Traveling overnight with kids always feels a bit daunting. How terrible will the car ride be? Will they go to sleep when we arrive? Are they going to be so loud that we get kicked out of the hotel?
As a family of five, it can get a bit tricky. We could have all three kids share a bed, but we have a really restless sleeper. She literally kicked her sister out of the bed and onto the floor in the middle of the night a few years ago. This trip, we got the last room available in the hotel. Thankfully it had a sofa bed, so there was plenty of room for everyone. They got cozy in bed and watched some TV before falling asleep. (Shout out to the Holiday Inn Express for having Disney Jr. to watch!)
The biggest tip is to try and stick to a similar routine. Baths before bed time if that is normal. I also always travel with melatonin. It is not something that we typically use at home, so it really helps them to settle down before bed. The kids always have so much energy from being cooped up in a car and excited about a new place. Having something to help them settle down is so helpful.
We also take the sound machine that we use every night. It helped to drown out the sound of the people STOMPING above us all night long. Hotels are fairly noisy even if you don’t have terrible neighbors– doors opening and closing, elevators going, and people coming and going. A sound machine is a life saver.
For our car ride, we no longer have a DVD player. I checked out Adventures in Odyssey audio stories, and it kept the kids entertained for the entire trip. They also love the Melissa & Doug Water Wow! books and Puffy Sticker Activity Books. I can’t recommend them enough. They provide hours of quiet and calm entertainment.
Don’t be afraid of traveling with your kids. I think too many people put their lives on hold when they have children. Now, a question. What are your best travel tips with kids? What would you add?