was heaven.  Even with the jet lag, we had a post-trip high that lasted until last weekend (which probably made that difficult Saturday even worse).  I'm sure that we would have loved having the same amount of time together if we'd stayed at home, but the fact that we were somewhere different (and I didn't have the distraction of all the things I should be doing) made it easier to really connect and not drive each other crazy.  

We have a few smaller scale trips coming up over the holidays, but I'm already planning our next big trips (while desperately hoping that Zachary turns out to be as good a traveler as Finn is).