Our family has always loved to travel and explore new places. Before we had children (actually, before we were even married!) we (Ryan and Mattie) worked as guides in the Southwest. We took clients backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking from our home base in Prescott, AZ. When we were expecting our first child, many people told us that our lives would never be the same, and that we’d never get to do all the fun things we loved to do anymore. It was true that our lives changed forever by becoming parents, but we set out to prove them wrong about traveling and adventuring with kids.
It requires a little more planning, a little more gear, and a LOT of patience, but adventuring with children is totally doable and fun. We see the payoff in our children being flexible, willing to try new things, and ultimately our favorite people to travel with! Here are some of our best tips for traveling with kids.
Start early.
Travel with infants isn’t as crazy as you think! In our opinion, infants do require more “gear” than older kiddos (bottles and diapers and wipes, oh my!) but they’re the easiest to keep happy… it doesn’t take much to keep them on their normal routine of sleeping and eating. Flying for the first time with an infant? We’ve got a checklist for that.
Let them help.
If your children are involved in the trip planning, it makes the whole process more enjoyable for everyone. This is especially true for pre-teens and teenagers! Even children as young as toddlers can be given a choice in a daily activity. When the kids are empowered in the planning, they’ll be more engaged (and more fun)!
Do your research.
In planning your trip, it’s helpful and fun to find some age-appropriate resources for your kids to help learn about where your going and build excitement. We also love to read books that inspire our kids to be adventurous. On our trip driving through Wyoming in a snowstorm, we read My Side of the Mountain aloud to the kids. It’s a story about a young boy who is determined to survive a winter in the woods, living inside a home he builds inside a tree trunk. It made for great imaginative play at our campsites!
Build in time for free play & rest.
This is key in traveling with toddlers and elementary-age children, but good for kids of all ages. With a jam-packed itinerary, anyone can get burned out! Even if you have big plans for a long hike or a big museum day, build in time where the kids can just play in the dirt or roll in the grass. With pre-teen and teens, designate a time where they can chill, too.
Pack your Patience
It’s true, you’ll probably move a little slower with a gaggle of kids in tow. But that’s part of the beauty of traveling as a family: we notice things with our children that we’d otherwise miss, we slow down and observe, we experience the magic of an adventure through a child’s eyes.
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