Americans love traveling. Every year, we spend around $130 billion on traveling abroad.
Family vacations are one of the best ways to bond with your kids. But, before you arrive at your destination, it may be tricky to keep them quiet and entertained.
In this article, we’ll look at a few ways to keep your children entertained when traveling with them. These tips for traveling with family will help keep you sane!
1. Listen to Audiobooks
If your children enjoy reading books, then this is a great way to pass the time during your vacation. Either bring a few books with you or why not invest in a Kindle?
When going on a road trip, it’s inadvisable to encourage your children to read in the back of the car. Instead, why not buy a few audiobooks instead?
You can download these on your phone and play them through the car speakers. If you’re traveling by plane, then invest in a headphone splitter so multiple people can listen to the same audiobook and share the experience.
2. Encourage a Sing-Along
Do your kids have the voices of angels? Then, why not play music and encourage them to sing along?
This is not advisable if you are traveling with other people or by plane or bus. But, it works great for long road trips.
Load up your iPhone with multiple tunes that are recognizable to all and have a singing session. You’ll bond as a family and maybe encourage your child’s talent.
3. Pack Lots of Healthy Snacks
We know that people with low blood sugar become cranky. So, make sure you have a lot of healthy snacks to ensure your kids aren’t moody.
Why not create a box of snacks with everything from carrot sticks to apple slices? If fruit and veg are all that is on offer, your kids will definitely eat it.
By packing wholewheat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, you’ll be able to anticipate when they get hangry. Better yet, you’ll cut the costs of always eating out.
4. Bring Along a MacBook
No matter how old your children are, it’s likely that they love playing video games or surfing the internet.
Make sure you limit the amount of time that your kids spend on the internet while you are traveling. This is a valuable opportunity to get to know your children better.
But, appreciate that they do need a few hours of downtime on their own to play games and chat with friends.
However, ensure that you add parental locks to the computer if your children are young. Then, download games that they may enjoy in advance.
For ideas on games to download, check out https://setapp.com/lifestyle/the-best-mac-games.
5. Book a Hotel With a Pool
Children love splishing and splashing around in a swimming pool. If your kids are old enough then you will be able to sit next to the pool
while also enjoying the rays.
When you have younger children, you will need to be more involved. This means teaching them how to swim or being nearby so you can keep an eye on them in the baby pool.
Not only will you be providing your children with a fun experience while on vacation but you’ll also be ensuring they get enough exercise!
Nowadays, around 80% of teenagers simply don’t get enough exercise. If you’re worried that this figure includes your child, hiring a pool may inspire them to keep up this hobby long after the vacation has ended.
6. Create an Eyespy Checklist
Before you go on vacation, create a checklist and encourage your kids to tick off everything they see.
For example, if you travel to Paris, include things such as croissants, the Eiffel Tower, a striped shirt, and a horse-drawn carriage.
Encourage your kids to add to their eye spy checklist. Add anything that they think is cool or impressive. Perhaps its a red Mini or a small dog?
By doing this, you ensure that your children are staying alert and are living in the moment! They won’t simply have their heads in the virtual world of their phones.
7. Learn the Local Language
If you’re going to a country that speaks a different language, then encourage your children to start learning in advance.
Engage the entire family and give them the chance to use language learning apps such as Duolingo.
A month before you go, why not buy an audiobook or find a podcast to play whenever you drive in the car? You’ll be amazed by how much your kids learn in a few months.
When you’re on vacation, encourage your children to speak to the local language with other people. Can they order from the menu or engage with other kids?
This is a fantastic learning opportunity that will help broaden your children’s horizons.
8. Don’t Forget to Pack the Stuffed Toys!
Finally and perhaps most importantly, do not forget to bring the stuffed elephant that your child can’t sleep without.
We all know how much kids love their stuffed toys. Why not buy them a new toy while you’re abroad to remind them of this wonderful vacation?
But, if you do this, make sure you keep tabs on the old stuffed toy so that your little one doesn’t accidentally lose it!
Enjoy Traveling With Family
Although it may be difficult to travel with young children, it will leave you with many wonderful memories to cherish as they grow older.
Traveling with family is a great way to bond, broaden your child’s horizons, and teach them how other people live around the world.
Have you found this article about traveling with family useful? Don’t miss the rest of the website where you’ll find lots more interesting content.
