Many people wonder how (and why) we take so many children on trips, especially trips sooooo far away. It's true that international travel is stressful, even without kids, but we've learned a lot over the years to make the whole thing a lot smoother--even with 11 kids! Here are 7 Tips for travel!
Be flexible! It helps so much. I teach my kids that, too. When we are all flexible, we are all more relaxed. When we are relaxed, it helps the little ones be less stressed as well. And no one wants to travel with a stressed out toddler! 👶🏾
Always have a back-up outfit in your carry-on. For long trips, the very youngest get two. Spills, lost luggage, accidents happen. You will never regret a backup change of clothes.
We pack light so kids as young as 4 or 5 can carry their own backpack most of the time. On long flights, we take advantage of in-flight entertainment (we bring our own headphones just in case they only offer earbuds, which are hard for little ones) and we have very few activities carried on. Some examples of what we will bring is a drawing pad, a paperback book, not much else. We don't want stuff spilling under the seat, creating a mess, etc. Keep it simple! On overseas flights, kids are often given a toy by the airline, too!
Water bottles! We always have one. Empty for security, but then they get filled and everyone has their own. A sip of water and a little snack make a big difference 90% of the time. Also saves a ton of money!
We plan for days to recover from jet lag. Everyone reacts differently to it, and it can be three nights of children wide awake and ready to party at 2 AM. When we plan and give ourselves time to recover, everyone is happier and more likely to stay healthy. Staying hydrated and trying not to nap in the day are keys to switching around!
If you have a larger group (like us!) we also pair up/do the buddy system for walking through the airports so no one gets Home Alone'd. 😱
Last and BIGGEST tip is that we practice flying! We role play it, preparing them for lots of parts they will experience. This time we even watched some videos on YouTube where people show themselves flying. It seemed boring to me, but those have been surprisingly helpful in preparing the young ones. Preparation and managing your expectations help so much!
I really hope some of these help you!
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