Tips for Traveling with a Family

6 Tips for staying healthy and sane when traveling as a family 

Alright you planned the vacation, and it’s happening!  Trips are the perfect opportunity for making incredible family memories, but can also be overwhelming and wildly easy to fall off track in terms of your healthy routine.  

Personally, my husband and I knew when we started a family that we didn’t want to just stay home all the time.  We were set on continuing to make adventures happen (now as a party of four!), and we’ve learned a few tricks and tips along the way to make it all a bit easier. I’m sharing those with YOU to keep you exploring with as much ease as possible, so give them a try and see if it helps!

1.When it comes to packing, think SIMPLE.  Staying in a color scheme or incorporating the concept of a casual capsule wardrobe typically works best.   What it means is this – choose items that pair well with one another and that you can wear more than once, so you’re not dealing with SO many clothes that simply don’t work well together.  Bathing suits can easily be rinsed (bonus if your accommodations include a washer/dryer) and shoes should be versatile – think sneakers, flip flops, something appropriate for dinner, and maybe another casual option. 

2. Organization tips – generally we split all our clothes and toiletries between a medium suitcase and garment bag and then take along an additional small carry on with a change of clothes for each of us and any snacks/diapers/essentials we may need handy.  

The same method of madness goes for “gear”… and there’s a LOT of it – especially if you’re traveling with younger kids!  If you need to bring a car seat, grab a Britax travel cart.  You can wheel your little ones around, and it folds up super small for storage on the plane.  It eliminates the stroller for us in the airport (and if we need a stroller, we check it (for free) or just send a cheap one to our destination (honestly, one of the best umbrella ones we own was only $30)!  Airlines will gate check the majority of your stuff and you’ll get to board early. Asking for rows with open seats never hurts either. Most hotels will have cribs or toddler beds, just like flying, request as soon as you can.  

3. Prepping Snacks –  As far as food and snack preparedness goes, your planning can make a MAJOR difference in staying healthy, feeling energized, and saving yourself time and money.   Bring an empty water bottle – I’m digging the Hydroflasks and love Yeti tumblers.  You can fill it over and over again, and it stays cold! You’re saving the environment (and your wallet … why is water so expensive??)

Have snacks that will keep you full.  We love small bags of nuts, fruit (apples, clementines, bananas are relatively easy), and healthy snack bars that curb our sweet tooth but are also packed with protein and fiber to keep us full until the next meal.  If you have a favorite nutrition shake, those can be ideal as well. We even make protein popsicles in the freezer at home!

4. Use Grocery delivery services – I feel like the game has been changed in terms of healthy eating on the road.  If Instacart, PrimeNow, or another store delivers to your location, schedule it! Get your snacks, fruit, drinks, breakfast stuff, diapers, formula, sunscreen… whatever the heck you need.  Then your vacation can instantly start! You could say I’m obsessed.  

5. Dining out – when it comes to dining out find your restaurants by browsing the options on OpenTable or by asking your concierge or a local that appears to know his/her stuff.  Those are the best recommendations, and they’ll help you gauge what you’re looking for and if the spot is going to work for your group. Again, infants and toddlers require some extra accessories, but a plastic cup and one of those reusable suction plates should be all you really need.  We’ve asked for lobster bibs or use napkins as disposable bibs, and ALWAYS request oyster crackers or a something to nibble on as soon as we sit.  

Our toddlers are pretty used to eating healthy, so sometimes the kid’s menu isn’t really their jam.  Most often, we just choose something sharable from the regular menu because they get way more (plus a vegetable) and since they don’t need the “drink included’, it’s actually less expensive anyway.  

If you are “foodies” like we are, get a few things and share!  Ask if the restaurant offers smaller portions because leftovers aren’t usually ideal when you’re away from home.

6. Top Tip = Be Flexible! – If I could give one piece of advice, however, it would be to keep one thing in mind when you’re “relocating” (what we call vacationing as a family), being flexible is KEY.  Your best-laid plans will go awry, your kids won’t sleep (or they will at the worst time), and you’ll always end up walking more than you think (it’s like bonus exercise!).  But deep breaths, sunshine, and cocktails usually help you remember that it’s all worth it.  

AND OF COURSE, MOST IMPORTANTLY –  ENJOY YOUR VACATION! Be fully present and soak up this precious time with your family. These are the memories you’ll cherish forever! …. whether they’re good or bad 😉 

Connect with her here for daily inspo on staying healthy while being a mom

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