5 Family Travel Tips for the Holidays
As Chanukah and Christmas approach, many of us will be traveling for some of the holiday season. In addition to regular travel for just a vacation, this time of year also requires the "gift giving, spirituality, and family time" as an added component. Here's some of our favorite ways our family makes this as easy as possible.
1. Look at the Month Ahead:
This will always be my first piece of advice. If you have a major vacation planned at the end of January, keeping this on the more minimal end may be a smart way to go. If you have a huge work event the week you return, then let's plan ahead so that when the holidays come you're not stressed or working.
2. Keep the Values in Check:
It's not about gifts, it's about memories. The story of Chanukah is powerful, midnight mass is special, let's keep the main thing the main thing. This includes volunteering, encouraging your child to give a gift to a friend in the class that's new, or sending a thoughtful text message to a cousin who lives far away.
3. Less Is More With Travel, Except for Food:
We try to avoid checking in bags whenever possible, remember you can buy diapers almost anywhere so enough for a few days until you shop is plenty.
Do you really need 16 different pairs of earrings?
On the flip side, make sure you have plenty of food. There is literally NOTHING worse than being stranded at the airport because your flight got delayed with hungry kids. Either pack heavy on the snacks and foods, or be prepared to become best friends with Hudson News. If you're driving, eating and snacks are a huge fun activity for toddlers too.
Breaded chicken cutlets (shnitzel), deli sandwiches, chick patties, hardboiled eggs, and bagels are some of our favorite "main foods".
4. Mail and Ship Whatever You Can That Will be Helpful to you or your Hosts :
Don't travel with your hostess gift unless it's something homemade etc..
Otherwise order it there! We like to order it directly to their house it'll save a TON of time and space.
For us, we fly a lot more since we moved. This means that as much as I would love to bring my Bubby's MandelBreadt, ordering a fun sushi board is a much better option. It shows your hosts you realize all they're doing, without schlepping extra. Something practical like a platter, new game for the family, or sponsoring cleaning, help shows the people you're staying with that you truly appreciate them and their hard work.
5. Bring Blankets:
Sleeping on a plane, cozying up in the backseat, or sleeping in a new bed, are all reasons why having a soft yummy blanket will make your trip that much easier.
Use our printables to keep track of presents, thank you's, enjoy our packing list and more.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!