Travelling with Kids this Christmas: Tips for Stress-Free Festive Family Adventures

Travelling with Kids this Christmas: Tips for Stress-Free Festive Family Adventures

Travelling with kids at Christmas can be full of joy and excitement. Whether you’re staying with family, visiting far-away friends for playdates, or jetting off to meet Santa in Lapland, your little ones will be making magical Christmas memories wherever they go.

As fun as these adventures are for our little travellers, we get that behind the scenes, all you parents are working so hard to make sure they go as planned. You’re dealing with packing all of those family holiday essentials, long car journeys and airport queues, and dishing out their favourite snacks at the first sign of a tantrum. All that on top of gift-wrapping, stocking filling and generally keeping up that jolly Christmas spirit. So, we’re here to help with some top tips for making festive family adventures a breeze, from making your family holiday packing checklist to prepping tasty travel snacks.

Plan, plan, plan

…and when you think you’re done planning, plan some more. There’s a reason why Father Christmas made a list and checked it twice – travelling around the world at Christmas can be a busy time. Try and book your travel arrangements well in advance so you don’t find yourself stuck in a queue waiting for airport taxis and any onward bus or train journeys. When it comes to your family holiday packing list, keep your travel documents to hand, make sure your phone is fully charged for any e-tickets, and keep any medications, comforters, water and snacks somewhere you can easily reach them. Pack your little one their own suitcase of rucksack for their own treasures and include some new treats for the novelty factor – pocket money toys, comics or a new book.

Share the excitement

Communication with your kids is key if you want your travels to go as smoothly as possible. It’s no surprise that toddlers hate surprises, so try and keep little ones involved as much as possible in the run up to travelling. Explain your itinerary in a way that they’ll understand and tell them the end goal – whether it’s opening presents at Grandma’s house, or building sandcastles on the beach. Sharing the excitement will make sure they understand what’s happening next, and you can even give them something to be responsible for. Perhaps not the passports – but get them involved by letting them pack and carry their own Trunki children’s suitcase or rucksack, or choosing their own festive snacks and toys to have for the journey.

Make the journey fun

Being strapped into a car, plane or bus seat for a few hours can be challenging even for us adults, so putting a little bit of thought into making the journey fun for your little one could go a long way to make everybody’s lives easier. Make a playlist of their favourite Christmas songs, pack some festive snacks and download some Christmas audiobooks. A festive-themed travel activity kit will help keep their brains busy and build up the excitement for the big day. Think sticker and puzzle books, or even a holiday scavenger hunt – create of list of things for your kids to find, and the first to spot them all is the winner – ideal for airports or looking out of car windows. For more fiddly distractions, the Trunki TeeBee Toybox is perfect for keeping all their bits and pieces safely in their lap.

Stock up on festive snacks

Get your kids involved in choosing and making some festive snacks, and you’ll keep them entertained before and during the journey. If you have time, bake gingerbread people and take writing icing with you on your journey, so they can get creative and decorate them on-the-go. Fruit kebabs and chocolate orange rice crispy cakes are also no-fuss snacks that they’ll have fun making and eating. Our lunchbags are perfect for keeping all of your treats safely stashed whilst you travel. 

Make carrying luggage fun

When you’ve got your hands fill of gifts, warm coats and suitcases, the last thing you need is to be dragging around kids’ luggage that isn’t practical. Getting your kids their own Trunki suitcase not only makes packing and travelling fun for them, but it’ll make your life easier too. When they get tired of airport queues they can sit and ride whilst you tow them, and they even come with carry handles so you can easily pick the suitcase up when it’s time to make a dash for the departure gate. With so many colours and characters to choose from, they’ll love picking out a new best friend, and they can even keep them by their side on the plane as hand luggage.                                 

Maintain your Christmas traditions

When you’re away from home with your kids it always helps to keep up the familiar routines they know and love, and Christmas is no exception. Whether it’s putting mince pies and carrots out for Santa and Rudolph, wearing matching PJs on Christmas Eve, or reading their favourite festive storybook before bed, keep your favourite Christmas customs going wherever you are. You can even use your journey to start special new family traditions that they’ll remember for years to come.

Embrace spontaneity

As parents, we’re well versed with detours and unexpected moments, and it’s no different when travelling as a family. If we expect perfection, chances are we won’t get it – so going with the flow as much as you can should make the journey a little more relaxing for everybody. Encourage your kids to share their thoughts and preferences during your trip, so they feel like they have a little bit of control and choice. If they’re tired, take a break; if they’re overwhelmed with a busy airport, find a quiet spot where they can sit with a book. And most importantly, if they’re hungry – snack!

Keep it comfy

Long journeys can be taxing on little bodies, and keeping them comfy will help to make your trip much more pleasant for everybody. A neck pillow will help them nap comfortably – our Yondi range is even ergonomically designed to make sure they get all the support they need whilst they snooze. And when it comes to travelling by car, our clever BoostApak booster transforms from backpack to comfy car seat in seconds – perfect for making sure your kids are safe and comfy in taxis and hire cars.

Travelling with kids at Christmas time can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. By planning ahead, stocking up on snacks and toys and making sure your travel accessories are on point, you and your family will make magical memories to last a lifetime. And although we can’t promise completely tantrum-free journeys, here at Trunki we can certainly help those big trips go a little bit smoother – so you can focus on festive family time.

Check out our range of childrens’ hand luggage, rucksacks and travel accessories, and make those festive family adventures even easier this Christmas.