Gear Up: Traveling with the Family During the Holidays

By The Inside Source
December 26, 2009

Regardless of how you spend the holidays—driving to relatives', flying to see family across the country, or running to escape the above—the holiday season means doing something that's different from your daily routine. My theory for making these transitions as seamless as possible (and keeping spirits bright) is to have some really smart creature comforts on hand. I'm talking about everything from the perfect scarf/shawl/blanket that keeps you cozy while your travel (and also doubles as an extra blanket, should Grandma like to keep the house at 60 degrees) to old school games that will keep the kids (and you) engaged while you wait for your breakfast at a roadside diner.

Document the Fun: Give your kid, or yourself, a journal or notebook, to draw in, and record the most memorable quotes of the holidays. Tape in business cards and tickets stubs, draw portraits of the family, and keep a “top ten things of the day” list. It’s a memory maker and conversation starter that is fun to look at for many years to come. Bring along nice colored pencils, so you don’t have to worry about markers on the table, or clothes.

Moleskin Large Notebook (buy it now price, $15); Prismacolor Colored Pencil Set (buy it now price, $28.99)

Old School Games: These are probably better for a road trip, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything on a plane…They're also are a blast for the downtime at the relatives, between meals, or to kill time while waiting for a table or food in a restaurant.

Wooden Connect Four (buy it now price, $36.99); Magnetic Chess Travel Set (buy it now price, $33.95)

Zone Out: Once you’re on-board the plan and have reached 10,000 feet, you hear the welcome "ding" that announces you are free to use your own electronic devices. Get the kids situated with the DVD player (find classics like "Singing in the Rain" on eBay), and then block out the noise, to either take a nap or catch up on your own TV watching.

Panasonic Portable DVD Player (buy it now price, $94.95); Singing in the Rain DVD (buy it now price, $5.45)

Just in Case: It’s inevitable that you’ll need something fancy even if you don't think you do. Stash away a brightly colored silk kurta or two—they fold into nothing, look great wrinkled, can be dressed up or down, and wash and dry so fast. Dosa and Matta consistently have the best cuts and colors.

Geeta Kurta Tops (buy it now price, $18; Dosa Button Down Shirt (buy it now price, $29)

So You Won’t Stow Below? For the traveler who insists on carry-on (and shipping presents ahead), here are some great double duty items that work well as airplane outfits or at a festive dinner. Leggings are perfect for the plane, and with a dressier top, they go from just comfortable to chic. Sue London makes a metallic ballet flat that folds up and goes into a little bag. These work so well for the airport because they are slip-ons, and they also look very glam for night.

Foldable Ballet Flats (buy it now price, $49.88); American Apparel Leggings (buy it now price, $9.25)

Cozy Equals Happy Spring for a large shawl or wrap, which works to really keep you warm, and while bigger than a scarf, can be worn like one. These work wonders for chilly airplanes, over air-concitioned hotel rooms, snowy walks, and visits to a mother-in-law going through menopause.

Cashmere Shawl (buy it now price, $125); Embroidered Pashmina (starting bid, $.99)

Homemade is Better: Pack some food for the road and minimize the stops. If you just plan a little, you can empty out your fridge and keep everyone full, for at least a little while. Get some large tortillas and make wraps with whatever you have left in the fridge, that works with everyone’s tastes. Bring different colored Sigg bottles, so everyone whose is whose, and you won’t end up with lots of little individual plastic bottles floating around the car.

Sigg Bottle (buy it now price, $19.99); Cascades Insulated Lunch Box (buy it now price, $.99)

Minimize the Bulk Rather than bring a hefty car seat on the plane (unless your kid happens to love sleeping in them), these FAA approved seatbelts are genius. Cheaper than renting a child car seat at the rental agency and much smaller than your own car seat at home, you should also consider this travel car seat by Clek. You can throw it in a bag and check it easily, something you can’t do so well with a regular big and bulky one.

Clek Booster Seat Cover (buy it now price, approximately $28); Rent a Care Kids Fly Safe Harness Seatbelt (buy it now price, $13.99)

Quiet Time on the Plane: At some point, either your DVD batteries die or the pilot tells you that you have to put away your electronics, but you still need diversion. These are quiet toys that don’t have parts that can be lost, and the playing time is pretty long! Yep, they are definitely old-school—why can’t any toy companies come up with the new version of this kind of fun? An Etch-a-Sketch, the mini-version, is perfect—and with two handles, two can play. Rubiks Cube is so good, you might be fighting over it with the kids—but I bet you forget how to master it.

Rubiks Cube (buy it now price, $24.99); Etch-a-Sketch (buy it now price, $24.99)

When You Get There: It’s always a little disconcerting to not be in your own space, so plan ahead a little, and you make even the uncoziest of situations better. Bring along a scented candle, a lavender sachet, and your own slippers. Really, it helps.