Our First Family Vacation: Late Flights, Lollipops, & Chaos

I’m a natural born planner. I can just go ahead and thank my mother for that special quality. When Aliyah came into the picture my need to plan, prepare and anticipate only got worse. Every Sunday outing, day trip, hands on opportunity, and child friendly experience was met with hours of Google searches, discount stalking, and Pinterest browsing. So when we finally had the opportunity, let alone time, to take her on a vacation I was thrilled but immediately overwhelmed.

I don’t care if you are planning for 24 hours or 7 days, the last thing any parent wants to be is ill prepared. The thought of traveling with kids, toddlers, and babies can be stressful but if you prepare yourself, keep your expectations low and embrace the chaos- then each and every trip will be worth it.

Prepare Yourself

After you decide where you’re going you have to decide how you’re getting there. Depending how far your destination is- driving may not be realistic. Most parents might immediately cross flying off the possibility list. There are obvious reasons like potential tantrums, large crowds, and harsh judgment from strangers. But I’m here to tell you none of those things should hinder your decision to fly. Tantrums can happen at any moment on any day but assuming it will happen on the day you travel is not any way to live. Large crowds and kids are intimidating no doubt but you aren’t going to deprive your children of trips to the amusement park so why would you let airports get the best of you? As for the harsh judgments from strangers who you will literally never see again…well…you will literally never see them again so don’t spend energy worrying.

1. Choosing your wings- we did us a solid and took a late flight. Late flights= less crowds, shorter lines, lots of empty seats on the plane and more room for a toddler to run around in the airport. Also a better chance that they’ll fall asleep which = QUIET! If you feel overwhelmed and your schedule allows, pick crack of dawn or nighttime flights…I highly recommend them. Regardless of when you fly, ALWAYS PICK A RELIABLE AIRLINE. We all want to save money where we can, but the downside of cheap flight costs are the probability that the airline has an awful reputation. Stay away from Spirit and Frontier. We fly Southwest when we can and families traveling with a small child are one of the first to board. One of the best parts about Southwest? Each person gets 2 FREE CHECKED BAGS! This is MAJOR when you’re taking extra luggage with you. I looked up their policies beforehand and you can travel with one stroller and one Child Restraint System (ex. Car Seats, Booster Seats) IN ADDITION to your checked bags.

2. “Plan of aPACK”– we knew that we were renting a car for the week and going somewhere that a stroller was an absolute MUST so I searched on Amazon for  Gate Check Bags and I am HAPPY I did. Not only did they protect our equipment but it made them super easy to spot at baggage claim. They’re water resistant, durable, and when you aren’t using it, extremely compact. Like most kids, Aliyah loves to have her own backpack/luggage but more often than not we end up carrying it for her so if your child isn’t at an age where they can and will carry their own stuff do not waste your time packing a separate suitcase.

And regardless of age…always pack at least one more outfit than the days you are going. With kids anything can happen and you won’t always have a washer and dryer readily available. Accidents, spills stains, rips, etc. It is better to be over-prepared for the possibility than to find yourself without any clean clothes on day three.

3. The Magic of the Carry On- Give them options. Pack small toys, electronic devices if you have them, crayons, paper, books and whatever else you know will keep them occupied. Put an extra outfit in there if you have the room and don’t forget snacks!!! Lollipops saved the day more than once but especially when she started getting antsy on the flight. Both times we flew she was really tired and tired toddlers are difficult to please. The more options we had for her to choose from the easier it was to keep her content. I used a travel case with multiple pockets that I had in our closet to organize and keep all of her stuff in one place. That made everything easier to pack and find when the time came. Did I mention Lollipops? Also thank you fruit snacks for your loyalty and constant good vibes you provide our family (Dad included).

 

 

Keep Your Expectations Low

 

I can sit on Pinterest for hours coming up with perfect time management, flawless schedules and fun filled itineraries, but there is absolutely no chance that my plan will go exactly the way I envisioned.

Even without a kid, traveling comes with mishaps, hiccups, and unavoidable issues. You can’t always anticipate what will go wrong which is why I say KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS LOW. Do not get worked up if you’re behind schedule. Skip the arguments over wrong turns, unexpected costs and I told you so’s. DO NOT expect so much that you leave your vacation disappointed. This is a vacation that is meant to fill you and your family with memories, fun, laughs, and lifelong stories. There is absolutely nothing worth ruining that opportunity. For most it is so rare to spend time together, so do yourself a favor and ENJOY IT. Three things that make it easier to keep my expectations low are…

1. Lots to see and not enough time- Prioritize and stay realistic. Before you leave make a TOP 10! There may be 50 things you want to do but chances are you might only have room for 5. Pick the things that are most important for your family. If you have time for more- great. If you’re short on time then at least you’ll know ahead of time what your goals are. Always have a few back ups in the event of weather issues or closures.

2. Cluster Now, Thank me later- I always always always sit down in front of a map and divide everything by exact location. This allows you to capitalize on your time. This may sound obvious but you don’t realize how crucial that 30 minute drive is until you’re behind schedule and short on time. More often than not, this allows you to fit in more than you anticipated.

3. Trust the Process- You could make the ultimate list for your destination but you could also get there and find out that there are things that you never even heard of. Trust your gut, local advice and flow of your trip. Don’t force yourself to go to the “popular” restaurant if the tour guide recommends the hole in the wall BBQ joint down the street. If a tourist, with children of similar age to yours, says that they wasted their money going to site X, consider crossing it off and asking them for a suggestion.

Embrace the Chaos

This is probably the most useful tip I can give traveling families. Self explanatory and true to its core, embrace every single moment of your time. Chaos is usually a normal part of your every day life when juggling kids, careers, bills and other commitments. So you shouldn’t think your vacation will be any different. Be patient with your loved ones and don’t take anything too seriously. If your kid decides to jump in a huge puddle and soak the only pants you packed for the day- they WILL SURVIVE. After 15 minutes of failed effort to find a parking spot downtown, suck it up and go to the $15 parking garage. The clock strikes 10pm and your 2 year old is still wide-awake… just remember they have the remainder of their childhood for appropriate bedtimes. If you take the wrong exit and wind up 30 minutes out of the way from your destination- spend those 30 min belting the Moana soundtrack or play “I spy.” Embrace the chaos because it is usually the dysfunctional moments that end up getting told years later anyway.

I want to thank all of the people that lent their wisdom to us in preparation for this trip. I am so grateful for the advice I received through family, friends, blogs and other resources. Our trip was CHAOS  in all the best ways and we feel confident going forward that any vacation with Aliyah- we can handle. I am not a travel expert in even the slightest form but I value every opportunity to learn and share my experiences with others.

BRING ON SUMMER VACATION! Happy Traveling!

Xx RR