Traveling With An Anxious Child: Part 2
Have an anxious child? Here are 5 helpful tips our family uses for managing anxiety in children while traveling.
Last week, I explained how one of my children suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and how this necessitates an extra level of planning when taking a vacation. But once the planning is done and you are on-site, what happens then? There are 5 tips we have utilized in our travels that have truly helped manage my child’s anxiety when far from home.
Just Say Yes
Ok, not yes to everything, but make your anxious child as comfortable as possible in little ways. We used to be a no-screen travel family. (Yes, I bet a lot of you are rolling your eyes right now!) When my child started to express extreme anxiety about flying on airplanes last year, for the first time ever, my husband and I decided to make some changes. While long/international flights typically provide in-flight entertainment, we also wanted to be sure that there were familiar options for our child. We purchased tablets and it ended up being a great tool to have in our back pocket. There may be small changes you can say “yes” to that will go a long way in providing comfort in an otherwise anxious situation.
Acknowledge Feelings
Empathize with your child, reassure, and give them space to express their feelings. Children with anxiety can express these big feelings in any manner of ways, and it’s important as parents and caregivers to allow them to feel safe enough to let these feelings be known.
Give Some Autonomy
Some kids will find decision making to be paralyzing, others will find it helpful. For my child with anxiety, we allow strategic times for autonomy. Parents are in charge of the big picture, but we are fine handing over some smaller detail planning. This can look like, "Which gelato shop should we go to today?" or "Should we eat lunch before or after we visit that cool playground?" Of course with multiple children this can be tricky, but always look for ways to give a child with anxiety some level of control if/when possible.
See Their Perspective, Literally
Give them a camera! This helps to reorient children to be on the hunt for things that interest them at the new place. Instead of focusing on a fear, this can help a child to literally look for interesting things and help build memories at the same time. Incorporate these photos into discussions in your daily debrief.
Daily Debrief
A tradition we have as a family is to record our family’s highs and lows for each day of vacation. This is simply achieved over a dinner conversation or evening gelato. For your child(ren) with anxiety, probe a little deeper. What went well? What was an unexpected highlight? What caused big feelings? What made you feel uncomfortable? While you may not always be able to change things in your schedule, it is helpful to ascertain if there is any way you can adjust things to be more palatable for your anxious child.
We hope these tips are helpful for you and your family!
Disclosures:
1)We are not medical professionals or therapists. The suggestions made here are from a parent’s point of view for what we personally have found to be helpful.
2) This post contains affiliate links, which may earn us a small commission from purchases made (at no cost to you). Thanks!
Packing Cubes: Organization and Efficiency in One
Here’s a quick guide to purchasing the best packing cubes to help make your trip preparation as organized and efficient as possible!
Previously, I wrote about how to successfully pack light for a family trip (yes, it’s doable!). One of the key components for me to be successful in this is using packing cubes. Packing cubes aren’t anything fancy, but they can really help you organize, compress things into easier-to-pack shapes, and visualize what you are bringing with you.
Packing cubes come in many different sizes and styles, and I’ve used many brands over the years with great success. Here are some of my recommendations:
1) Eagle Creek Brand. This is the first brand I ever bought of packing cubes and more than a dozen years later, they are still going strong.
This multipack with XS/S/M is a great option
A tube cube is great for smaller, long options (belts, many pairs of rolled socks, ties, etc)
I appreciate how this starter set includes two cubes (S/M) and one folder, for keeping pants and shirts crisp
2) Amazon Basics. These get the job done for an exceptional price point. I have purchased several sets of these packing cubes and while they aren’t as sturdy as Eagle Creek brand, they absolutely fit the bill for what I needed. I also appreciate how many different colors are offered! One organization tip is to assign a different color cube to each member of the family.
Go with the 4 piece travel set. You’ll get one small, medium, large, and one slim rectangle for about $25.
You can also buy in bulk with an 8 piece set (2 large, 2 medium, 4 small) for under $50.
Looking for just one size? A 4 pack of the same size (these are medium) are great.
3) Bagail. I bought these on a whim after reading the stellar reviews and they are just as good as the Amazon Basics, and often less expensive too. There are several “compression” varieties available, as well.
This set is the best bang for your buck. Six cubes.
Their compression series is worth a try and highly reviewed!
4) Briggs & Riley. The more high-end version but also with amazing reviews. Comes in sets of 3.
Once you have your packing cubes set to keep your clothes and accessories organized, don’t forget excellent luggage! Here are two brands WanderWell Travelers recommends.
TravelPro Max Lite carry on. Easy enough for a child (5 years +) to push through an airport and holds up very well to travel. We have several of these and love them.
TravelPro Max Lite checked baggage. Just like the carry-on, but bigger. So many colors to choose from, too!
Briggs and Riley. This brand has hardcore devotees, and for good reason! With a lifetime guarantee on all functional aspects of the luggage, this is a worthwhile investment if you will be traveling a lot. We recommend these products for all ages. The Sympatico Hardside series (large checked, carry on) are the fan favorites. The Baseline series suitcases are recommended if you like a soft fabric suitcase.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which may earn us a small commission from purchases made (at no cost to you). The opinions expressed in the blog are our own and we only recommend products we actually own and love!
My night sleeping like royalty
Staying in a castle is a part of a family vacation your children won’t soon forget.
(Oh! Did you think this was going to be a blog post about how to beat jet lag and have your little prince and princess sleeping like a dream? Reach out to us here; we would love to share all our tips and tricks with you!)
There’s just something about castles that grabs our imaginations. My two sons, from a very early age, loved to dress up as knights and pretend they were defending their castle from the “bad guy” raiders (the oldest once dressed our middle child up as a dragon and then tried to “defeat him,” but that’s another story for another day). Princes and princesses, knights, lords and ladies… something about all of it enthralls us.
Historians (castleologists?) estimate that Germany has between 12 and 25 THOUSAND castles and many- or their ruins- can still be toured. Some are even now available for weddings, events and- like Arenfels castle where my family stayed last summer- great places to spend a few nights of your family vacation.
So how do you go about finding a castle to stay in for a whole or part of your next family trip? As simple as it sounds, it helps to know the word for “castle” in the national language (in German it’s schloss) to help in your search, especially to find the smaller castles that often provide an amazing experience at a fraction of the price. Quite a few countries have associations of castles that will contain good information, including ways to book. Airbnb, Booking.com and VRBO all have filters to search for “unique properties” like a castle or estate. And don’t worry, you don’t necessarily have to book the whole place: Schloss Arenfels, for example, offers a variety of rooms to potential guests.
A castle is more than just a place to lay your head, though. Many castles are still family- or small business-owned and operated, and will most likely love to share more about the castle and the surrounding region with you. And, of course, take advantage of any tours and other programs the castle may have available; many castles in Germany, for example, offer a tour in English a few times a week. We also recommend choosing the “bed and breakfast” option when it's available; who doesn’t want to eat a delicious European breakfast in a 14th century dungeon or wine cellar?!
Even with jet lag, picky eaters, mishaps and unknowns, family travel is fun. Staying in a castle for all or part of your family vacation is a great way to get to know more about the peoples and cultures of your host country and a unique experience your family won’t soon forget.