5 THINGS to Remember | Travel With Kids

Hi, my name is Iz Harris. I'm one of the founders of Bright Trip, and I want to talk to you today

about five things that I think you should remember when you're traveling with kids. We have two

little ones, and we've traveled the globe with them to many, many places, but I still need a

few reminders along the way to set my expectations where they should be and enjoy the ride. Number

one, not every single thing has to be a kid thing. This is contrary to popular belief, but I'm telling

you, not every single thing has to be a kid thing. Kids enjoy all sorts of things. And there's ways to

bring together what you love and what your kids love and find like the perfect balance. For instance

fairies. Fairies aren't necessarily a kid thing, but they're something that most kids would just

absolutely love. Or train rides, also not necessarily a kid thing, but something that

kids would love. Get creative with things that you love and your kids could love and then put

those together and do them. It doesn't have to be constant playgrounds and Disney World and things

that kids like. You can find things that you love and that your kids also happen to love that allow

you to actually see the place you're in and do them together. Number two, your kids do not find

everything quite as overwhelming as you do Whether it a different language or different foods or different environment or just like different everything you going to be really really surprised at your children ability to adapt I was amazed the first time that we took our kids overseas

how quickly they were just like, well, this is cool, I guess

Like, I don't really see what's the big deal. I'm excited to be here and have time with you guys

but yeah, I'm good to go. Whereas we were like, okay, the language

the food's gonna be different. How are they gonna handle that? in a different bed and a different car and all of these things. Kids only have lived so long

They've only developed so many routines. They're still pretty open. It's the same way that like

when we meet someone who's different, we have an opportunity to show our kids that they're not so

different. It's the same thing with going to new cultures and new places. To them, this is just

another part of the world. And because of that, they adapt really, really well and really quickly

Number three, a pit stop, even a short one, goes a really, really long way

Okay, so you're going to a new place. You've got jet lag, kids are hungry, they're tired

You've seen a bunch of places and you have like another museum that you have to walk through

and you're like, no way, they can't handle it. We've been there and I'm telling you

find a little spot, whether it's like a public square or a playground or just like an open field to take a break Whatever age your kids are if they just need to lay and rest or they need to zone out on the iPad for a minute or they need to play on the playground just make sure you take a break

and make sure you take a break too because you will find that even the shortest little pit stops

for breaks extend everyone's ability to enjoy the trip so much more. I'm telling you pit stops are

the secret to traveling with kids, make sure you do them. Number four, day one is always going to

be hard. I'm sorry to say it. I hate to be the one who has to say this, but it's true. Day one is

always, always going to be hard. It is so much easier if you go in with this expectation. If you

just go in knowing that with jet lag, with travel exhaustion, with a new bedroom and all of the

things that trouble bring day one is easily the hardest every single time we have more tantrums

more defiance more frustration on all of our parts it's not just my kids it's definitely me too

just go in planning for day one to be hard make sure that you keep it nice easy breezy not too

packed you will be glad and you will thank me speaking of not keeping things too packed number

or five, space is key. Do not, do not, do not overpack your schedule

This is not a trip for you and your partner or you by yourself It not going to be the same pace It just not Travel with kids is different It just is There no getting around that It still wonderful

But what will make it not wonderful is packing your schedule to the brim

It's too much for kids to handle. It's just too much learning, too much learning

and sometimes honestly even too much fun. Make sure you leave space in your schedule

Make sure you leave space for spontaneity. Make sure you leave space for things going awry

because they will, because there's more of you. So there's just more chances for things to happen

Just make sure you allow for space in your schedule. It will make such a big difference

in making everyone's experience enjoyable. So there you go. Those are the five things that I want you to remember

when you're traveling with kids. Please leave a comment below if you have tips that you think would be helpful for others to remember

And thank you for watching. We at Bright Trip make travel courses

all about learning how to travel smarter. We have a course that's all about travel with kids where I

dive in deeper into all of the things we talked about today. And we have courses on how to solo

travel in places like Costa Rica and Tokyo and London. They are wonderful. Make sure to check

out the link in the description below to learn more about them and make sure to subscribe

I'll see you next time