Description

Traveling through time zones with kids can be a nightmare. It is hard enough for us to sleep on planes and adjust to new surroundings, but getting kids through it can challenge the patience of all parents. It does get easier as they get older but travel veteran Keryn Means, from Walking on Travels, shares her best jet lag survival tips. As someone that has taken her young children to Asia and on many trips to Europe, she has the experience under her belt to learn some tricks that can help everyone.

ON THE PODCAST

:043 Tamara is just back from the Grand Velas in the Riviera Maya, Mexico

4:20 Kim is heading to Israel

7:02 Introducing Keryn Means from Walking on Travels

12:30 Keryn's best jet lag survival tips

17:45 What to do on your first day of a trip

18:45 Tips on re-entry when you get back home

20:11 How long of a trip should you take?

22:00 The ridiculous cost of flights

22:30 Tips on surviving long flights with kids

26:18 Flying horror stories

31:00 Keryn's favorite travel outfit

33:00 Where to find Keryn online

33:25 Hopper -- app of the week

35:00 Follow us on Instagram!

35:35 Thanks Shannon for the awesome review!

35:45 Join us next time as we chat about Niagara Falls

About Keryn Means from Walking on Travels

Keryn Means is a freelance writer and the founder of WalkingOnTravels.com, the award-winning site that gives hope to today’s active parent who doesn’t want to stop their lives; they simply bring their kids along for the ride as they explore the world. You can find Keryn dragging her two boys (ages 3 and 6) around the DC area most days and across the globe several times a year. Keryn has laughed at the naysayers by bringing her boys to far off lands like China, Hong Kong, Japan, Hawaii, back and forth across the USA, Mexico, Canada and Europe. Keryn loves to encourage families to take that first step out the door, the hardest step of all. You can also follow Keryn on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Jet Lag Survival Tips

Coming home is always harder because when you are starting a trip, your adrenaline keeps you go. Whether you are coming or going, here are some of Keryn's top tips:

• Drink a lot of water because dehydration makes jet lag worse
• Be prepared and accept that little kids will wake at whatever time their bodies are used to waking
• When little kids wake up, whenever it is, get them something to eat, play for a while or have a quiet activity
• Be ready to be awake in the middle of the night for one to three hours with little kids, but then go through the nighttime routine again and put everyone back to bed
• Tag team if you are traveling with a partner!
• Don't plan structured activities for the first day
• Keep juice and fresh fruit on hand because those vitamins can reset your body but go easy on carbs because they can make you tired too
• When you get back, plan on a day off to reset your clocks
• Stay patient! It can take up to three weeks to get back to your regular schedule
• Plan trips at least a week or longer if possible
• Have snacks on hand as stores may not be open when you arrive

Tips for Surviving Long Plane Trips

• Create a blanket tent around your child to help them get to sleep
• Loosen up on your screen time rules
• Make sure they get up every couple hours to stretch and use the bathroom
• Bring card games like Uno and Skip-bo
• Always bring extra clothes, diapers and snacks for those potential accidents!

Favorite Travel Gear

Keryn wears black leggings, a skirt from H&M, a fitted tank top, and a loose tank top on top of that with a black cardigan and a scarf with either flip flops or Josef Siebel ankle boots.

App of the Week

Kim and Tamara both love Hopper! This helpful app shows you a calendar so you can see the cheapest date to fly and you can set alerts to find out when is the cheapest time to book.

Mentioned on the Podcast