12 Ways to Reduce Travel Stress for a Better Family Trip

22 Mar 2021

Even though travelling is mostly viewed as a fun and relaxing experience, sometimes it can be quite stressful, especially when travelling with kids. Positive aspects include things such as taking time to relax and enjoy ourselves, learning new things, increasing cultural awareness, spending quality time with our spouse and kids and making family memories, to name just a few. On the other hand, some negative aspects of travelling revolve around packing, financial concerns, making different travel arrangements, flight delays and transportation, among other things. If you’re planning a family trip and you already feel anxious about it, keep on reading to learn about some effective ways to reduce travel stress. There are some essential things to consider and products to bring when you’re travelling.

1. Know your budget

When planning a family trip, the most important initial stressor is usually your budget. It’s essential to be realistic and set a budget that you can afford, so you can plan accordingly. Travelling is a big expense and it can cost a lot of money, so we need to take it into consideration seriously. It’s always better to choose a trip that you can afford and enjoy than to go on a trip where you can’t spend too much money as it already costs a lot.

2. Plan and book promptly

Planning ahead is also a key factor in reducing stress. When we pre-plan, we are usually able to factor in many details and we feel prepared and ready, which also directly influences our stress levels in a positive way – it reduces it. Booking train or plane tickets, hotels or apartments ahead can also be a huge advantage as by doing so, we usually get some discounts and pay less.

3. Do things in advance

In order to have a stress-free family trip, we should consider some things we can do in advance, before the trip. These small things can mean a lot during travelling. For example, women take care of their appearance, put on makeup, do their hair, pamper their skin – these are the things they also do on a trip. We should think about the things we can do beforehand, to have more time to spend with our families. One such thing that would reduce getting-ready time every day is getting lash extensions.

4. Don’t have high expectations

Rule number one: don’t expect a family trip to be ideal. Expect that there will be some downsides as well as negative things, things you didn’t expect or imagined to be different. This is perfectly normal.

5. Do your research about the place you’re visiting

In order to be somewhat prepared, we should do research about the place we’re planning to visit. The internet gives us numerous possibilities with all kinds of blogs, pictures and shared experiences. Take advantage of that to learn about some sights you should see, places you should visit, the food you should try and so on.

6. Brings along things for entertainment

Remember to pack electronic devices, toys and snacks to have them as last resort entertainment things.

7. Listen to every family member and their suggestions

Take into consideration every family member and their opinion or suggestion. The point of a family trip is to fulfill everyone’s wishes.

8. Leave some free time

Don’t organize a full daily schedule of all kinds of exhausting activities. Your kids might be tired and cranky, which can have a negative effect on the whole experience. It’s best to leave some free time for resting or some fun, last-minute activities.

9. Limit screen time but stay connected

It’s important to limit your kids’ (and yours) screen time, so you can fully enjoy your holiday. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be connected to the world. Be up-to-date about local and global happenings.

10. Pack smart

Packing smart is a skill that is quite useful, but that many people lack. It means packing only the essential things, in the right way in the suitcase. There are some savvy packing techniques you can look up online. Also, have every member of your family carry their own things – it will be easier for everybody.

11. Wear comfortable clothes

There’s nothing worse than wearing uncomfortable clothes on a trip. Make sure everybody has packed comfy clothes and shoes, as well as different weather condition clothes. Feeling good in your own skin will definitely reduce your travel stress.

12. Be early

Being constantly late everywhere and not knowing whether you’ll manage to catch a flight or a train are major stressors for people who are never on time. Make sure that you leave on time, or even sometime before the supposed time, so you can be there early. In this way, you’re able to start your journey relaxed and calm instead of stressed and in a rush.

Travelling with your family can be an amazing experience, if you prepare, plan and book ahead as well as factor in different unexpected issues related to all travelling aspects.

Maggie Holmes

Maggie Holmes is a passionate blogger who is extremely keen on writing about home travel, lifestyle, pets, renovation, fashion, and technology. Her exclusive hobby is to surf the net to find amazing articles that can inspire her with some fresh ideas for article writing. She loathes being a common person who wastes her time.