Four tricks for minimising travel stress with kids

While it’s often exciting and rewarding, travel can also feel stressful, even if you’re taking a solo trip. With kids in tow, even small inconveniences can feel significantly more overwhelming. Travel can positively impact your child’s development, so while it may feel tempting to forgo the family holidays altogether, simply taking a few steps to minimise travel stress and significantly improve the experience, both for you and your little ones.

Ready to get started? Here’s how you can minimise travel stress with kids.

Plan ahead and pack smart

Planning and preparation are essential for ensuring a smooth travel experience. It’s a good idea to make a checklist of each item you’ll need to keep the kids happy, including essentials like sunscreen, snacks, and plenty of water. You could also pack items that’ll help keep your kids engaged over a long period of time, such as toys and books, particularly if you’ll be spending a long time in the car or on a flight.

If you pack smart ahead of time, you’ll be less likely to forget important items, and therefore less likely to have to purchase them while you’re on holiday, which can add additional stress. Some kids can also be sensitive about being away from their favourite toys, so including them is extra important if that’s the case for your family.

Maintain a flexible itinerary

There may be lots you want to see and experience with your kids, but it’s important to be flexible rather than packing your itinerary full of activities. A loose plan can be helpful, but as time spent with kids can be unpredictable, you’ll want to leave plenty of room to reorganise and reshuffle your plans. This will prevent them from becoming too tired, restless or overwhelmed, and in turn will help to reduce your stress. It can also mean you don’t lose money if you can’t attend every activity you had in mind.

Stick to routine where possible

Some routine is important, and particularly if you’re travelling with young kids, you’ll want to keep some daily activities exactly the same as they would be at home. For example, ensuring your kids stick to their usual bedtime routine can help them to feel settled and grounded, even in an unfamiliar place. When there is some element of predictability, both you and your kids will feel more settled and relaxed.

It won’t always be possible to stick to your usual routine every day, so on busier, less predictable days, it may be helpful to vocalise your plans to your kids. If they won’t be doing the usual things at the usual time, try to talk to them about what’s going to happen instead, so they know exactly what to expect.

Engage and involve the kids

The best part about travelling as a family is getting to see your kids learn and enjoy new places and cultures. There’s plenty that can be learned through travel, so to ensure your kids get the most out of your trip, be sure to plan some activities that will help to engage them.

Involving your kids in the planning of your trip is a surefire way to help them feel included, and as a result, relaxed about your upcoming trip. Take some time to ask them what they’re excited about and what they’d like to experience, in words they can understand, family travel is far more fun and enriching when it’s a collaborative effort. Try to stay open-minded and explore each of their ideas, whether that’s taking a dip in the sea, visiting a theme park, or trying out a new sport.

Want to take it one step further? You could let your kids choose your holiday destination, this can be an inspiring way to plan your trip.

Make lasting memories

Remember, travel always comes with a little bit of stress, it’s part and parcel of switching up your usual routine and going to a new place. But, there are ways you can manage your stress to ensure you and your kids have a fun, relaxing experience and make lasting memories.

Pre-plan your visit to Diggerland UK

So now you know how to minimise travel stress, let’s put it into practice! At Diggerland, we have four parks across the UK, including Devon, Durham, Yorkshire and Kent. Choose your chosen destination and view our opening times and start preparing! 

One of our best tips is to prepare in advance. By pre-booking your tickets, you pay a cheaper rate, saving you money and stress! Guarantee your entry, and pre-book your visit. 

Remember, guests under 100cm go free! When booking online, if you’re unsure how tall your child is, or if they’re bordering 100cm we would recommend selecting the free ticket. If your guest is over 100cm, we will just charge the standard ticket price, at the online rate, as you have pre-booked in advance. 

Plan ahead by checking our height chart, to see what rides and drives are suitable for your group.  

Now you’re ready, we look forward to seeing you soon!

All information correct as of: 12th of June 2025.

Guest Blog Post Written By: Paul Keeland – The Sixth Degree