I don’t know about anyone else, but there’s a time for jumping in the deep end of the pool and a time for taking baby steps. Family day trips are a tip-toe way to travel for new families.

You want to take things slow when you’re venturing out for the first time with your new child.

Why? It takes the pressure off of what should be an enjoyable adventure, setting the tone for life-long exploration for years to come.

In my quest to stay as young-looking as long as possible, I try not to provoke the dormant gray hair follicles just waiting to pop up from an onslaught of stress.  Even when mom is planning a vacation for the family, she also has to keep her self-care in mind and keep her stress to a minimum.

So when it comes to traveling with small children, I prefer to tiptoe my way from the shallow end of the pool to the place where I can tread water and then break out into a full backstroke. Enjoyable stress-free travel with small children is all about the p’s: practice, planning, preparation, and patience. And family day trips are a perfect way to practice traveling together

Before I take my two young sons, 5-year-old AC and 1-year-old AJ on their first world tour, I will be mastering the family day trip with them. I want my boys to get accustomed to being on the go. And I’d like to fine-tune a rhythm for traveling with them. Day trips are quick and easy and serve as practice for the longer trips waiting in the wings. They require a certain level of planning all unto themselves. In essence, they are easier to plan for than overnight trips but you still have to plan accordingly because you’re trying to pack as much fun as you can in a shorter time span.

One of the easiest ways to plan for a family day trip is to jump on the computer and do all of the research several days before so that you can psyche yourself up for the adventure ahead.  One of my favorite sites is tripadvisor.com because I appreciate opinions and reviews when I am unfamiliar with a place or a property. Shoot, most of my home shopping decisions are done by reviews from everyday folk and that’s exactly what you get on Trip Advisor.

Some of the reviews are comedy but sometimes you get a perspective on a hotel or a restaurant or an attraction that you would have never expected.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to take an impromptu trip to Ft. Lauderdale with AC and I planned the whole trip based off of reviews from Trip Advisor. Since I was pregnant at the time, my main focus was the best places to eat in the Ft. Lauderdale area. My husband was shocked that our schedule was packed and that I had done so much planning in so little time. I find the site to be an invaluable gem for both day and overnight trips.

I’ve also found that preparing for my day trip with the kiddies goes so much smoother when I write down exactly what it is that I need to do in order to get out the house and on the road as quickly as possible.

My life as a mother is ruled by To Do Lists. When we’re going on a trip I write up at least 3 different lists: a general list, a what-to-pack list, and a food list.

With everything on my mind, I’m bound to forget something. This is why I also created Family Packing List cards when we have to take a longer trip.

If I don’t write things down, forget about it, I either a.) Never make it out of the house on time or b.) End up either turning the car around our going back and forth from the car to the house at least five times because I forgot something. I make my To Do List either the night before or right after I’ve showered and have gotten dressed for the day. I make the children’s breakfast quickly, treading that fine line between ensuring that they are full enough to make it a few hours before asking for a snack and being overly full such that we can’t make it out of the house due to bathroom visits. Once they’re fed breakfast, I start checking off my line items on the To Do List. It makes me feel accomplished when I do so. Here’s an example of one of my general day trip To Do Lists:

1. Wash up and Get Dressed
2. Make Breakfast
3. Pack Snacks (don’t forget mommy’s too)
4. Take GPS
5. Pack extra change of clothes

Simple. Then, I make a list of the snacks that I plan to take so that I don’t forget to put something in the cooler for myself. We moms always forget about our needs but if we don’t take care of the ship’s captain, guess what? It’s bound to sink.

Last but not least, I down about three 12-ounce glasses of patience. Did I mention I have two young boys? Oh yeah, I said that already. Okay, so I drink one glass after I’ve finished my To Do List, take a couple of sips of my second glass in the car and then finish it off once we reach our location, and finally drink the third glass at the end of our day when everyone is tired and we’re heading back home. Those three glasses make the day more enjoyable for everyone involved and keep me excited about continued travel with my kids. Do you remember your first family day trip? What was it like?

Photo credit: Cathy Yeulet.