Traveling with Kids DAY 1

Going anywhere fun this summer?  Will you be traveling with little kids?  Curious on how you are going to survive the traveling part?  Whether it be in the car or on the airplane I have some great tips for you!!!  Over the next couple of days I will be sharing some of my tips that have SAVED me whenever I have traveled.

With my oldest daughter, before we added our son, we traveled A LOT.  In her first year of life we went on SIX, yes SIX, plane ride vacations and 1 car ride vacation…very busy!!!  However, traveling with an infant is very different from traveling with an almost 2-year-old.  And traveling with 1 child is very different from traveling with 2!

Today we will be talking about tip #1:

BE ORGANIZED

A week before any vacation I make a list of everything that we would ever possibly need!  I don’t leave anything out.  Because what happens is the one time you leave one item off your list, you will find it all of a sudden becomes the most important.  For example, one time I forgot to bring medicine for my daughter and one morning she woke up with a fever…since then I haven’t forgotten to bring medicine!!!

I organize my list by person and carry-on.  Under each person’s name I have exactly what that person needs from the essentials like clothes and toiletries to comfort items, such as stuff animals.  I then have what I need to pack for everyone’s carry-on item such as games, snacks and toys.  Having my list helps me pack and when we come home from vacation it helps me to make sure everything is re-packed!!!

Click on image to enlarge

Sometimes when I am packing I will have realized that I forgot to put something on my list, so I will pencil the item in before I even set the item in my suitcase.  There is no worst feeling then realizing you left something at the hotel…it has happened to me a couple times and I haven’t  always gotten the items back.

Lastly, I made my list on the computer and saved it…this serves as my master list.  My list is constantly changing as my kids move in and out of different stages; however, the basics never change.

Do you have any tips on staying organized for a vacation???  Leave us a comment and let us know!