Tips For Traveling With Kids

Traveling is coming back, and if you're hoping to get away later this summer or  in the fall with your family, you're going to need to strategize. I know many people are planning road trips, but if you're chancing air travel, you're going to need some tips besides bringing masks and hand sanitizer. 

Traveling with kids is not always easy or cheap, but you can make it a bit easier on yourself by planning ahead. No last-minute packing or planning, because it can definitely mean the difference between a great flight and a terrible one. I can help you save money and sanity on all your future family travels. Here are just a few ways to make the most of your trips and keep everyone as happy as possible.

Tell Them What to Expect 

Kids are super-adaptable, but it does help to explain things to them. Traveling is kinda weird when you think about it. You stand in line to go through security, where people judge you and look at all your stuff, then you wait to get herded into a big metal room, where you strap yourself in and the air pressure is all funky and makes your ears hurt on occasion. It's sort of like being in the car, but with 200 other people and you can't get out when you need to stretch your legs, but there's a bathroom. Crazy, right? Explain to your kids what they'll be expecting, and more than once. It's better for them to be excited that they're flying than for them to be freaked out and hate every second of your journey. Not only will you also hate it, so will everyone on the airplane.

Travel in the off-season or during winter break

If you have smaller children, you have the luxury of traveling all year long. With this in mind, avoid traveling in the summer. Summer is easily the busiest and most expensive time to plan a vacation. If a beach or other warm-weather location is your destination of choice, plan a trip in the spring. Springtime is always less crowded and one of the best times to find sales on both airfare and hotel rates. If your children are in school, wait until Christmas break to make your journey. If you fly on Christmas Day, you can get rock-bottom airfare, since most travelers want to be at their destination by that day and it’s one of the lightest travel days of the year.

Fly free

Children under the age of 2 fly for free if you aren't opposed to them sitting in your lap the whole flight. Probably not so doable on a trip across the Atlantic, but not too bad on a flight that's only a few hours long. Babies are easier to deal with this way and if they get cranky due to air pressure changes, feeding them does wonders, because they're constantly swallowing.

Stock up on snacks 

Kids always want to eat when it isn't snack time and can get super hangry if they don't get something in their tummy pretty fast. Vacation is no different than at home. Bring snacks on all your plane rides (and outings) to tide them over until it's time to actually sit down and have real food.

Pack games

I find that games are a fantastic way to pass time on the airplane, even for us big kids. Have smarty-pants toddlers or kids over 5? Try Fluxx card game. It’s the game of ever-changing rules that is fun for hours, even if games last just 10-30 minutes. You might also like Zigity. It’s a fantastic game from the makers of Cranium that asks players to spell, add, complete a picture and match objects. The cards are plastic coated, so they are pretty much child-proof. Spills and spit wipe right off!

Bring Your Tablet

Kids are super tech-savvy now. If yous are too, then make sure you load up your tablet with games, videos and books they'll love. A long flight can fly by when they have everything they need at their fingertips. Don't forget a back-up battery to keep it charged and headphones, because as happy as everyone will be that your kids are entertaining themselves, they'll be less happy if they have to hear Dora the Explorer at full blast, because that's how your little one likes to watch it.

Pack light

I know that with kids it’s hard to do this, but it’s not impossible. Each of your children can bring their own carry-on for the plane and help spread around the weight. Whether it’s a small rolling bag that can fit under the seat or a backpack they can wear, they can share the load. While their clothes can be fairly lightweight, everything they want to take from home may not be. Pack as much of their clothes as you can in your own carry-on (Spacebags or Pack-It cubes may help) and then have them carry any spillover and a few things from home in their own bag. This might be some small toys, a coloring book and some snacks. Anything that will make traveling less of a chore and keep the whining at bay. 

If there is more than one adult in your party, this may be done more easily, and you will have everything with you when you land, saving you checked baggage fees and time waiting for your bags on the carousel. Check out the Trunki ride-on carry-on from Melissa and Doug. It’s fun and functional, plus you can accessorize it, giving your kids another activity to do when waiting around and getting border and border. I want one for ME.  

Let them pack their own bag

When you go anywhere, you probably let your kid(s) pick a few things they can’t live without. As long as it can be reasonably packed and will make it through security, don’t worry if they want to bring 32 miniature cars or their favorite doll or even their pillow. If it makes them comfortable, it will help them be a better traveler. You could pack their clothing in your carry-on and have them bring their “busy-time” stuff in a backpack or teach them responsible travel and buy them their very own carry-on bag that they can use. They’ll feel like a grown-up when they pull their little wheelie case behind them through the airport and you’ll save on baggage fees. Plus, by having them carry their own belongings, they might learn to pack lighter.

