Here is another blog post from my old parenting blog about traveling with kids and two of my Rules of the Road for family travel. Even though this was written in 2009, I hope this is still helpful.
Rules of the Road – Rule #1
If You Can’t Carry It, Don’t Bring It.
An important rule we used was if the kids couldn’t carry it in their back packs, they shouldn’t bring it along in the car or the airplane. TBut as the girls grew older, it was one of the best things we ever did.Obviously car seats, food, essentials did not make the “must carry” list for kids. But it kept the toy and doll count down to a minimum. Because there is NOTHING worse than losing that special car or doll on a trip, especially for a really young child. The picture you see in this post is one of our family family backpacks from Lands End. I love Lands End products because they are tough enough for kids. Lands End offers backpacks and tote bags that last forever and are a reasonable price.his rule was to keep some of the stuff to a minimum en route to our destination. Making the kids carry what they brought on the trip, from the time they could walk, seemed harsh to some people.
Rules of the Road – Rule #2
Trust But Verify
One of my favorite quotes from President Ronald Reagan during the Cold War, and he was talking about the Soviets. He trusted the Soviets but he liked to “verify”. It doesn’t matter what you think of Reagan, this philosophy comes in very handy when traveling with kids.
Even when my daughters got old enough to do a lot of the packing for trips for themselves, I still checked their bags to make sure they had what they needed to be comfortable and safe on the trip. I trust them but I verify.
When my youngest was in 3rd grade, she really wanted to pack her own suitcase for trips. Fine. She was passionate about her mother not laying all her clothing out “like a baby”, so I let her pack her own bag.
I checked her duffel bag. I swear I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP. For a 4 day, 3 night trip my daughter had packed:
Trust but verify when packing. Even when they are teens. It will save you money and drama on the road!
Rules of the Road – Rule #3
Before You Check In to the Hotel, Find a Grocery Store and Stock Up
This is one of the most important rules of the road for traveling with kids. Go to the nearest grocery or convenience store before you check in to the hotel and get the following staples:
If you drove to your destination, you can bring this stuff from home. BUT it adds to the fun to go to a store in another city or state. Trust me, to kids, going to a Von’s in Los Angeles or a Piggly Wiggly in Georgia is fun because we don’t have these grocery stores where we live. Kids are kids and they notice stuff adults take for granted.
Bringing in a Few Snacks or Breakfast Food Saves a Fortune and Sanity
If you’re bringing your kids along on a business trip, the last thing you want to do is rack up a huge hotel bill for the kids food and beverage tab. Bringing in a few snacks, a little breakfast food is an excellent way to save money and keep your stress level down when your three year old wakes up at 430am PST…because he’s still on EST…and wants breakfast. NOW.
Ignore Any Dirty Looks
We do grocery store runs for our kids if we are staying at a Four Seasons or the No Tell Motel. We’ve gotten the fish eye from the people in the lobby of the hotel as we bring in our bags of groceries…but that’s just because they didn’t think of it first!
