A Country Escape; Getting There

We are super excited as we are heading to the country. A good friend of ours recently purchased a farm and moved to Tasmania, so we are heading down there for a week to see him, enjoy a farm stay and Tasmania. I am very excited as I have never been to Tasmania before and hear that it is beautiful, so I cannot wait to visit.

For the children, this visit is very exciting. Not only are they going on a plane, they are staying at a farm with animals and having a holiday. What more could you ask for? Luckily packing for the trip will be easy with my Holiday Packing Checklist. I am a list person and love the ability to tick things off the packaging checklist as we go, so that I know exactly what is packed and still needs to be. Also by looking at the checklist a few days before leaving you can see if there are any supplies you need to buy beforehand.
Many mums stress when it comes to travelling with children, so here are some of my tips when travelling with Children.

Get them involved. Depending on their age, you can ask them to get their clothing ready and/or keep them involved in the packing process. My daughter (8yrs) asked if she could pack her own items, so I explained she needed 8 outfits and was impressed when I came back to find 8 outfits lying out on the floor for me to check. For the younger children I kept it simple by saying bring me some of the shirts you want to bring. I then counted the number packed and checked to ensure we had 1 or 2 nice outfits for going out.
The Toys they want. I give each child their own backpack and get them to pack their toys. I supervise this process to ensure that the backpack isn’t too heavy and that they pack the right items. Key items to pack include: Colouring-in pencils and book, small items they children can easily play with like cars or dolls. Each of our children were also allowed to pack a LeapPad to keep them entertained on the plane or long car drives.
If flying. Arrive early. The last thing you want to do is to rush around the airport trying to check in and get to your plane in a rush. Get their early so the children can enjoy the experience and take it all in.
Ears and flying. For younger children, purchase a lolly that can be chewed during take-off and landing. Older children could have chewing gum. If you have a baby, try to bottle or breastfeed as soon as possible during/after landing/take-off to help their ears adjust.
Long flights/drives. A new toy that is hidden and only brought out for good behaviour or when needed is a great distraction.
Long Road trips. Investing in a tablet/or Headrest DVD player is a lifesaver when undertaking long car trips. You can still play the fun car games for a couple of hours and then when the child becomes restless simply pop a movie on and the silence is bliss.
Plan your trip around them. No matter where you are going, travelling with children will take longer than before. If you are planning an overseas flight, consider travelling when your child is likely to be tired and sleepy as they may then be more likely to sleep on the flight. For long car trips, leaving in the wee hours of the morning can mean your children may sleep a bit and that you may miss out on the traffic.
Talk it up. Talk to your children about the holiday. Share details on where you are going and what they could do. Ask what they would like to see/do and you can even make games around it or create a holiday memory book which will keep them busy and be a great tool for school show and tell.