Jeanine McKelvyA specific kind of packing is done when you are headed to a beach vacation where the palm trees sway and you walk along the gorgeous white sand. However, there’s another type of packing done when you’re headed “back home”. If you’ve spent any time in the military lifestyle, then you know the drill…leave gets approved and instead of a trip to Disney, your destination is a very familiar zip code. The rest of the world plans vacations, and military families usually spend their hard-earned leave days unplugging right back into everyone else’s schedule when they go home to visit.
We love our people, and the connections we share with them…but let’s be honest…navigating airport security with children, three carry-ons, personal items (that Mom always ends up holding), a crushed bag of snacks, and car seats strapped to your back while yelling “Everyone calm down!” even though you’re the one on the brink of a melt down. It isn’t exactly a spa weekend. When “vacation” means juggling family rounds, squeezing 100 people into different visits, and keeping the kids entertained at 30,000 feet, the flight itself should not have to feel like the hardest part of the journey.
Whether you’re flying across time zones or just trying to get through a layover without losing a baby shoe, here are the sanity-saving essentials you can grab to make traveling “home” feel like an actual breeze.
Tag-Team Logistics
Having a game plan ahead of time is essential. One parent handles more of the luggage, while the other manages the kids through the busy airport. Getting seats close to each other is helpful so you can tag team potty breaks and snack times…all while trying not to pull your hair out when your kids ask, “Are we there yet?” for the hundredth time.
Operation Anti-Bordem
Amazon finds to entertain the kids on the plane are in fact absolutely essential. Keeping your kids entertained can be difficult on the ground, let alone for hours in the air. Luckily, with these airplane essentials, they will stay entertained for hours in the air!! The Wikki Sticks are reusable wax art strips that can entertain your kiddos allowing their imagination to soar. The Magnetic Blocks or Magnetic Tiles come in a metal tin for easy containment and tons of building combinations make the possibilities endless. These draw pads have an attached pen so your kids can draw and erase endlessly. Plus, you’ll never have to get on your hands and knees to find the dropped pen!
Field Tested Packing Finds
I swear by this spacious travel toiletry bag that holds all of our cosmetics with ease, keeping them safe in the checked luggage until we hang it up at our destination. We check the car seats in this dedicated car seat travel bag upon arrival to save us from hauling them through a chaotic terminal. The backpack straps make it easy to carry in when our hands are full, and it is spacious enough to fit both our toddlers’ convertible seat and other kid’s forward-facing combo seat! Hard sided rolling luggage is also a game-changer when traveling with kids. They think it’s fun to push their own bags, and their activity packs can sit on top so you aren’t carrying them.
Flying with kids to visit family requires extra patience and solid gear to keep your sanity intact. The flight itself might not be relaxing, but with the right pre-flight prep, you’ll step off the plane ready to enjoy your loved ones, rather than feeling completely exhausted, which is a huge win in itself.
So, load up your luggage, team up with your spouse, drop into your row prepared, and take a deep breath. Touchdown is right around the corner!
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