I have written about some of our more harried travel adventures previously. The military has taken us far away from our families and we have to travel if we want to spend time with them (or eat good mexican food.) And this often means traveling by myself with the two kids. My earlier post has many great ideas and tips that I've learned specifically about air travel with young kids. But I've also learned that sometimes things just don't go according to plan. And while you can be prepared and minimize the impact of delays and missed flights, they are going to happen occasionally. There is no way around it. When you travel you cannot control the weather, the traffic, the airlines, passengers or countless other variables in the great travel equation. You can be in complete control of your attitude and reactions though.
When we flew home this past New Year's Eve we ended up spending an extra 10 hours in the airport. Have you ever been stuck in an airport with two young children for that long? It wasn't my definition of fun. But God kept reminding me that even in that situation my blessings were abundant. You see, I was going home to see my mother on the same day that one of my best friends was going to her mother's funeral. The delay was inconvenient and exhausting, but it was only one day. And when we finished with it we would be home with family and friends in Texas.
So, I would encourage you to think about your attitude the next time you travel. I know traveling is not easy to do with little ones, but it's worth it. When I see the joy on my grandparents faces when they get to see my kids, it makes the hours in the car and airport seem like nothing. (And besides, when I get there I know they'll take the boys and let me take a nap!)
Have you had any bad travel experiences with little ones? How did you keep a good attitude in that situation?
We are traveling fby plane for the first time at the end of the year! Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteOh my. Travelling with kids IS a challenge. I think the key is to have lots of help. Could you hire a nanny (or high school girl) to travel with you? Maybe a relative could volunteer.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
e-Mom
http://chrysaliscom.blogspot.com
http://susannahsaprons.blogspot.com
This summer we took a trip out to Ohio from Illinois. On the way there we had a really efficient system of me sitting in the backseat with a breast pump - bottle feeding my son and making quick stops every couple hours for a diaper change or bathroom break. Well... on the way back, my breast pump had broke, so we had to stop so I could nurse every few hours, which made the 6 hour trip take 9 hours. Awful!! We ended up spending an hour in Indianapolis in a Sam's Club parking lot. Next time I'm pumping all the milk I'll need ahead of time!
ReplyDelete