The holidays usually involve a lot of travel. While it can be tricky to travel with family, it can be even harder to travel with a new, blended family. However, doing blended family travel doesn’t have to be complicated. There’s a few things in particular which can help make things easier for everyone…
Blended Family Travel: Communication & Planning
Communicate properly
Good communication is important for blended family travel. It’s important that everyone is on the same page. Making plans on a whim and not letting everyone know is a surefire way to create conflict. As a result, you and your partner need to make sure that all of your kids understand what the plans are.
Try to have you and your partner come up with the basic plan at first. This can be stuff like figuring out when you’ll leave, and how you’ll get to your destination. Then, bring it up to your kids and get their input. That way, you can make some changed based on their feedback which can make the process easier for them.
Consider where you’ll stay
You’ll also want to consider where you’ll stay as part of your blended family travel plans. In the past, it might’ve been easier because you were all traveling to family you’re familiar with. However, now you’re traveling with your new partner and their kids, who won’t be familiar with them. You and your kids might also find yourselves in this situation!
Due to this, you want to make sure you stay in a spot where everyone feels comfortable. You or your partner’s kids might not feel too great about staying at a house with people they don’t fully know. This can be especially apparent if they need to share rooms. It might not be a bad idea to spring for a hotel, just so they can adjust on their own terms.
Make time for bonding
Bonding also needs to be a priority for blended family travel. It’s easy to stress about getting to where you’re going. However, the point of this season is to spend time with your loved ones. Therefore, make sure you dedicate time to bonding with your loved ones, versus worrying about the next stop in your travels. This bonding will not only help bring you all closer together, but also help get your extended family involved as well.
