Traveling

Have you ever taken a trip and as you were coming back home, you realized that it would be x number of months before you next trip? Well, it happened to us and somewhere along the way, we started changing our plans.

Instead of taking a trip and coming home to nothing planned, we started planning our next trip before we left for the first trip. Makes sense, right?

Well, changing our thought process changed our thinking on trips too. Now, as we returned home yesterday from a long weekend, we were not focused on returning to work, instead we were focused on our next trip. Where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do.

Sometimes, it is all about the next trip in life.

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I’ve been asked numerous times if it is hard traveling with twins. And though I usually laugh off the question, I try to give the person some idea of what we do to not only prepare & pack for a for a trip, but also how we handle the drive too.  So this is what we do and have found to be the most beneficial:

Prepare & Packing

  • We start packing the night before
  • We factor in whether or not there is a washer and dryer where we are going, as that helps determine how much we pack
  • We have all major things, i.e. 2 pack n plays downstairs and put in order of how they should be packed into the car first thing the next morning
  • Gas the car

The Drive

  • Have all snacks ready to go
  • We are able to get about 3 – 4 hours a time with our drive before we have to stop.
  • Plan ahead and and look at possible places that you can stop. Whether a restaurant or Starbucks, find a place that allows you to stretch your legs, use the restroom, but a place that is comfortable for your children so that they can take a little bit of a break.

Traveling with twins can be a challenge, but it is really what you make it. Depending on the age of your children will determine if you’ll have only a few good hours on the road before your first stop, so make the most of it.

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I’ve been asked several times now how do we travel with two infants. So far, we have made 3 trips to see my family, which is a 6 hour drive for us. Honestly, it hasn’t really been that hard. We try to leave right after giving the boys a bottle, so that we know that we can get at least 3 hours in of our drive. There is a Starbucks that is exactly 3 hours from us, we pull in, I get my standard Non-Fat Mocha, let the boys play and get another bottle and keep on going. Here are a few tips that I’ve come up with

  • Take breaks as possible – The boys sleep pretty well in the car, so we can usually get 3 hours at a minimum at a time.
  • Give them toys to play with – We have a little toys that they can hold on to and play with.
  • Interact with them – We like to talk with them, and even though we can see them in their mirrors, they can’t see us, but they can hear our voices.
  • Play music that they like as well – This is important esp on the start of the trip.
  • Find a comfortable stopping place

Trips are hard, both for the kids, b/c they are strapped into their car seats for a long period of time, not understanding why they can’t move around. And for the parents, for the additional packing and also when the kids do fuss and there is really nothing that can be done. Make traveling with your children fun, not a chore.

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