Travel Tips to turn a trip with the kids into a VACATION
Spoiler Alert: It has nothing to do with the littles. It’s all about us grown-ups and our mindset. That’s right, I’m talking to you, mom and dad.
We get asked a lot about travel tips, and I love talking about it! I think people expect us to give these killer tips that will magically get their kids to be quiet for the whole 5 hour flight or keep them busy during a long road trip so parents don’t have to hear “Are we there yet?” 372 times. And we have those too, but the game changer for us enjoying more adventure with less stress has been this: mindset.
I’m no child psychologist, but I do love learning about child development. And I totally geek out over personal development and inner growth. So through these two passions I’ve come to realize a couple of things about parenting over my (almost!) 6 years of momhood. One: mirror neurons are legit. Our brains are wired to observe, mimic, and master the behavior of others in order to thrive in our environment. Kid's mirror neurons are stimulated when they observe our emotions and behaviors. Have you heard this quote by Charles Dickens, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”? He was on to something. Mirror neurons are incredible! Ok, you get my point. This leads into the second biggie I’ve learned as a momma, thanks to Tony Robbins. “Energy flows where attention goes.” When I start my day focused on ME first with my breathing and mindfulness practice and self care routines my energy is elevated. When my energy is good, the kid's energy is good. This knowledge is my momma superpower.
So what do mirror neurons and positive energy have to do with traveling and adventuring with kids? Everything. This knowledge helps you create a positive travel and adventure mindset that serves everyone, not just the kids.
I believe you can have a vacation with the kids (and maybe even relax?!), rather than just take a trip with kids, and here’s how:
- Create a travel day logistics playbook. Write out your plan to divide and conquer travel day logistics. Keep your travel day logistics the same for every trip. Corey and I know exactly what our jobs are at the airport, and we do it the same every time. This cuts down our stress level so we don’t snap at each other and our kids know exactly what to expect.
- Lower your expectations. That sounds a little Debbie Downer-ish, but hear me out. I once heard that expectations are resentments waiting to happen. Kids (and you too) are waaaay overstimulated while traveling, so be ready to give grace and make space for down time. Too many excursions packed into the agenda is a recipe for stress and resentments.
- Keep your morning routine. Whatever you do at home to set your day up for success, do it on vacation too. The day will not magically go smoothly just because you’re on vacay. Be intentional in how your day starts and let those benefits carry you through the day. (You’ll need them when your little dude throws a fit about his socks feeling “crinkly” for the 17th time that day. Been there.)
- Carve out time for a one on one date with your kid. Corey started doing this with Evelyn when she was only two, and it's been a beautiful part of our travel. On one date when she was three, they went to a local park and played and while they were there they watched a young girl rip around on a motor bike and E was fascinated. She still talks about it fondly three years later. Such a special memory Evelyn and her Dada will share forever.
- Create travel traditions with your family. Our youngest Kai became obsessed with sunrises on a Hawaii vacation, so now we make it a priority to watch a sunrise or two with him when we travel. He loves this special time together and I love hearing him talk about this memory randomly throughout the year. (Click HERE for our exclusive Travel Traditions Guide!)
- Embrace the messy. Because messy will happen. Guaranteed. Accept that messy is part of the adventure. This is our family motto and it takes serious practice and we are far from perfect, but when we nail it, our overall experience is so much more enjoyable. Memories become all the amazing, fun things you experienced together, not the tantrums and meltdowns. This is how a trip truly turns into a vacation.
Okay, okay, I know what you’re thinking. Those are doable, buuuut you’re still looking for the part where you relax, amiright?? It’s time. Here is our BEST TIP EVER FOR FAMILY TRAVEL:
- Alternate days with your partner to carve out alone time. Take turns with your partner to get an hour or two alone (guilt-free!!) to do whatever you want. Pool, beach, bike ride, yoga class. Whatever. Do it! When you hold space for yourself, you show up better for your people. Trust me on this one. It’s a game changer.
I hope these family travel tips help you think about how you approach family travel and how your mindset determines the precious memories you make with your fam. Travel and adventure look different for all of us, but one thing we all share when we begin planning that vacation is this: the desire to be present, engaged and purposeful about our time with the ones we love. Happy traveling!
Not so fast! Start turning that trip into a VACATION now, with our exclusive Travel Traditions Guide HERE.
