‘Tis the season to go to the airport! Whether you are traveling via plane, train, or automobile, adding children to the itinerary makes everything more exciting. Military families are often separated from extended family and our Monterey military community is no exception. The benefit that many service members have here is additional time away from the job to make travel back home easier.
Here are a few tips to make your trip an enjoyable part of your vacation.
Road Trips
If you are gearing up for a road trip with your kids, start by planning on a longer trip time. Build in plenty of stops, including scheduled stops for food and stretching, as well as as-needed restroom visits. Since you have to make all of those stops anyway, consider finding fun things to see along the way. If you go into your trip having made peace with the frequent stopping that comes with kids in the car, you’ll be able to stay relaxed and enjoy the journey.
Audiobooks are a great option for long car trips with older children. With a library card, you can even download books from the library’s Hoopla database. Check out their selection of movies, TV shows, and music to keep your road trip going. Snacks are also your best friend. Have some on hand that are easy to eat in the car and some that require you to stop for a break. An impromptu family picnic may just end up being a special memory for years to come.
Airplane Travel
Trips by airplane come with their own challenges. It can be especially stressful to travel with young children on a plane, as they can be impacted by delays, confined quarters on the plane, and changes in pressure during the flight. Nursing or bottle feeding during take off and landing can help them deal with changes in pressure. If you are still in the diaper stage, try to board each flight with a fresh diaper to minimize the chance that you will have to use the tiny airplane bathroom. If you do have to do a mid-flight diaper or outfit change, know that you have now joined an elite club of super moms and dads. Trust me, it will be a funny story very soon.
For older children, embrace the technology available to you. Involve your child in choosing a movie or show to watch together on the flight. If there is ever a time to extend your child’s allowable screen time, a long flight is it. Pick up a cheap headphones splitter to allow you both to listen to the audio while bonding over a new movie.
If you’re staying in town . . .
If you are unable to be with family and friends this holiday season, join your military community and participate in the fun events happening on base this month. Highlights include the Annual Tree Lighting at NPS, Corks & Forks wine tasting, Teddy Bear Tea, and Christmas Dinner Buffet.
Happy holidays and happy travels!
Katie Begley is a Navy veteran and military spouse. Katie is an advertising sales executive for Monterey Bay Parent Magazine. She is the mother of a 1 year-old son and expecting her second child this month.