avatar by on March 16, 2011   •   145 Comments Travel Your Family

How to Travel Long Distances with Little Ones (and not go insane)

Several of you have asked me for advice on traveling internationally with small children – not the vacationing, trip-planning stuff, the actual moving from Point A to Point B stuff. I’m surprised I’ve yet to write about the nitty-gritty behind long, international flights, seeing as we deal with this several times a year.

So today, I’m biting the bullet and sharing my thoughts.

My five-year-old daughter has been to eight different countries so far, and our two-year-old son was born in a country different than his passport. For our kids, traveling internationally is second nature, and they don’t really understand its uniqueness. In their short lives, it’s all they know, really, so they don’t get excited about flying in a big airplane, or dinking with the TV screens embedded into the seats in front of them.

But that doesn’t make the prospect of long flights necessarily easy. It takes about a total of 26 hours to travel from our home abroad to where we visit stateside. That’s painful with two kids who never sleep en route.

We’ve found tips and techniques that work well for us, so when we do have to deal with moving from Point A to Point B, we’ve learned how to jump in, experience the pain, and move our clan around as smoothly as possible.

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avatar by on August 2, 2010   •   24 Comments Travel Your Family

Traveling soon? Download the new, free Family Road Trip Packing List

This Thursday, my family and I head out on a three-week road trip.  We’ve traveled a lot, both cross-country and worldwide, in a variety of cultures and climates.  And I’m amazed that each time, our packing list is more or less the same.

I’m a huge believer in packing light and not bringing the house in order to leave it. But isn’t it amazing how much the little people in our lives need?  And I’m talking about the things they actually need, because if it were up to my five-year-old, we’d bring every stuffed animal and Lego block we own.

You don’t need much, but you do need to pack smart. And a list really helps, in my opinion.
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avatar by on July 16, 2010   •   17 Comments Travel Your Family

Creating Post-Vacation Peace for Your Children

I’m on maternity leave from June 11 to July 16: The following is a guest post from Simple Kids contributor Megan Tietz of Sorta Crunchy, and it was originally published on July 8, 2009.

The summer months offer families a time to get away, enjoy a change in scenery, and breathe some fresh air. Whether the days away are filled with sightseeing, hiking, sailing, amusement parks, or lazy days at the beach, the relaxed and refreshed spirit that has been nurtured by a vacation can quickly be quenched by chaos once your key turns in the lock of your front door.

Vacation recovery can be particularly hard for kids. Physically, they may not have gotten enough sleep while they were away, and they may have engaged in more physical activity than is normal for them. Emotionally, they are coming down from that “vacation high” and may experience feelings of sadness and disappointment that The Big Trip has come to an end.

As a parent, you will set the tone for the transition from vacation to routine. Your children will mirror the way you approach the first few days after you arrive home. Here are three suggestions for creating peace and harmony as you and your children navigate the re-entry into the rhythms of real life.

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avatar by on June 22, 2010   •   57 Comments Travel Your Family

8 Tips for Stress-Free Camping

I’m on maternity leave from June 9 to July 16: The following is a guest post from Simple Organic contributor Amy Thompson of Progressive Pioneer.

Family camping trips always seem blissful in hindsight, but when you’re piling the station wagon full of coolers, tents, first aid kits, life jackets, and extra water bottles, it can seem the very opposite of relaxing.

The dread of packing and unpacking so much gear can leave many a mom wary of the family campout, and can make for decidedly fewer outings.  I have a goal this summer to sleep under the stars significantly more than last year.

And so I’ve decided to make it easier on myself by planning “bare essentials camping trips,” trips that make camping out even easier than staying at home.

Here are a few tips to streamline your own family adventures, and hopefully encourage you to have a few more this summer.

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avatar by on June 18, 2010   •   12 Comments Travel Your Family

Get Organized for Your Staycation

I’m on maternity leave from June 11 to July 16: The following is a guest post from Simple Mom contributor Mandi Ehman of Organizing Your Way.

Let’s face it…as mothers, family vacations are rarely restful. Fun, full of memories and worth the hard work,  yes. Restful, not so much.

Many families are taking back their yearly vacations with the advent of “staycations,” but a staycation has the potential to be just as stressful — if not more so — than a vacation.

Whether you’re considering a staycation for financial reasons, to take advantage of the many opportunities right in your local area, or because you want to minimize your impact on the  environment, take some time to plan for it so that you’re not wasting precious moments on chores and to-do lists from your everyday life.
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