Tips for Christmas Travel with Kids
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Updated: November 28, 2022
Christmas Travel with Kids
While travel may not be your first instinct when planning your family’s Christmas holiday, we are here to tell you that it should be! Whether traveling domestic or abroad, traveling during the winter holidays is a wonderful time to bond with your kids while exposing them to new and exciting experiences.
We have travelled extensively during the Christmas holidays with our son and are here to share our tips to Christmas travel with kids!
In this article we look at Christmas travel with kids as we do all trips: Plan/Pack/Explore with lots of tips sprinkled throughout.
Top Tips Sneak Peak:
1. Plan early and research open hours for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day.
2. Make it festive! Pack Christmas essentials.
3. Write to Santa
Let’s explore why travel with kids during the holidays is a great way to ‘have yourself a merry little Christmas’!
Why Travel with Kids during the Holidays?
The first and most important reason to travel with kids during Christmas is time. For many families, this is the only time of year when the kids are out of school for two to three weeks and adult work schedules can be worked around given days off. Our trips during Christmas break are typically 17-18 days total. This is extremely difficult to do any other time of year.
Christmas is also a wonderful time of year to experience other cultures. We know how Christmas is celebrated in the United States, but it is truly special to experience how other cultures celebrate. In some cases, Christmas is not widely celebrated and that in itself is valuable to teach our children.
Another benefit to traveling with kids during Christmas is that travel takes the focus away from gifts and shifts the focus to experiences and spending time with family. Your presence is the ultimate present for your children.
Now, let’s start planning a Christmas your kids will never forget!
Christmas Travel with Kids - Plan
As with any trip with kids, planning is the most crucial step to success. Especially while keeping Christmas magic and traditions a part of your experience. Long before you start hearing ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Frosty the Snowman’, start planning and booking!
In addition to your standard trip research and planning, consider the following tips for Christmas travel with kids:
Tip #1: Start planning early. Think March/April/May.
Tip #2: Include your kids in the planning process.
Tip #3: Give yourself extra cushion in your itinerary. Travel during the holidays can be busy.
Tip #4: Thoroughly research what is open and what the hours are for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
Tip #5: Plan for Christmas not to be a travel day.
Tip #6: Research what locals eat and do for the holidays.
Tip #7: Make dinner reservations well in advance.
Tip #8: Have your kids write their letter to Santa early. Have them include their wish list and make sure they tell Santa they are traveling and where! If you have a big family and/or larger gifts, make sure to tell Santa to leave them at your home. This relieves your child’s stress of Santa missing them!
Tip #9: Advent calendars can be used to count down to your departure date.
Tip #10: Ask your kid’s teacher if your child can give a presentation on their trip when they get back. We’ve found that this motivates our son to take pictures of what he wants to share. This is great for school aged kids, grades 1-5 especially.
If you are new to international travel, take a look at the following articles by The Kid Packer:
These articles are geared towards travel with a baby but the information is not exclusive to that age and can be applied to travel with older children as well.
Christmas Travel with Kids - Pack
While we like to keep packing to a minimum, we always make room for Christmas traditions while traveling with kids during the holidays.
Tip #1: Make Christmas festive! Pack the following:
– Everyone’s Stockings. Your kids will love having a piece of home with them.
– Santa hats
– Christmas Pajamas
– If your travels include New Years Eve pack: balloons, paper hats/headbands, noisemakers, etc.
Tip #2: Only pack small gifts from Santa. If a gift from Santa can not be brought with you, write a note from Santa saying that he left something for them at home. Family gifts can be exchanged before or after your trip.
Tip #3: Hide wrapped gifts in a separate compartment or wrap them in coats in your luggage.
Tip #4: Have your kids draw a Christmas tree to take with you. If you are on a driving trip you can bring a small tree if you have space.
Tip #5: Purchase most stocking stuffers while on your trip. Your kids will love getting local treats and little toys from Santa!
Tip #6: Make sure to save space in your luggage for anything you pick up on your trip.
For more information on the best luggage for family travel and travel with kids in general, take a look a The Kid Packer’s recommendations here:
Christmas Travel with Kids - Explore
While traveling during Christmas with kids, make sure to get out and explore! Not only exploring your destination for it’s typical beauty and culture, but also how locals celebrate Christmas. We have experienced parades, talent shows, ice skating rinks, markets, special meals, an Epiphany witch and beautifully decorated towns/cities while traveling during Christmas.
Tip #1: On Christmas Eve, watch a downloaded Christmas movie as a family with hot chocolate from the hotel lobby.
Tip #2: Track Santa with Norad Tracks Santa.
Tip #3: Approach Christmas morning the way you do at home! Tip toe around the room, place gifts, and sneak back in bed. In the morning, make a cup of coffee, open stockings and gifts. The look on your kid’s face when they realize Santa came to your hotel will make it all worth it.
Tip #4: While opening gifts, play familiar Christmas music on your phone.
Tip #5: Video call family back home!
Tip #6: Ask the front desk at your hotel or Airbnb host what locals do for Christmas and where you can go for an authentic experience.
Tip #7: Christmas is a great day to explore the town center of where you are visiting.
Christmas Travel with Kids - Summary
Why travel with kids during the Christmas holiday? The first reason is time. The winter holiday season is one of the only times of year where your kids and your schedule may align for enough days off to take a trip. Another reason is the unique Christmas experience your children will have while traveling.
Even though Christmas is considered ‘the most wonderful time of the year’, we encourage you to travel with your family every opportunity you get!
In this article we shared tips for how we make Christmas special for our family while traveling. Add your own spin on Christmas travel with your kids and make this a Christmas your kids will never forget!
About The Kid Packer
Here at The Kid Packer, we want to help you live your best life. A great baby backpack child carrier can help you do just that! After having used a child carrier backpack for over 1,500 miles of adventuring and exploring, we have a passion for them and know what makes a great pack that both you and your child will love. We hope our comprehensive research allows you to confidently find the right backpack for your needs!
