Family Travel: Healthy Tips

Summertime is family travel time for the McClelland family! For us, it’s the most perfect time of year to get away and spend some relaxing time together. Right now we have 3 trips planned this summer, yes – 3! We’re planning on heading to Cape Cod, MA, North Conway, NH and Richmond, VA. I’m telling you, especially for our family of 7, a lot goes into planning a vacation, but I’m so excited for some time away from our daily routines and just having some fun with each other!

Family Travel: Healthy Tips

Family Travel Time - 5 Tips for Healthy Travel

I’m the resident “travel planner” for our family. I’m the one researching best flights, best hotel deals, best things to do in the area we’re visiting, best dining options, etc. It can be – in a word – exhausting! I try to find things that will make everyone happy… from me and my husband… to my 4 sons (age range 7-10)… to my baby girl! I don’t want anyone on the sidelines not having fun or not enjoying the things that we’re doing together. Believe me, it’s a lot of pressure to make sure I get it “right!” Most importantly though, I just want to make sure everyone is happy and healthy. I don’t want the dreaded, “I wish we were home” on our summer vacations. I want to hear, “Thank you so much mom and dad!”

To ensure that we all have a happy and healthy time, I want to share with you 5 Tips for a Healthy Family Travel. So many people travel throughout the summer and it’s important to make sure you’re taking care of YOU and YOUR family along the way.

Family Travel: Healthy Tips

Ready for some Family Travel Tips?

1. Make sure you’re RESTED for your family travel. For me and my husband this is one of the most important things to be on top of while we’re away. With 5 kids, it’s not always easy to get a full 8-hour sleep while we’re away. We can feel groggy and bleary-eyed without a good sleep, especially when we’re then chasing 5 kids on the beach or through parks on summer vacation! Luckily, ZzzQuil can help! Created by the makers of NyQuil, ZzzQuil is a non-habit forming sleep aid designed to help with occasional bouts of sleeplessness – including those brought on by travel. I’ll pack ZzzQuil to make sure that a change in environment doesn’t interrupt my sleep cycle. I need to be “on” for the kids I don’t want to be running around on empty! By having the ability to get a full night’s sleep, it helps charge me up for the day. My husband feels the same way about ZzzQuil, too.

2. Extra CHARGERS during family travel. We rely on technology when we’re away on vacations with the kids. We need our phones and our iPads always fully charged and not running low. From emergency contact numbers to directions to useful family apps, I don’t want to have low battery on anything. I always make sure I pack my Power Bank Charger. This will give me an additional 3 hours of charging time on my devices. Since we do many road trips in the summer, it’s essential to make sure we’re safe with extra charge.

3. Hydration. I’ll never forget going on hiking trip with my husband when we first started to date. I had forgotten to pack any extra water for myself. After we had been out for about 2 hours, I thought I was going to pass out! I got so weak, so quick! I have always used that as a gauge for myself as to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. I always keep a cooler in our car when we travel filled with water, juices and ice packs. I like to make sure we always have the ability to stay hydrated. When we fly somewhere for a vacation, I ALWAYS make sure we have packed extra water bottles with us, too. Especially with children, it’s extra important to make sure they’re hydrated, too in the summer.

4. Sunscreen for family travel and all travel. During the summer, the sun beats down on your like crazy. We we’re on vacation in the summer, we always spend time at our hotel pool or find a beach nearby to enjoy. Since we plan on visiting beach destinations this summer, it’s important to ALWAYS have sunscreen. If you’re doing the same, please make sure you have enough packed. It’s funny our family goes through a bottle of sunscreen in 2 days! Getting burnt by the sun is not healthy and not a fun way to spend time on vacation. You really want to make sure you’re protecting your skin.

5. Games/Devices/Projects. Plan ahead when it comes to activities for your kids to do while traveling. It’s a better trip for YOU when your kids are occupied with things to do while traveling. Whether it’s gaming devices, travel game sets, journaling, sticker books, movies, etc… it’s important to make sure you plan ahead for your children during travel. I’ve been there before – there’s “nothing” for them to do and they sit there unhappy. You don’t want that, that doesn’t make for a happy and healthy trip! Plan ahead and be prepared with many different options for them.

Summer travel is an exciting time of year! Everyone just seems less stressed and much more happy in the summer. Enjoy this wonderful opportunity to getaway and relax! Just make sure you keep these healthy travel tips in mind for an extra special and happy trip!

I’m so excited to share this amazing $1.00 OFF ZzzQuil coupon.

Check out some more travel posts on our #TravelTipZzz Travel Blog Hop!

See why it’s important to make sure you’re taking the time to invest in family travel. It’s a wonderful way to spend time together and enjoy each other. Life goes by so quickly! You don’t want to miss a moment! I love that you can take small trips and really be fully invested!

Family Travel: Healthy Tips
MommyKatie // Mammamoiselle // Simply Being Mommy // Our Ordinary Life // Days of a Domestic Dad

Also check out AAA to see about booking a fabulous family trip!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored posting with VICK’S ZzzQuil – all opinions are 100% my own.

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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7 Comments

  1. 7.13.15
    Crystal said:

    I never forget the tablets, extra chargers or ZzzQuil. Without any of those in our suitcase, someone would surely melt down. (And it would probably be me LOL.)

  2. 7.13.15

    I’m definitely the planner in my house, too. And I hear you…the “wish we were home” comments are dreaded. Fortunately, I haven’t gotten them yet since my kids are young, but making the trips fun can be exhausting. ZzzQuil is such a great idea to have on hand to help make sure I get my sleep & wake refreshed!

  3. 7.14.15

    So important to get the sleep you need on vacation.

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