Family trips are one of those absolutely essential things we must all do at least once a year to keep from letting our daily stressful lives drive us insane. This is even more essential to do when you have kids. Studies have proven how beneficial traveling can be for kids and the younger they start the better. Well-traveled kids tend to be more social, smarter and independent among other things.
While a one-day or a two-day trip may not sound so exhaustive, a long term trip with kids can be a bit of a challenge especially if you have two or more kids. But it’s not as hard as it sounds. Whether it’s long term travel with baby or older kids, you just need to follow a few simple steps to make it work. Here’s our guide to a few tips on taking a long term trip with kids to keep in mind when planning your next family trip.
1. Choose a travel style that suits your family needs
This covers everything from land and water to air travel. If your trip plans involve long term travel with baby, then places such as Southeast Asia and the South Pacific are known to be more tot-friendly than others. If it’s older kids at an impressionable age who are more likely to remember the trip, then try going on an adventure trip that involves hiking, camping, and rafting among other such activities. This is the best type of a long term trip with kids you can take who will cherish the vacation and may even make traveling an essential part of their lives.
2. Pack as light and as smart as possible
Whether you’re traveling with toddlers or older kids, it is always a good idea to pack as light as possible. Carry nappies and other such necessary things only enough for the journey as you can always stock up on them later. If you’re traveling with older kids that can carry their own things, get small backpacks and pack basic items in them so that it’s not too heavy for them to carry. Must-pack items include a toy or two for toddlers, a tab or a laptop for emergency boredom situations, and some healthy snacks for the journey.
3. Work up a feasible budget
Running out of cash when you’re halfway across the world on a long term trip with kids can be an unpleasant situation. So when planning for the trip, make sure you have even the tiniest of budget details chalked out as clearly as possible. To save money, you can pick cheaper countries to go on a long term trip with kids. This way, you will save not only on travel but on accommodation, sightseeing and food aspects as well. Cutting down on unnecessary costs such as luxury hotels will also save you a load of cash.
4. Get your children involved in the travel planning process
It’s not just part of the travel fun to let your kids be involved in the day-to-day travel decision-making process, but it’s also one of the best ways for them to learn how to plan a trip. When chalking out plans for a long term trip with kids, make sure to ask them about where they’d like to go, what they’d like to see and do among other such things. You could give them small tasks such as checking to make sure you’ve packed everything necessary for the trip. They’ll enjoy the process as well as feel useful and valued at the same time.
5. Stay as healthy as possible while on the road
This is one of the most important tips when taking a long term trip with kids. It is important that you carry healthy snacks such as fruits and nuts to avoid your kids snacking on junk food. Even while on the road, try to eat as healthy as possible when you visit restaurants and other eateries. Also, ensure to get all their necessary vaccinations done before taking the long term trip with kids. Don’t forget to carry an emergency medical aid kit as well as any other medication your kids need.
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6. Let travel teach your kids important life lessons
Traveling opens doors to all sorts of new experiences. When you take a long term trip with kids, they will have more time to soak in the experience the journey, destination, and the trip as a whole provide. Traveling will teach your kids that there is so much more to the world than just your hometown. They will see and meet new people, learning to respect and appreciate people of all possible cultures and backgrounds. A long term trip with kids is the best way to teach them about the role they play in the world and that there are scores of others just like them all across the globe.
7. Be gentle when the trip is over
Getting back to daily after a wonderful long term trip with kids can be quite a laborious task. Heading back to school or college immediately can seem depressing to your kids. So make sure you return at least a couple of days prior to their school opening so that they have a little bit of time to decompress before taking up their regular responsibilities. If post-vacation blues after the long term trip with kids are too harsh, then sit down with them and create a scrapbook of vacation photos. Reminiscing about the good times and already planning your next long term trip with kids will make it easier for them to get back to daily routine.
All you need to do is keep the above points in mind when planning a long term trip with kids and you’ll have an easier time dealing with the planning process. Choose a destination, book cheap flight tickets, chalk out your itinerary, budget and all other necessary items on your travel checklist and you’re all set to have one of the best long term trip with kids ever!
