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What It's Like to Travel With Kids During the Holidays

21 Things That Inevitably Happen When You Travel With Kids During the Holidays

Nov 9 2018

My family usually hits the road for the holidays, heading to the beach with my extended family for a holiday that only in the last year (when my son was almost 4 and my daughter was almost 7) began to feel like one. Before that, it was a stressful trip that took so much time and energy to execute that if it wasn't for that alluring Florida sunshine, I might not have gone.

Between buying and wrapping gifts early so I could ship them to our destination in time for Santa's arrival to renting baby supplies we couldn't fit in our suitcases to throwing our rules about screen time and sugar consumption out the window, travelling with kids for the holidays is a jolly sh*tshow. But hey, the holidays are all about togetherness, right? And nothing brings more togetherness than being stuck in a tiny condo for a week (or even better, a car for an eight-hour-plus drive) with your toddlers. If you're planning a trip with your kids over the holidays — to Grandma's house or somewhere more exotic — here are 21 things you need to prepare yourself for.

Image Source: Everett Collection

1. You Start Packing a Month in Advance

Take your normal holiday stress plus the stress of travelling with kids, and bam, you're in overload long before you hit the road. To counter your anxiety (and make sure you don't forget anything), you start packing a month in advance, turning a spare room into a stageing space you add items to every five minutes or so.

Image Source: The CW

2. You Pack Books . . . and Never Read Them

For a second, you'll forget you're travelling with kids during a time when there literally is no downtime (thanks, Saint Nick!), and you'll throw in that book you've been trying to read since Labor Day. You'll bring it home still unopened, if it even makes it out of the car.

Image Source: Disney

3. Screen Time Rules Will Go Out the Window

Maybe you monitor your kids' screen time like a boss at home; on a trip (and during the holidays in general), those rules are most likely as forgotten as is your vow to eat healthy. Whatever makes your kid as quiet as a mouse — even if it's three straight hours of YouTube — is just fine with you.

Image Source: Nickelodeon

4. You Appreciate WiFi More Than Ever

WiFi at your house is smooth sailing, so easy in fact that you barely even think about it. But at the grandparents' house, at hotels, and at rental properties, suddenly connecting to WiFi — both for yourself and your kids' devices — seems like an impossibly difficult task. Why can't Grandma remember her network's freaking password!?

Image Source: Fox

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5. You Become a Holiday Hype Gal

Maybe your kids really don't want to spend Christmas at Uncle Bob's or you're feeling guilty (see below) about not delivering a picture-perfect Christmas at home. Either way, you'll find yourself hyping up a holiday that you didn't think could be hyped any more. Who's excited for Christmas, kids!?

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6. You Get Even More Desperate to Make the Holidays Special

Travelling over the holidays means you're giving up most of the control over holiday decor and traditions, so you'll try to pick up the slack in the most ridiculous ways. Matching Christmas pajamas, Santa hats, light shows, extra gifts, perfectly wrapped presents, and awesome Advent calendars are sure to make this your kid's favourite holiday yet, right?

Image Source: ABC

7. You Feel Guilty About Something

What's a holiday season — or motherhood in general — without a side of guilt? Odds are at least one of your kids is going to express disappointment over a gift they didn't get, Grandma's lackluster artificial tree, or having to miss their friend's Christmas party, and even though you know you've worked your ever-loving tail off, you'll still feel a twinge of guilt.

Image Source: The CW

8. You Experience Air Travel Anger

You know what's less fun than flying with small children during the busiest travel time of the year? Umm . . . we're still thinking. So get mentally prepared (and prepare to order a couple bad glasses of aeroplane wine) in order to make it through in one piece.

Image Source: Universal Pictures

9. You're Forced to Childproof All Over Again

Grandma's house might look lovely for the holidays, but she still hasn't gotten the memo that all those crystal vases and glass bowls displayed at at toddler height just aren't going to survive your kids. And that rental condo you scored on the beach? Well, it's basically a death trap with exposed wires, sharp corners, and a rickety old crib. Don't forget to pack those outlet covers!

Image Source: Paramount Pictures

10. You Forget Something Important

One thing's guaranteed: you're going to forget at least one thing. Best case scenario it's something you left at home that can be replaced on a quick run to Target or CVS. Worst case? You leave your child's iPad on the plane and can't recover it or, even more tragic, you somehow misplace the stuffed animal your child hasn't been able to sleep without since birth.

Image Source: Nickelodeon

11. You Get More Creative Than Ever With Gifts

If you're travelling by plane, you have two options. One, buy, wrap, and ship all your gifts far enough in advance that Santa (and UPS) can deliver them on time. Or two, get super creative with what constitutes a gift. Going to the beach with a kid who's grown two inches since the Summer? Guess who's getting new swimsuits and sandals!? Flying across the country to see the grandparents? Bring on the gift cards! Compact, packable, and functional are on your wish list.

Image Source: Fox

12. You Accumulate So Much Stuff, You'll Have to Ship It Home

Even though you were so smart about buying easy-to-pack gifts and lining your suitcase only with the necessities, everyone else in your life wasn't as thoughtful. Hence why your kids got a 1,200-piece Lego kit, two pairs of snow boots, and a stuffed animal that's taller than she is. You find yourself spending more to ship your gifts home than they actually cost. Genius.

Image Source: Universal Pictures

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