Traveling With Your Grandchildren

So you’ve decided it’s a great idea to take your grandkids on a Christmas cruise, or to fly them to Paris with you to see some world class art. Before you shell out for those tickets, make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into. Traveling with kids can be tough, especially if you don’t have their parents around to be the stern disciplinarians. Here are some tips for planning a smooth vacation with your favorite little ones.

Planning and Preparing for the Trip

Talk with their parents: Get the insider scoop on what sorts of travel diversions and hotel amenities are likely to keep the kids entertained during the long and tedious parts of vacationing.
Face homesickness: If you’ve never traveled with your grandkids without their parents, go for a test run first. Travel a few hours by car to an exciting destination, or have them stay over with you for the weekend. A big, trans-continental flight is not the time to learn that little Suzy is going to cry for her mom the entire trip.
Let them help: Look over activities together, and let your grandkids choose ones that seem interesting or exciting to them. This can help overcome any fear or homesickness they may be feeling about the trip.
Be realistic: Remember that you don’t have to agree to everything your grandchild wants to do. While their dream vacation might be Disneyland, the thought of spending a week at a crowded, overpriced theme park might be torture for you. Don’t compromise what is necessary for you to enjoy yourself on the trip.

On Travel Day

Be Flexible: In case you’ve forgotten, traveling with kids takes forever. Always make sure you have plenty of extra time to catch a flight; having a time buffer will keep you from getting stressed.
Pack Food: Whether you’re going by plane or car, traveling can mean that you don’t always have access to food when the kids will need it the most. To avoid crabbiness and grumpiness, pack plenty of food, so they can eat when they want to on the go. Besides the usual junk, make sure to pack something proteinous; something as simple as a peanut butter sandwich can keep a travel weary kid from throwing a temper tantrum.
Pack Fun: Now is not the time to worry about how much TV your grandkids are watching. If the portable DVD player is going to keep them happy on that 6 hour flight, then by all means pack it. Don’t forget about coloring books, reading material, music, or anything else that might come in useful in a pinch.
Pack for the worst case scenario: If your grandkid is 90 percent potty trained, pack as if it is inevitable that they will have an accident on the airplane or in the car. Having an extra change of clothes on hand isn’t a bad idea for any younger kids, for that matter. Bring baby wipes in case of motion sickness on the plane or in the car.