KTDontheGO: 5 Tips for Holiday Travel with Kids

WE'VE ALL BEEN there. Teeth-clenching trips across the country or across the state to visit family for the holidays, children in tow. Nothing says “stress” to many parents like the idea of traveling during the busiest time of the year. It’s estimated that 2.3 million people will be traveling over the next month, so below are a few top tips for saner family travel, courtesy of the family who sometimes finds themselves “winging it:”

1. Plan, plan. Oh, and plan. Who will take you to the airport? Who will pick you up? Which kid will be managed by which parent? Who will board first with the car seat? These are important questions that should be addressed ahead of time. Think I'm kidding? Last week on a return flight from Portland, I listened to a couple arguing in the ticketing line. Dad said "I thought you called the shuttle service to pick us up!" Mom said, "What, are you nuts?!"(No, she didn't actually say 'nuts.') “I had three kids to pack, you big bazonga!” (No, she didn’t say ‘bazonga,’ either.)

Up, up and away!

2. Embrace the TSA. Not really, because they drive me nuts. But in a fit of almost-intelligence last month, TSA instituted a Brilliant Proclamation that Kids Can Keep Their Shoes On. Children under 12 are now pemitted to keep their shoes on during the security process in order to, get this: save parents time. However, see this photo?

That's AK Kid, waiting, waiting, and waiting some more for Mom and Dad to finish their security screenings. Not so much time saved, but it was nice worry about one less pair of footwear. Do visit TSA’s website for important holiday information about what you can, and can’t bring with you.

3. Pack it in. It’s all over the news; moms begging for milk on crowded flights, babies running out of diapers, older children losing battery power for the DS. It's mayhem, all right. Bring extra snacks, power cords, cell phones, books, quiet toys, and other activities for kids. Driving? Get an in-car charger - I've been saved by mine more than once. Carry gallon zip-type bags for trash and/or wet stuff (because it will happen, guaranteed), and cups or bottles with sippy lids, even for the big kids. Ever been on a turbulent flight? I started bringing zipper bags after an entire cup of bright, red cranberry juice spilled by our own child ended up staining my white shirt. Uh huh, they're never too old for a sippy.

Patiently waiting at the boarding gate

4. Check it. Have you seen the "carry-on" bags people are trying to bring aboard airplanes these days? Let me 'splain it to you, Lucy: baggage fees are going up and up, people want to carry on as much as they can, luggage companies respond by making bags that just.barely.fit.the.requirements. Then, you and 200 other frugal airline consumers try to squeeze those bags into overhead bins not designed to hold 201 barely-legal bags. We parents compound the problem with our required car seats and very-required equipment I mentioned above. I think we should check our bags. Alaska Airlines Club 49 members now receive two free checked bags per member, and many airlines also offer free "at the gate" checking for carry-on luggage on full flights (which seems to be all of them). Ask, and you might receive.

5. Keep cool. Flying late at night? Try, try, to have everyone packed and fed and rested hours before you leave the house. Set out a quiet craft or project at home and let the kids have at it while you sip a cup of tea and relax a bit. Flying early in the morning? Send everyone to baths and bed early; even if they are excited, at least they are corralled. Get to the airport two hours early. Read the paper, eat Christmas cookies, walk around the different gate areas. If driving, take the least-traveled route, and make a surprise stop at a roadside attraction, or have a meal at a local diner. When was the last time you all sat down together to eat, anyway? The whole point is to create a concept of "joyful journeying," and the more effort we parents put out, the more likely our kiddos will respond in kind. And that, my friends, could be the greatest gift of all.

Keep up with the Kirkland family at AKontheGO.com as they journey in, above, and around Alaska this holiday season.