Tips for Traveling with Kids
Check out our 3 quick tips for traveling with kids this summer.
Admit it. There's this fantasy associated with family vacations...that the week will be one long blissful thread of sunny days, children cheerfully playing together, smooth roads, short lines, and mechanical details that work like a charm.
Not much fun to recall later on.
Traveling with kids is magic when you embrace the unexpected.Looking back on our last road trip we'll remember ...
The unexpected freeze and rain.
Being stranded on the 101 without a battery Our condo creaking at night as it gradually slid downhill to the sea, How listening to 2 kids argue was just like being at home, only with an ocean view.AND going out to dinner twice one evening when everyone under 17 refused to eat fresh seafood at a local hotspot
...where only seafood is served. "Fresh lobster?? I want pizza."
Our first 5 kids ADORE seafood. Pardon me. Are these my children???
I'm wiser now. So topping my list of quick tips for traveling with kids is...
Tip #1 - Embrace the unexpected.
Whatever it is, LOVE IT! You'll age more gracefully, collect fewer frown lines and laugh at least twice about each 'off-script' surprise.
Tip #2 - Keep the snacks savory instead of sweet.
Motions sickness plagues nearly every family trip where roads get windy, or elevations change significantly. Keeping on board snacks salty or savory instead of sugary and sweet will reduce nausea for your passengers. In fact, a deeper strategy is to avoid sugary foods for all passengers 24 hours before you leave. Everyone travels better when they feel well. This we know from decades of experience on the road. (yeah, remember those gas station Peach Rings Joss? Never...ever again.)
Stop us at any point along our trip and we'll have carrot sticks, mini bell peppers, fresh apple slices, nut mixes or chips & hummus for travel food. In fact we do a quick security check before takeoff to see that any sugary items are stashed in checked baggage only. It's better for the upholstery too. For additional low sugar Kids snacks for trip time or anytime, checkout all our favorites in The Feel Good Cookbook: Whole Foods and Allergy-free Recipes.
Tip #3 - Exodus. Don't leave home without it.
Over thirty years of family travel, we've packed pretty light at times, but NEVER without Exodus. This apple cinnamon fiber drink is unbeatable at soaking up nausea, relieving constipation or stomachaches AND mopping up high carb vacation foods we might not otherwise eat. Take along a mini waterbottle or lidded tupperware and Exodus and you'll be prepared for any gastric emergency. If you're curious about our families magical people paste, check it out here. Exodus...your bowels NEW best friend.Oh, and a bonus tip:
If you bring food and kids to the beach, it's best to just think of sand as a condiment. ;)
Wherever you go to recreate family bonding or to get away from it all this season we hope your Summer Break is easy and breezy!
