So what are some of the things you cando to make family travel less stressful? As it happens, you can approach this from all sorts of angles, and the following are just some examples of the kinds of things that you might want to be aware of. If you can do the following, it’s going to make a huge difference overall.
Plan Early But Loosely
There is a lot to be said for making plans early on. Of course, when you plan early, it tends to mean that you are going to be a lot more prepared, and that in turn can help you in reducing the stress of the experience. This is something that you are going to find really useful and which can help you a lot, and you should make sure that you are going to really make this work. It’s all about having a plan early enough that you don’t feel you are rushing around towards the travel date itself. If you can do that, you should find that you are going to have a much better experience overall.
But this doesn’t mean that you have to plan everything very tightly. Actually, it’s going to be really important to make sure that you are keeping things fairly loose, because this helps a lot as well. If you have a loose plan, it means that there is room for things to change - for things to go wrong or just to change with your whims. Either way, you are going to find that this is a really important consideration to make, and it’s something that helps in making everything feel a lot more relaxed on the whole.
So if you can plan early but loosely, you are going to find that you have a flexible, well prepared for experience, and that is the kind of thing that you are going to need to think about here for sure. All in all it is going to mean that you are much more likely to enjoy the experience without rushing around and getting stressed out together.
Pack Smarter
You might already have something of a system down when it comes to packing, especially if you have traveled with your family before. But it’s all about making sure that you are doing so as smartly as possible. Overpacking really is the enemy, and you are going to need to make sure that you are doing everything you can to pack in a way that will be really helpful for all. This is easier said than done, but as long as you are aware of what you might need to do here you should find that it is actually going to be relatively simple to achieve.
You may want to think about certain helpful trends, such as mix-and-match clothes, collapsible gear, and always make sure you have a first aid kit. Let older kids pack their own small bag - as long as you give it a final check over - so that they can feel more involved and practice being responsible. For younger kids, you’ll obviously want to simply do it yourself. As long as you pack well, the whole experience can be so much better for everyone.
Keep Entertained On Long Journeys
Part of the travel experience that people often fear the most, especially when they are traveling with children of different ages, is the long journeys. Whether these take place on trains, planes or anywhere else, they can be a worry, and you might find that you are going to struggle to really make it work as well as possible. The truth is that you are going to benefit from having some kind of ability to keep everyone entertained on these long journeys, as that is the kind of thing that is really going to help you out a lot.
So think of some of the best ways in which you might be able to do this. It could mean taking books for the older kids, perhaps a tablet to play some mahjong games on, and possibly some physical travel board games too. All of these are likely to help a lot. You can also pass the time with some traditional car games like I Spy, although bear in mind that people can sometimes get bored of these quickly - including the passengers around you if you are on public transport!
Take Plenty Of Snacks
You might be amazed at just how much of a difference it makes to have plenty of snacks with you. This is the kind of thing that is going to really make a huge difference to your experience, because just having something to eat is very often going to help with keeping stress at bay. It’s amazing how much of travel stress comes down to being angry and hungry, and just having something to nibble on is always going to help with that.
So make sure you are taking a variety of filling and healthy snacks with you wherever you go. This is something of a secret weapon, and it is really going to make a huge difference to how easily you can enjoy yourself. It’s something that your kids are going to appreciate troo, and you’ll find that you are much more likely to feel as though you can get through any travel experience easily. It’s amazing what snacks can really do for you.
Set Expectations Early
One of the possible stresses too is when your kids are not really sure what to expect, and so they end up being disappointed by the nature of the experience. This happens a lot with kids of all ages, and it’s something that you are going to find really gets in the way of a good time. It’s much better if you can avoid that disappointment, and the way to do that is simply to set the expectations as early as possible. That is a simple thing to do, but it’s often something that parents avoid. However, you will be glad that you did this in the long run, as it is going to help your kids to know exactly what is actually going to happen - and what isn’t going to happen, just as importantly.
Make sure you are having conversations early on, and then frequently thereafter, about what is likely to happen each day and how long each thing will probably take. It’s helpful to consider a little under-selling here, so that the actual experience turns out to be a lot better. If you can do that, you should find that you are going to keep your kids on board with the experience much more easily. However you do it though, setting these kinds of expectations is going to be really important for you to consider.
Don’t Chase Perfection
It can be all too easy to chase perfection, but this is not a helpful way to approach things overall. If you find yourself doing this, it only means that you and your kids are going to end up disappointed, which will make the experience less enjoyable and more stressful. So instead of doing that, you should think about some of the things that you can do to ensure that you are going to avoid that kind of mental approach. That might be easier said than done, but it is perfectly possible.
Just try to remember that things will go wrong, no matter what. This is part of the experience, and it's just something that you need to make sure you are thinking about and being aware of. If you can do that, you should find that you are going to have a much better chance of being able to enjoy the experience for what iti s, which is obviously what matters here. And you could end up with a much more enjoyable experience anyway.
Enjoy Yourself
Finally, simply take the opportunity to enjoy yourself. This is a family trip, and the kind of thing that you are going to find really important when it comes to spending quality time together. So anything you can do to really enjoy it is going to make a world of difference, and you should find that you are going to want to hold on to that. If you are personally having a lot of fun, your kids are more likely to have fun too, so that is something that you should definitely bear in mind in all of this.
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