Traveling With Kids? La Jolla Sports Club Has 29 Tips For You!

Traveling with kids can be tough, so La Jolla Sports Club has 29 tips to save your sanity!

The days are getting shorter and families are squeezing in the end-of-summer trips before the kids are back to school. As of this post, it’s a blazing San Diego day (for our thin-skinned bodies) and who could blame you for having vacation getaway dreams. But if those dreams include your kiddos, you’re going to have a trickier time than your childless counterparts.

So, what’re you going to do? As much as you might want to sometimes, you can’t leave them at the kennel with your dogs unless you want CPS waiting for you at Customs. Alright, so they go with you, La Jolla Sports Club has some pretty crafty tips to help keep the vacation from going into meltdown mode.

Before we get started, be sure to check our last post for 45 general travel tips. OK, here we go!

1. Choose your destinations wisely
   1. This might seem like a no-brainer, but if you’re flying a long distance to get to Point A and then have to use trains and buses to get to Point B, that’s a lot of stress on the kids
2. Earlier flights usually have less delays and if everyone is tired, you can squeeze in some naps
3. Double the expected time it takes to travel with kids and be pleasantly surprised when you come in at 1.75%
   1. Laces take a lot longer to undo / redo that straps and velcro
4. Traveling during the day helps reduce jetlag
   1. Unless your kids sleep like the dead on night flights
5. Save the aisle seats for the grown-ups
   1. Little Johnny might want to stretch his legs and run, but you’ll want a grown-up in the aisle seat when the food cart comes around and it’s time to pass the hot coffee
6. Speaking of, when you’re booking your ticket, reserve a kids meal for the planes
7. Snacks, snacks, snacks
8. Even if your kiddo is potty-trained, Pull-ups might not be a bad idea for those long hauls
   1. Better than an in-seat accident or waiting for a bathroom to open up when it’s reeeeeeeally needed
   2. On a related note, bring extra clothes for both you and the kids in your carry-on
   3. ‘She had a #3…’ is a real thing
9. BUT: pack only what you need
10. Little Suzy might be proud that she doesn’t need a stroller, but after three hours of walking, she might think otherwise
11. PHOTOCOPY PASSPORTS
12. Re: #8, leave special toys and hard-to-replace items at home

    

13. Bringing a new surprise toy can help relieve some travel pressure
14. Speaking of pressure, bring gum to help ease air pressure in the ears during takeoff and landing
15. Airbnb / VRBO or hotel? There are benefits to both, and not every family or situation will be the same option
    1. If you’re choosing a hotel, the continental breakfasts are a good place to stock up on those snacks we mentioned earlier
    2. If your kids are old enough, however, ask around for a cool, local breakfast spot and then ask your server about some cool, local spots to visit
16. We mentioned this in our last post, but there is a lot to be said for beating the crowds and getting to the hot spots early
17. Don’t forget these little humans have less energy than you, so factor in downtime—your sanity and everyone around your family will thank you
18. Traveling solo allows you to bounce around to a thousand places in one trip, but with a partner and kids, there is a lot to be said about choosing one location and exploring
19. Traveling is a great way to learn, but don’t forget to have fun
    1. That fun includes you, too, mom and dad
    2. This is a great time to break routines
    3. Encourage the older kids to choose a few activities
20. For the love of eardrums and sleep, an airplane is not a time to limit screen time
21. Ask for child discounts, you might be surprised how prevalent they are
22. Make sure all members of your family have the accommodation’s address and family contact info written down
    1. On a related note, copies of birth certificates might come in handy
23. Pepto and Tylenol are universally helpful
24. Disposable cameras are a fun way to get the kids involved
25. Did we already mention that getting through security will take a lot longer with kids? Yes, we did, but it needs repeating.
26. Kids and puppies are similar in that they feed off of the energy of the parents
    1. Traveling is stressful—try to be flexible and cool as a cucumber and watch as your kids develop some pretty sweet coping skills
27. Setting a family budget is probably a good idea
28. Do a dry-run before the real thing
    1. We have some amazing locations just a few hours from La Jolla
29. We closed our last post with this idea, but take a few moments during your trip to appreciate that we can afford to travel, that we have the freedom to travel and that we have the desire to learn. Have fun, be fun and be safe!

That’s it for this post, see you next time for our theme on Getting Back to You!

Until then, have a great Labor Day!

// Your friends at La Jolla Sports Club