- Life is Better Traveling

Must-have car items for kids on longer trips.

You may not be flying anywhere, but traveling by car is a must for family trips this summer. Our family travels all over the Tri-state area during the summertime, which means long car rides. So what are my must-have items every time we have a car ride? I am about to give away my favorite, must-have items:

1. Smart tablets. I am a huge proponent of bringing along the Smart tablet or DVD player for the car, if your car doesn’t have a built in system already. Since so many phones can act as hotspot, why not bring the Smart tablet and let the kids play some educational games or watch some movies.
2. Snacks. As soon as we leave the house, the first things I always hear is “what is for a snack?” Pack a cooler with their favorite snack and drinks. I even pack a few bottles of milk for the kids to help curb their appetites until we are able to stop for a meal.
3. Blanket and Pillow. It may be hot outside, but inside the car the air-conditioner is blowing full blast. My kids are always telling me they are cold, so I pack a small blanket for each one of them, and they bring a small pillow to lay their heads against in their car seats. Sometimes they even fall asleep and the silence in the car is so relaxing.
4. Dollar bin items. It is amazing what you can find at your favorite stores dollar bin. Some of my favorite items to grab for less than $3 are the coloring items. At one of the stores we go to, right in the front they have their $5 and under bins. They change the items seasonally but it also seems weekly. There have been various bags with the kids favorites characters and in each bag there are coloring pencils, pads of paper, stickers, and erasers. This item is great for the car, the restaurant, and the hotel room.
5. Games, Games, Games. There are so many games you can play such as “I Spy with my Little Eye…” or “License Plate” where you don’t need any additional materials to play. One of my favorite games to make is Car Bingo. You can make your own version using cardboard paper or buy one at the store, but there are various items you need to see such as a cow or a food truck. You either close the flap on the board, or but an “X” over the item, and the first person to get to their items crossed off either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins Car Bingo.

There are so many fun ways to make your car trip exciting, and these are just a few of my favorite must-have items to help the time pass on our car rides. I hope you can tell us some of your favorite must-have car items, and remember…Life is Better Traveling!

Fill out the form below to get started planning your next European Vacation. Looking for a motor coach tour, self-drive, or private tour, we can easily put together the perfect European vacation for you and your family’s needs.

When you book your vacation with a member of the Life is Better Traveling Team, you are supporting local families and business. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past 4 years, we have become an AMAZING travel agency due to your support!

Name *

First

Last

E-mail *

Confirm Email

Phone *

Destination(s) *

What is your Budget for this vacation for flights, hotels, transfers, rail, tours/sight-seeing, and travel protection? NOTE: If you do not put a budget into the box we do not return requests. *

Please understand we get several requests per day for European vacations. We provide experiences for our clients that provide a lot of value. If you are looking for a budget vacation, that is NOT us.

Dates of Travel *

How many days will you be traveling? *

How many people will be traveling in your party?

Airport preference for departure in US

Additional Information or thoughts you have regarding this vacation?

Mary's is an expert with a wealth of knowledge in European Vacations. Her expertise is why people work with time and time again. She charges a travel planning fee starting at $300 per trip. Do you understand that the customized planning will come with a fee? Ye

Website

Flying with kids Pt III

Liz Hough on

How to Keep Your Sanity

You survived preparation and you kept them occupied at the gate. Now comes the most challenging time, keeping them occupied on the plane. In parts 1 and 2 of my series I talked about how I get the look of “you better keep those kids quiet on this flight or I am not going to be happy” and how to keep them occupied at the airport terminal. But each time we fly, we get complimented on how well behaved our children were on the flight.

I know it is not easy flying with kids, but I want to give you some tips that may help you get those same compliments on your next flight.

Don’t rush to board the plane. The sooner you get on the plane the sooner the kids start to ask when is the plane leaving. If it is a large flight and you have per-arranged seating, then take your time boarding.
Talk to the flight attendants as you step foot on the plane. There is always at least one flight attendant there to welcome you, ask them how their day is going or if this is their first or last flight of the day. My husband always makes good with the flight attendant so if we ever need anything, they are much quicker to respond to us.
Make sure you have everything you need in the bag you are going to put under the chair in front of you. You can easily get to the bag under the chair but not the one in the overhead bin.
Let the kids sit where they want to. Even if you have assigned seating and you are assigned the window but they want it, give it to them. If you have two or more kids that want the window seat, then tell them that each of them will have the seat for a certain amount of time.
Wipe down the tray tables, arm rests, and seat belts with antibacterial wipes. Once the kids start asking for their toys, you will feel better giving it to them to play with on a clean surface.

Tips for keeping the kids occupied:

Get out those window clings I talked about in Part 2 of this series. While waiting for everyone else to board the plane and/or during take-off they can decorate the window and the underside of the tray table.
Books are always a good thing to have on the flight. I personally find that small coloring books, sticker books, and/or wipe-down books are fun for the kids and keeps them occupied for some time.
Yes, I dare say it… SMART TABLET! Before you leave your house, load movies onto their or your smart tablet. Nowadays, when you purchase a DVD of a movie you sometimes get the Digital HD version too. Download them so the kids have a movie or two to watch. You can also download some of their favorite games to play, but just make sure that they won’t need WiFi to play them.
When the flight attendants bring drinks, this is usually a good time to give the kids their favorite snack. Even though they may have eaten a meal at the airport, giving them a snack helps keep their energy up and you won’t have that hunger meltdown during landing.
If your child is still using a binky or pacifiers make sure you bring plenty along. This helps to keep them calm, and it will also help with their ears for altitude changes. I find that my children fall asleep with having their binky and the gentle sway of the airplane. This makes me happy because now I have time to relax and take in a movie too.
Bring a small blanket and pillow. We have a small blow-up pillow that helps the kids get more comfortable in the seat. They like the sense of cozy with a blanket around them.
Get out their favorite toy. At some point during the flight they may get antsy and start to kick the seat in front of them. A good way to keep your child from kicking the seat in front of them is by putting their favorite toy in the pocket in front of them. They will think you are being silly by putting it there but if I tell my child that her toy needs to be secured in a seat, just as she is, and that the pocket is her toy’s seat, there are no questions. This eliminates kicking the seat and an angry person in that seat.

I hope some of these tips will help you and your family the next time you fly with your little ones, and as always…Life is Better Traveling with SAFE TRAVELS!