Rent baby equipment at your destination

This doesn’t sound money-saving at all, but it can be. Dragging around a stroller and other cumbersome products can be hard, cost you checked baggage fees and may even damage your own items in the process. Sites like BabiesTravelLite have lists for worldwide locations that rent baby equipment from strollers to baby baths. These places often rent equipment for an entire week for less than you would pay to rent them for a day at amusement parks and other places. You can pick them up on your way to your hotel or vacation rental and then drop them off on your way to the airport. You don’t have to juggle extra things at the airport and you won’t have to worry about damage to any of your own gear.

Invest in a footrest

Skyrest makes the perfect footrest for children. Okay, it’s really a resting pillow for sleeping or reading, but for little legs that fall asleep from not being able to reach the floor, it makes the perfect airplane ottoman. Nobody likes being kicked in the back for a whole flight and when kids have tingly legs, they are going to flail about. These inflatable rests have removable covers, too, so you can remove it before the flight to keep it from getting dirty from the floor and feet.

Fly really early or really late

If your child is on a regular sleeping schedule, see if you can book a flight that will coincide with it and they may just conk out the entire flight. We used to fly the Red Eye often and sleep on the plane overnight and wake up in our destination. While these seem to be few and far between – or even non-existent – now, you can certainly try to find an available flight that is super early in the morning or even later in the evening. These flights are usually undesirable, which makes them cheaper than the same flight in the middle of the day.

Run it out

Some airports have playgrounds. If you're taking off from one or have a layover, then let make a beeline for the closest one (if you have time) and let the kids run and yell and get all their energy out. They'll be less antsy on your flight this way.

Just because you have children doesn't mean you can never vacation again or have to pack up the tent and go camping. Of course, I'm not opposed to camping. I did it all the time as a kid, but nothing beats a good old fashioned family vacation. One where you don't have to do all the work and take freezing showers for a week. Sure, traveling with more than two can be hard on your wallet, but you can save on things to make it more manageable.

What are your tips for traveling with kids?

Myanmar Travel Tips

Last week we had a destination date night staycation in Myanmar (or Burma) and we really wanted to immerse ourselves in this culture with the food and online tours and call a bit of attention the military coup that is currently happening there. We stand with the citizens of Myanmar and we hope that we will have the chance to visit their beautiful country at some point in the future. If you're looking to plan a trip in the future or just want to know more about the country, I've pulled two great infographics for you.

Americans and most publications still recognize Yangon as the country's capital, and it was the capital until about a decade ago. Naypyitaw was named by the people. 

I think the country is lovely, and while there may be a lot that can be improved, the scenery and temples are pretty gorgeous, and the people appear to be lovely and welcoming. Many travelers love Myanmar so much that they return many times. Also, the food is delicious.

Have you ever been to any Asian countries you highly reccomend?

Myanmar, But Without the Military Coup Part

We're still celebrating AAPI Heritage Month and this has been an interesting month for learning things. We have previously "traveled" to Japan, China, Thailand, and Mongolia just a few weeks ago. Funnily, we've never actually made it to Asia, though we have plans to visit Japan in the somewhat near future and we've just made plans to visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 2023. 

Our neighborhood just got a new Burmese restaurant that I wanted to try, so I decided to do a whole staycation around it. The only things we know about Burma/Myanmar* are not great, so I thought we'd learn what makes the country awesome, besides the food, which is pretty wonderful. Top Burmese opened during the pandemic and immediately figured out how to stand out and stay open. 

They have a nice outdoor seating area and when indoor seating came back, they introduced robot wait staff. They still have regular wait staff, but many of the dishes and takeout orders are brought by robot to limit contact between people. They also have a robot at their bar that picks up glasses and helps the human bartender. 

We both went in to pick up food and had to wait a few minutes for our order to be ready. We took a seat and watched these awesome robots do their jobs really flawlessly. They are limited to food inside, as they can't make it over the threshold to serve outside and humans deliver any alcoholic beverages and also take orders and interact with guests as they normally would (just a bit less frequently asking if you need anything). In short, they are doing things efficiently and keeping staff and patrons as safe as possible. I'm excited to eat there in person when I feel more comfortable doing so.

before we get to food, let's talk about the decor at home. I ordered two backdrops, but I either misplaced the second one or it disappeared somewhere in the month I received it and did this destination date night. But let's not talk about my problems and instead focus on the good backdrop I had that overlooks the city and has gorgeous temples in the distance, really showcasing what is most important to the people of Burma. 

I know the country has beautiful beaches, so I pulled out my beach backdrop with bright blue waters, white sand, and palm trees, all of which can be found in abundance on the coast, even near Yangon, the country's capital. There's such an interesting juxtaposition between poor-looking cities, gorgeous beaches, and decadent temples. I can see why so many travelers love this place. 

