Family travel is always an adventure, whether you’re having the time of your life at an amusement park, or struggling to keep your kid entertained on a 12 hour flight, or on an epic East Coast Australia road trip or a drive to see the best things to do on the Oregon Coast.
Trust me, since I speak from experience here: amusing kids on long overseas flights isn’t easy!
We travel with our kids a lot, and while we’ve had some great adventures, it isn’t always ice cream and cool scenery. Sometimes, well, most times to be honest, it’s delayed flights and rush hour traffic and everyone grasping at the last straw of their patience.
Over the years, we’ve found a few things to be universally true about family travel.
The 10 laws of travel with kids
#1: Your child will urgently need to pee at the absolute maximum calculated distance between washrooms. Count on it.
#2: You will hear “are we there yet?” a minimum of 8,271,422 times.
#3: Someone will throw up. There won’t be a washroom anywhere nearby.
#4: It’s not a road trip until someone pees in the bushes or in a back alley. See #1.
#5: Someone will forget their favorite stuffed toy.
#6: Your child will pick the airport security line to ask loudly, “Mom, tell me how to make bombs? Did you hear me Mommy, I said BOMBs!!!”
#7: Have you ever wondered where the lone shoes at the side of the road come from? Somehow, somewhere, your kid will lose one of theirs, and solve the mystery forever.
#8: Always pack snacks. Always.
#9: There’s always time for coffee.
#10: Do not, under any circumstances, pick a road trip to introduce your child to knock-knock jokes.
How Netflix Downloads Can Make Family Travel Easier
The bottom line is that family travel is always a challenge. In fact, 1 in 5 Canadian parents say one of their main concerns when travelling isn’t getting ready for a road trip, or deciding where to travel: it’s keeping their kids entertained.
Luckily, Netflix is on hand to help.
Did you know that Netflix lets you download shows to watch on the go?
Let me say that again, because it’s a game changer for parents (and kids!) who travel. You can download shows and movies on Netflix to watch again later.
There’s a huge selection of downloadable shows, from tried-and-true shows like Beat Bugs and Luna Petunia to new shows like Stretch Armstrong & The Flex Fighters.
Not sure how to find shows to download on Netflix?
Just check out the Available for Download menu on the Netflix app on your mobile or tablet. Here’s a little more info from Netflix.
There’s sure to be something on Netflix to entertain your young one. Whether they’re a teen or a toddler, you’ll find something on Netflix to pack in their carry on.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of great shows for the grown ups too. We just finished bingeing OZARK – it’s a fantastic show.
If you’re a fan of Orange is the New Black (and honestly, even if you aren’t), you’ll get a kick out of this funny video from the folks at Netflix.
If you have kids, you’ll know that being trapped in the car on a family road trip sometimes feels like being trapped in Litchfield prison.
Watch the video below, and you’ll be humming along in no time.
What’s in your family travel essentials kit? And yes, wine counts.
What’s New on Netflix?
One of the best things about being an ambassador for the awesome folks at Netflix is that we get a heads up about the newest releases.
Just in time for the holidays this year, they have these great shows to fill up your streaming queue.
Stretch Armstrong & The Flex Fighters
Season 1 is already streaming.
Dinotrux Supercharged
Season 1 is streaming right now. This is one of my kiddos favorites!
Glitter Force Doki Doki
Season 2 is streaming now.
Luna Petunia
Season 3 is now streaming!
Project MC²
Part 6 is now streaming.
Spirit: Riding Free
Season 3 is streaming now.
Check out our tips for how to keep your car organized during long family road trips.
What’s in your family travel essentials kit? And yes, wine counts. We don’t judge.
