Traveling....with kids!

When I think of traveling, I think of the feeling I had when Andy and I were in Italy - the feeling of complete wanderlust. The feeling of freedom and amazement. The feeling of, if we end up at our destination great, and if we don't, it will be a great story. The feeling of having too much Italian wine and walking home hand in hand along cobblestone streets to our rented flat or hotel room. The feeling of sleeping until you wake up. And the feeling of a laid back afternoon cocktail to kick off happy hour (I do this now with kids, but laid back being the key words). I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - pure relaxation and not one single care in the world.

Now, when you add kids to the mix, those are not exactly my thoughts on traveling. When I was thinking about our Summer 2019 travel schedule, I actually wanted to crawl in a hole and come out when it was all over. But if I did that, I'd miss all the fun (insert sarcasm). I mean, like most things, the anticipation of being stuck in a car with two kids under 4 or the anticipation of a major flight delay/cancellation is worse than actually just getting in the car and going or getting on the airplane and flying, but that's not to say it doesn't raise my anxiety Through.The.Roof. But the thing is, traveling with kids is necessary for a couple reasons: If you travel with kids, then they learn how to travel and that comes in handy the older they get - you literally have to teach these little sponges everything; In our case, if we weren't up for traveling, we'd never see our family and would be left out more than we already choose to be by living in CO; and If you don't travel, then you're signing up for a really boring life and you're letting your kids dictate your sense of adventure rather than teaching them to have a sense of adventure (now we're back to numero uno...the teaching!).

Traveling with our two little ones is not at the top of my list of fun things to do, nor do I get that wanderlust feeling when I'm packing all our crap for a week, but there are perks. In our experience, we get to witness our kids in our home environments and with family they don't see that often. I literally witnessed my 18 year old nephew and my 4 year old son become best buds in fourteen days. That's seriously cool. You also get to show your kids the free beauty that surrounds us daily, and you get to witness that free beauty through their eyes and their wonder. Nothing better! My husband's family resides in Northern Michigan, so our kids play on the shores of Lake Michigan every Summer and witness some pretty magical landscapes, most of which are new to me too. This makes my heart so very happy, and no matter where we go, it's ALWAYS worth it, despite the headache and stress it takes to get there.

With all that said, getting to and from one location can be tricky. And after driving (ALONE) for 12 hours with my kids to Iowa for two weeks and enduring a 2 1/2 hour flight to Michigan, all within the month of July, I feel like I have a few tips and tricks regarding car and airplane travel. See my tips and tricks and below:

1. Get TSA Pre check - I'm not sure whey anyone travels without this, but I certainly do not understand why people with children travel without TSA Pre check!
2. Expectations - set them low. This is a toughy for me, but the lower you set them, the more pleasantly surprised you are.
3. Snacks - all the snacks. Not your super healthy snacks. I'm talking fruit snacks, Trader Joe's fruit leathers (my kids personal fave), dum dum suckers, cookies, etc. Flying at 40, 000 feet on a turbulent plane is no place to argue about sugar intake. That goes for hour 10 of 12 in the car as well. Just my opinion!
4. A stocked cooler - on the way to Iowa with the kids, I stocked a cooler with juice boxes, milk, Bubbly, etc and planted it in the front seat so I could reach anything I needed to. You may have to buckle your cooler up due to your vehicle thinking you have a passenger, but it's worth it, trust me!
5. When flying, Andy and I always choose to board the plane as late as possible, otherwise you're locked into your seat with two toddlers for longer than need be. This obviously does not apply when we fly Southwest and hinders your ability to use over head space with a carry on suitcase, but we seem to get pretty lucky every time!
6. I typically try and have a new toy or something the kids have not seen before ready to go during takeoff.
7. A charged iPad - again when being locked in a car or trapped in an airplane, there's no reason to argue about screen time - survival mode people, survival mode. Then when you arrive at your destination put the screens away for a few days - and that's called balance!
8. Car seat bags - If you need to travel with a car seat, buy a proper car seat travel bag. You do not have to pay to check a car seat, so it's a free checked bag and in addition to your car seat, you can shove it full of stuff (think coats, boots, life jackets, bulky shoes, etc) up to 50lbs and you do not have to pay a dollar. Plus is protects your bazillion dollar car seat way better than an oversized garbage bag. Booya!
9. Back pack - mamas, keep your hands free and use a backpack carry-on/diaper bag. I love me an oversized tote, but my advice would be to leave those at home during the phase of tiny kids. #itsjustaphase
10. Adult beverages - The first thing I did after I arrived in Iowa with the kids by myself was crack a cold beer and have a bowl of my mom's homemade party mix. Celebrate! You've earned it!

I hope you find these helpful. They are all tried and true. Kenny (my 4 year old) was on at least 20 flights before he was 1 year old, and we have driven the cross country trek from Colorado to Iowa twice since having two kids. In addition to that we've done a number of long weekend mountain trips, so we've certainly had a number of opportunities to learn from mistakes and figure out what works. It never hurts to have a few more tips and tricks up your sleeve.

Bon voyage,

AFK