I was lucky that I got the chance to travel on business when I was in my 20’s. I worked for a company that purchased the FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment) for luxury hotels so that meant I needed to oversee the installations. Back and forth every month to Hawaii wasn’t too shabby a job if you know what I mean.
Traveling on the company’s dime is definitely the way to go. Once I left that job, my traveling was relegated to more local places. I used to love driving around California to see the sights but once the kids came, we didn’t want to spend our travel time focusing on the kids instead of the locations. Our kids are now older (teens and a tween) and we’re picking up the travel pace again. Traveling with older kids can be a ball… but it can also be debilitating if you don’t plan in advance. Here are some tips for traveling with older children (10 – 18).
- It’s all about the snacks. No matter the age, a kid is still a kid. You would think that as they get older, the whining and complaining would slow down. Not so fast! They might not be calling out for their sippy cup, but they still get thirsty and they still want snacks. Always take their favorite drinks (if they are in a cooler, all the better). Water is great for dehydration, but if your kids are Snapple drinkers or like a soda now and then, make sure you have those on hand too. My kids have perfected the eye roll over me suggesting a bottle of water when they are bored and thirsty. Our snacks of choice are granola bars and gummy bears. Having some favorite snacks will make the trip much smoother.
- Keep them busy. Travel games are NOT just for toddlers. My teens still like to play the license plate game. If I don’t print the States out ahead of time, they get uppity. Give them something to DO in the car. We always have headphones for all of them (WE don’t want to hear them playing Minecraft on an 8-hour car ride) and plenty of car chargers. They can each listen to their own music or watch a downloaded movie. There are also some great apps that we all love to play:
- Charades!
- Dubsmash
- Logo Quiz (there are several versions of this)
- Guess the Movie
- Research rest stops and restaurants ahead of time. When we do road trips (and even when we go by plane) we always check out the Food Network recommendations for the area we’ll be in. Best diners, best ice cream shops, best breakfast places, etc. We’re a house full of foodies so we love trying places that the “experts” loved.
- Let the kids plan excursions. As parents, we might have the final say where we’re heading, but let the kids do their own research on fun things to do while you are there. If they are invested in the trip planning, they won’t be quite as likely to complain that this place is “stupid.”
- Be comfortable. When you aren’t comfortable, you aren’t happy. Period. Bring pillows and blankets in the car for comfort… and consider bringing a blow-up mattress if you will be in a hotel. With a family of 5, renting 2 rooms isn’t affordable so we bring a blow up wherever we go. Since no one really wants to sleep on it, we rotate each night.
Mitigate fights before they happen. What do you argue about most when you travel? Fix the problem before it becomes one. For us, we constantly argue about the kids never having their shoes on when we stop the car. We fixed this by having them wear flip flops or sandals on long road trips so they can slide into them at a moment’s notice. We don’t want to argue with them about how long it takes them to lace up their sneakers when we stop to use the bathroom.
Whether you are road-tripping or flying cross country, traveling with older kids isn’t much different than traveling with younger kids. Keep them busy and comfortable and you’ll have a much more enjoyable trip.
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