Travelling with kids always seems like a great way to spend your holidays, but then the day of the flight comes. You have to seemingly fight them every step of the way, and the whole time you can feel your stress levels rising. If this sounds all too familiar, taking a look at these 5 strategies will change your life.

Find Someone to Take you from A to B

When you have someone who can take from A to B without the stress and hassle of having to do everything yourself, it can save you a lot of time, money, and effort. They’re the things every parent needs if they’re to keep the kids happy, so make sure you have everything booked and organised before you leave. It may not seem all that important right now, but come the big day you’ll be glad you put in that little bit of extra planning.

Pack Electronic Entertainment, and a Battery Pack

Tablets and handheld consoles are a sure-fire way to keep the little ones entertained for hours at a time. The one difficulty you may run into is the battery life of these kinds of devices, so you might want to think about investing in a couple of mobile power packs. As long as there are no restrictions on travelling with them, you’ll be able to keep the kids entertained for hours. Just what you need when you want to make the travelling quicker and easier than it has ever been.

Headphones are a Great Way to Keep the Kids Quiet

Headphones are another essential no parent should let the kids leave home without. The first reason they are great is because this means you won’t have to listen to all the sound effects and noises from games and videos. The other, equally important, reason is that they’ll stop all manner of arguments dead in their tracks. If one of the kids is playing and making all the noise, it won’t be long before the other is trying to crank up their volume so they can dominate the airwaves. Before you know it, you have far too much noise bouncing around, and you’ll barely be able to hear yourself think. Pack a couple of pairs of headphones, and the noise should instantly go away.

Keep Snacks in the Car so You don’t Have to Break Your Stride

If you’re travelling for an extended period of time, be it by train, plane, or car, make sure you have a secret supply of snacks. You don’t want to let on that you have a never-ending supply because before you know it, it’ll be gone. But you also don’t want to come empty handed and then have to hear moaning every 5 minutes. Choose a few of the favourites, take plenty of drinks, and get ready to keep the kids in line with ease. It’ll save you so much stress that you’ll wonder why you never thought of it before.

Travel at the Quietest Times of the Day to Dodge Traffic Jams

If you can, travel when it’s quiet. There’s no better way to ensure your kids are all amped up and hyper than hitting the airports and roads at peak times, so travel when everyone else is asleep. It might mean a few antisocial starts, but it will save you a lot of stress along the way. The great thing about starting early is that you’ll also arrive early, which is ideal if you want to get everyone out and about, so they can stretch their legs, fill their tummies, and then tire themselves out before bed.

Rebecca is a translator by day, and a traveler mostly at night. She is an expert on living with jet lag – and packing in tiny suitcases. You can read more of her exploits at RoughDraft