It’s that time of year! Time for joyous family gatherings, big laughter, delicious smells, indulgent meals, games around a fire. Here’s the problem: You have to drive hundreds of miles over the proverbial river and through the woods to get to Grandma’s house to have all this family fun. Maybe you pack into a crowded plane or perhaps you cram your family into a car that – let’s face it – never seems to have enough room. Between “are we there yet” and “I’m hungry,” traveling during the holidays can be challenging. Here are some helpful ideas to make your trip a little easier. 
Snacks
Packing one more bag is the last thing you want to think about, but taking an extra moment to throw together a few snacks for the kids, and you, can save time and money on a long trip.
Toddlers
- Puffs
- Goldfish or Annie’s Bunnies
- Dried fruits
Big Kids
- Trail mix
- Animal crackers
- Turkey slices/jerky
- String cheese
- Pita chips
- Mini muffins
- Apple slices
- Oranges/clementines
- Yogurt tubes (like Gogurt)
- Granola bars
Airplane Snacks
- Goldfish or Annie’s Bunnies
- Raisins
- String cheese
- Wheat Thins
- Pretzels
- No nuts or peanut butter! You never know when a friendly flight attendant’s voice will come over the speaker and say “This is a nut-free flight,” when you packed nothing but celery and peanut butter
Games
I’m certain most of us have memories of riding in a car and picking out license plates from other states, or finding letters of the alphabet. If you choose to forgo screen time while traveling, consider playing an old-fashion game of ABCs or try one of these other fun time-passing travel games.
- I Spy. It’s a classic!
- 20 Questions. Put on your thinking caps!
- Rest Stop Olympics. I thought of this after a mishap at a rest stop where my husband dropped me and our daughter off in front, and went to look for a parking space, only to realize that the parking lot led him back onto the highway until he was able to turn around at the next exit. Panic set in and we ended up skipping around until he pulled back in the entrance. Make up your own activities and work off that pent up energy.
- Mad Libs-style storytelling. Each family member makes up a portion of the story. When I play this with my daughter, we always end up with a princess in our story. You can even record the story on your phone and transcribe it into a printed book, a cute idea for a holiday gift.
- Animal Name Game. Everyone names an animal that starts with the last letter of the animal said before them. So, donkey could lead to Yorkshire terrier, which could lead to reindeer, which could lead to rhinoceros, which could lead to sloth, which could lead to hippopotamus, etc.
Safe travels and happy holidays!
By Claire Frost, contributing writer and editor of House of Frost – a blog about family, fashion, food and furnishing with a little sparkle.
Leave a Reply