I brought in some tropical leaves for our table, a hand painted parasol (one of Burma's must-buy souvenirs) and a flag. I brought back my leaf bowls for small foods and my pale yellow plates to add color to this wonderful meal. I really wanted the food to stand out and it did, though it didn't really need my help.

Cheers! We have takeout drinks, so bars can continue to function and many restaurants are allowing alcohol to go home in pick-up food orders. For this reason, I ordered something called the Yangon City Pass. It's sugar cane juice with lemongrass-infused rum and it was light and refreshing and you could easily drink 3 more before realizing what a terrible idea it was. I ordered Eric a mocktail called the Pagoda Spritzer. It was a bit sweet and a bit tart, which is everything he likes: lemon balm, pear juice, raw apple cider, and mint. 

There were so many good things on the menu, we opted to try a little bit more than usual by ordering 3 appetizers and just one entrée. Here's what we have: tamarind spicy wings, vegetable samosas, and garlic quail eggs. Tamarind is a common spice in southeast Asia and is used quite often in street food. These wings were delightfully spicy, but not hot. I could have eaten quite a few more. If you've not eaten a samosa, you have to. We get these quite often when we have Indian, but these tasted so fresh, despite being fried, and the dipping sauce wasn't overpowering. 

The quail eggs were...something entirely else. They are called Burmese Land Pearls and they are boiled and deep fried whole and marinated lime, black beans, garlic oil and chili. I will say these are different than anything I've ever eaten. I'm still not sure if I liked them or not. They were crunchy on the outside, but like an unseasoned deviled egg inside. We did eat them all though, so they weren't bad. I suspect it was a case of wondering what we actually thought of them.

For our main, I chose chicken paratha. A mild chicken curry is served with toasted Burmese soft flatbread. It's sort of like a cross between a tortilla and a naan and I am here for eating baskets and baskets of it. It's there to use as a utensil of sorts for your chicken and was served with pickled cucumbers (not pickles) and jalapeños. I could eat this frequently and not get sick of it. It's so good. I am also excited to try any of their gigantic salads that are super colorful and fresh. 

We watched a few walking tours while we ate, because that's what you do when street food is on the menu. One was a walking tour of Yangon, another was a tour of Yangon's street foods and the markets they sell them in, and then we took a temple tour, because how can you not?

After our meal we, of course, had dessert. I ordered two, because I wanted a variety and also because I wasn't sure that one would be that good. The Burmese Dessert Cake looked interesting, but could have gone either way. It has a squishy texture, if you're into that, and isn't overly sweet. It's made with suji wheat and butter, and then topped with sesame seeds. If you like a more savory dessert, this is for you. The second dessert was sweet paratha. It's a pan-toasted paratha that is served with sugar cane whipped topping. It tasted a lot like a crepe this way, but I thought the difference between both desserts was interesting and really delicious. 

(We've since gone to eat outside at Top Burmese to try more foods. We had the ginger salad, mango wings, chicken and vegan samosas, beef coconut curry, kneaded fish rice, strawberry falooda, and coconut ice cream. I tried the Pegu Club drink, that I really enjoyed. You can see their menu here.)

This was a fun and unique destination date which I would definitely be happy to repeat with different food and activities. You could use this as a learning opportunity for the civil unrest* in the country or really just enjoy the beauty the country has to offer in different places.

Here are some things we used to make our Myanmar staycation unique:

• A background
• The one shown
• A waterside temple
• Beach scene
• A painted parasol
• A Burma flag
• Myanmar tea blend
• A Burmese cookbook
• Burmese jade bracelet
• Myanmar essential culture guide
• Vintage travel art
• Palm leaf decor
• Palm leaf table runner
• Linen burlap-look tablecloth
• YouTube playlist. Here are some of the ones we watched:
• Walking tour of downtown Yangon
• Myanmar street food tour
• Traveling to Mandalay
• Burma temple tour

I hope you use this time to learn about a new travel destination. Even if you can't travel right now, you can still do some armchair traveling like we're doing. It gives you something fun to plan and allows you to immerse yourself in a new culture without leaving home, making it the ultimate in budget travel and a way to get away while you're saving for your next big trip.

Have you ever traveled to Southeast Asia?

*If you haven't been following the military coup in Myanmar, this is a very significant thing happening. Long story short, the country had an election, but the person who won was instead overthrown by the military (which has a very long and terrible history and why many women are fleeing to become refugees in other countries and risking everything to walk hundreds or thousands of miles with little to no belongings and children they may have) and they are indiscriminately murdering and kidnapping citizens who are protesting, and even those that aren't. Because of the terrifying situation, many have started protesting by not going to work, as the military has been snatching people off the street for going about daily life. If you're on Twitter, search #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar. For the record, I stand with the people of Myanmar. This is unacceptable and shows exactly what could have happened in America if our former president was able to get his way. Luckily, our military doesn't work for the president and they have integrity.

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