Tips and Articles
Family Holiday Travel Guide
With the holiday season upon us, many families will be traveling near and far to visit and celebrate with family and friends. SpecialGlobe has 5 great tips to minimize the number of Heat Miser meltdowns your kids may have this year and make your family travels much more enjoyable!
It is so important for us as parents to set realistic expectations and to remember that traveling with our children is WORTH IT!. Things do go wrong when traveling, especially if you travel with kids and you have to be prepared for just about anything! Despite the things that go wrong we feel so strongly that the amazing experiences that you and your kids will have together are the memories that you will have and cherish for a lifetime. Trust us, in a year you will forget the kids fighting in the car, the plane delays,cancellations, and the enormous effort it takes to travel and in it's place you will remember the smiles, laughter and special bond that you all created as a family traveling together and sharing new experiences.
Happy Holidays to you and your families! Enjoy the season and have fun traveling.
- Set realistic expectations. Travel is highly stimulating for children and we know you want to get the most out of your trip, but be realistic and understand that kids (and parents) have limits. It's wonderful to have family things planned out but also schedule some down time for the kids to play with their toys and read a book. It's nice to have a few hours in the day to recharge batteries.
- Have a special backpack for your child that is reserved for travel only. Make it a fun outing to let them choose their own backpack and then put it away and only use it for travel. Your kids will be so excited when they see it come out of the closet and they will know that it is time to travel! Also,having their own backpack allows them to be responsible for something and they can choose what toys, books, activities they want to bring along on the trip.
- We try to encourage parents to hold off from taking out the electronics and toys too early into a car ride or flight in order to give your child some stamina for experiencing the trip without the external stimulus. BUT,at the point when your child has reached their point of needing to be entertained, our tip is to be sure you have their favorite electronics on hand and CHARGED for the ride. Another great tip is to buy a new video and save it for the ride.
- For long car rides, it is important to take it slow and allow enough time to not be in a rush. Bathroom breaks, stretch breaks and food breaks are all part of the journey. Making these scheduled stops may extend your trip time but taking the time to give your kids breaks will allow a much calmer and settled driving experience for your whole family.
- When traveling by air this holiday season, we have two important tips that we think might make things a bit easier for you and your family. First,when you arrive at your gate at the airport, be sure to stop first at the desk and ask the airline for an early board. Early boarding is helpful in two ways, one, it gives you and your family the time to get settled and organized before the mass entrance of all of the other passengers and second, it gives the flight attendants the opportunity to meet your child and find out if you have any additional needs. Our second tip is to pack snacks!! It sounds so simple but parents often forget and on todays airlines, they offer so little to eat and it's also at the mercy of their timetable so having snacks on hand can be a real life saver.
It is so important for us as parents to set realistic expectations and to remember that traveling with our children is WORTH IT!. Things do go wrong when traveling, especially if you travel with kids and you have to be prepared for just about anything! Despite the things that go wrong we feel so strongly that the amazing experiences that you and your kids will have together are the memories that you will have and cherish for a lifetime. Trust us, in a year you will forget the kids fighting in the car, the plane delays,cancellations, and the enormous effort it takes to travel and in it's place you will remember the smiles, laughter and special bond that you all created as a family traveling together and sharing new experiences.
Happy Holidays to you and your families! Enjoy the season and have fun traveling.