Travel Tips and How We Keep Our Walt Disney World® Memories Alive

This post is part of a sponsored promotion by Walt Disney World® and Scholastic. All opinions are my own.

We have been going to Walt Disney World® since our youngest two children were quite small.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have that same opportunity when the other three children were small but they join us as adults now when we go so we make up for it!  Spending time with all of us together is so important and we make that time as quality-filled as we possibly can.  Our oldest children actually live in Florida and we live in Connecticut so we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like.  Walt Disney World® is the perfect way to maximize our quality time together and it is incredibly magical for preschoolers.  Check out this Scholastic site for tips for traveling with your preschooler, including the “The New Travel Rules” article.

I remember how overwhelming and awesome it is to travel with preschoolers so today I am going to share some great travel tips with you to make your trip as enjoyable as possible.

Tips for Traveling With Preschoolers

  • When we traveled with our preschoolers it seemed to be the exception.  Most people seemed to try to avoid it.  Now when we travel I see more and more young children traveling with their families.  Airports/airlines now cater to families so much more than years ago.  Families with young children can now get preferential boarding and check-in strollers and rental car companies even offer car seats/booster seats.  The first time we traveled with our young children we had to take our car seat(s) with us.  Once we even just bought car seats once we arrived in Florida and left them there when we headed home.
  • What about driving?  If you are driving to your destination, technology can definitely be your friend.  When our kids were little we would ask them to count how many yellow cars they saw, how many Connecticut license plates, etc.  I would create scavenger hunt sheets before we would head out and they would search for every single item on the list… As much fun as those days were, it is even more exciting nowadays because you can build geocaching into your trip/route.  We geocache around our home – why not as part of the journey?  Simply download a geocache app on your phone and start a more technical and fun scavenger hunt.  This can be done anywhere nowadays – rest areas, playgrounds, and pretty much anywhere along your route.  The geocache rule though is if you take something, you leave something.  It is best to always have some small items available to replace what you take.
  • Have you ever thought about taking your friends and their kids with you on a trip?  It can be incredibly exciting and fun to travel with friends who have kids the same age – it creates a built-in support system.  The kids in these groups have built-in playmates they already know.  The awkward feeling of being in a different place with no friends disappears when friends are already with you!
  • Are you visiting your grandparents?  Other family members?  Then rather than being cooped up in their home, why not have them meet you at some amazing place for spectacular memories!  Like so many other things there are a multitude of options available now that have not been available in recent years.  Lodging can be affordable with private homes, resort rental services such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and Vacatia.  For us we often find a campground where we can rent a luxury camper.
  • Is your travel timing flexible?  Then it is now simple to find a rock-bottom airline fare or hotel deal – and think of the excitement when you can just grab the kids and go!  All you need to do is simply grab your phone and take an impromptu trip even if it is just for a long weekend.
  • Do you travel for business?  How about bringing the kids along?  Then you don’t need to spend time away from your family – they can be part of the trip and the costs will be minimal if your employer is already paying for a room.  While you are working during the day, the rest of the family can enjoy local attractions and you can meet up with them later.  You don’t need to leave them at home and miss them and they miss you!

How Do We Keep Our Memories Alive?

One of the best things about traveling now with kids and family is digital photos!  In years past you had to make sure you had the perfect shot because you only had 24 photos you could take.  It cost money for the film and it cost money to have the film developed.  It became expensive quickly so we didn’t come home with 500 photos – we came home with 96 and hoped for the best.  Now we have digital cameras and every one of us has a cell phone.  The only limitation we have is basically memory in the devices or cards and battery life.  But within those limitations we can easily take hundreds and hundreds of photos and sort through them later.

When we get home we take all the photos and store them on one drive and keep a copy in our safe.  Then we go through them and print whatever we want.  We use those prints as postcards to family and friends.  We turn our digital photos into greeting cards and holiday cards.  We create mementos for family such as blankets, pillows, T-shirts, playing cards, ties, bags and more.  We take the digital photos and create a photo book – all the travel photos for that trip in one place.  We also take the printed photos and make our own collages – you can do this also digitally but we like the creativity of doing it by hand.

One of our favorite memories of traveling with our kids when our son was a preschooler was when we were trying to go through airport security and our son’s bag set off all kinds of alarms.  They asked me about it and I said I have no idea – I packed his bag and didn’t put anything special in it.  As they search the bag they find a can of ravioli – because our son couldn’t imagine going somewhere for a week without the predictability of having his ravioli.

Now…

All you need to do is figure out where you want to go!  If you are headed to Walt Disney World® build a plan and make it happen. The best time of all to take your family to Walt Disney World® is when your child is in preschool!  For additional information check out the Disney Parks Mom Panel.

 

For more fun you can also check out the Preschoolers Magical Sweepstakes.  A new question about Walt Disney World or Disney characters will be posted on the Scholastic Parents Facebook page, each Thursday from 2/1/18 through 2/28/18.  Ask your kiddo the question and leave a comment on the indicated post with your child’s response to be entered for a chance to win a vacation to Walt Disney World® Resort.  Learn more about the Sweepstakes and how to enter by visiting scholastic.com/PreschoolersMagicalNO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 US & DC. 18+ with at least one child who is currently 12 years of age or younger at the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Ends 02/28/18.  Limit 1 answer per day. Click through for Official Rules.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Walt Disney World® and Scholastic.  The opinions and text are all mine.

22 thoughts on “Travel Tips and How We Keep Our Walt Disney World® Memories Alive

  1. Sonal says:

    Great article with some good tips. Disneyland and Disney world can be overwhelming while very enjoyable at the same time. Good referral
    Post.

  2. Jennifer L says:

    Disneyworld is seriously on my bucket list travel that I’m saving up for. I tend to bring at least 4 to 5 32G memory cards so I dont feel contricted on what I want to take since I’m a scenery kind of photographer.

  3. Candy Rachelle says:

    These are some great advice to keep Walt Disney World memories alive with Preschoolers. I will definitely save and share this with my friends.

  4. Carissa says:

    So many great ideas! I am dreaming of our first Disney trip with our daughter, which will hopefully become a reality soon! These are very helpful tips.

  5. Fan R says:

    Great ideas and practical advice, now I’d like to take our grandparents to the park. It would be beneficial for everyone, instead of staying at home!

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