How to Keep Your Family Happy & Healthy While Traveling
You’ve made hotel arrangements, filled the car with gas, packed some snacks, mapped your route, and planned your activities for your next family vacation! But what happens when you’ve overbooked your day, didn’t pack enough snacks, or don’t get enough sleep? The fun can definitely be sucked out the the vacation when you don’t factor in s few things that can really help your family feel happy, rested and healthy while traveling.
Of course, you cannot control how everything goes when you travel, or any time in life, but you can set yourself (and your family) up for success.
Through many years of countless family vacations, I’ve come up with a list of things that general help our family enjoy each day of our vacation.
Pack snacks. Any parent knows that you will want to bring along some types of snacks when you leave the house. I think being careful about the types of snacks you bring is really important. Consider bringing things that are not too sugar loaded so that you can avoid a crash after they’ve eaten it. A few of our favorites are protein bars, fresh fruit, sandwiches, yogurt, carrots & hummus, and baby bell cheese.
We also let kids pick up a treat at a pit stop, but my hope is balancing the sugar with a few healthier options will tip the scales in the right direction.
A few of our family’s favorite travel snacks
2. Schedule in downtime. This one can be challenging for me especially when we are visiting a new city because I don’t want to miss out on anything. I’ve found that when we plan in some rest breaks everyone is more cheerful, more kind, more patient, and we have more fun together.
Taking a nap is a rare thing at home, so even heading back to the hotel or Airbnb for an hour or two in the afternoon to rest a bit will be appreciated by the entire family. Even if you don’t have young kids who really need a nap, older kids will benefit from stretching their legs out in bed. They may even be surprised to discover that they will doze off for a bit.
Playing games is a perfect way to relax and enjoy some downtime together
3. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated can be a key to keeping energy high. Each person in our family bring a water bottle when we travel so we can keep it filled and always have water with us.
4. Walk when you can. Getting exercise and moving outdoors is a great way to stay healthy and keep the blood pumping. Of course, if you can tell that your family simply won’t be taking another step without a revolt, use good judgment and find another way to get to your destination. Walking lends itself to big cities, so figure out what works best for your location. Even if it’s just walking a block or two from the hotel to dinner, it’s good to get moving!
Exploring San Francisco on foot with our kids
5. Plan one main activity per day. This goes hand in hard with #2 and planning some downtime. Choose the big thing that you want to do/see/accomplish each vacation day and then do it. You will find other things to happily fill your time like playing at a park, spending a few hours at the beach, or browsing a museum. You will avoid feeling rushed or stressed if you know you have accomplished your bog goal of the day and can then just enjoy the rest of the day slowing enjoying a few other activities together.
6. Get a Treat. After all of your walking and exploring, it’s fun to get a treat. My advice is just to balance out the treats with healthy food along the way. If you know that you are going to have an ice cream sundae in the afternoon, think about skipping the coconut banana syrup covered waffles at breakfast and go with a hearty omelet instead. Or if you know you’ll be near a favorite bakery after dinner, skip the ice cream cone after lunch. If you want both the cookie and ice cream, consider splitting them with other family members so you can enjoy it all, but just not eat as much.
Treat time! Enjoying raspberry and strawberry shortcake at Chase Farms near Rochester, New York
7. Be flexible. It’s funny that almost every one of my podcast guests says that being flexible is an important part of family travel. I totally agree! When we are flexible and can adapt to changes in our travel plans, we will feel less stress and more happiness. the important thing to remember is that you are on vacation with your family. Embrace the moment and don’t let things sidetrack your gratitude for the experiences you get to have together. Everyone reacts to circumstances differently. Some people find it easy to go with the flow and take whatever happens in their stride. Others get anxious when the unexpected happens. Try and plan as much of your trip as you can and arm yourself with everything you need such as personalized travel information and an itinerary that leaves plenty of room for relaxing and unexpected delays.
8. Get sleep. Sometimes it can be hard to get a good night’s sleep in a new place, but it’s important to try! Sleep can be a game-changer in having a positive day. Attempt to not stay up too late. I know I love to look through my pictures from the day when I’m traveling and post to social media. But that can take a lot of time, so I need to be careful not to get sucked into that task and then miss out on an hour of sleep each night.
Select flights are drive times so that they will work well with your family’s sleep schedule. If you end up booking an early flight, plan in some nap time that day or get to bed early that night so that you will be ready for the next day. I’ve pushed too hard and missed out on sleep and have regretted it.
These are all simple things that can really add up to making your family vacation a positive and happy experience for everyone in your family. With some intentional planning, you will hopefully avoid meltdowns and be able to focus on making memories together as a family.
