No Time Like Family Time: The Ultimate Cross Country Travel Guide for Families

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No Time Like Family Time: 8 Cross Country Travel Tips for Families

Taking the whole family across country is no easy feat! This cross country travel survival guide will be your best friend in planning your next vacation.

There have been numerous movies, TV shows, and comedy skits made about family trips gone wrong.

You know, the one where it starts out fun and slowly deteriorates into arguing, yelling, and crying?

Well, taking a trip around the country doesn’t have to end with family members not talking to each other for weeks afterwards.

Taking the whole family across country is no easy feat! This cross country travel survival guide will be your best friend in planning your next vacation.

Create a Budget for the Trip

Before you start the trip, you will need to make sure that you can afford it.  This is where you can decide if you want to fly or take a good, old-fashioned family road trip.

If you’re flying with a large family, it can start to get expensive. But you’ll also have to compare those costs to those of a road trip: gas, tolls, hotels, food, wear on car, etc.

Consider why you are traveling. If you’re traveling to go and sight see, you may want to go on a road trip. But if you’re going across the country for a family wedding or a funeral, it may be more efficient to fly on a plane.

Make Plans 

One way to ensure that you have a smooth cross country travel experience is to make sure you prepare before you go.

Have you made a packing list so that you don’t forget anything important? Do you have extra clothes just in case?

Have you found someone to keep an eye on your house and possibly water your plants? If you have pets, have you decided who’s going to watch them? Or are you planning on taking them with you?  Options on flying your pet can be available for you to view here.

Cross Country Travel Tips

Now that you’ve decide whether you’re going to fly or drive with your family, here are some specific tips for whichever option you decide.

Tips for Air Travel

Whether you’re travelling with younger or older kids, airplane travel can always be a hassle. However, these are some tips that can help make your trip a little bit easier.

Travel in the morning. You will be less likely to experience delays and these flights are sometimes less crowded. Plus if you have small kids, they may even be tired enough to sleep.

Be aware of all the germs that are in the plane and the airport. Bring hand sanitizer and try to make sure that you and your kids frequently wash your hands.

Tips for a Road Trip

If you decide to go on a road trip with your family, follow some of this advice to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible. To start with, make sure to check your car’s fluid levels, brakes, tires, or anything else that could cause problems, also provide your car with custom-fit car floor mats that add protection to the flooring and from unwanted muds and dirt.

To avoid hearing “Are we there yet?” three times in one minute, bring entertainment for them. You can bring games that you and your kids can play to keep them entertained on the long drives.

You should pack food and snacks for you and your children.  When people get hungry, they tend to get cranky and irritable.

Take Your Trip Now

Cross country travel with the whole family doesn’t have to be difficult, and you can even make some awesome memories along the way.

Just follow some of these tips and try to have extra patience during the trip because traveling can be stressful sometimes.

Whether you decide to travel by plane or car, start planning your road trip now.