Twice this year I have been able to travel with my family friends who have two boys who both under 5. The oldest is four and the youngest is one. Our first trip was to Florida which consisted of Fort Myers and Orlando. The second trip the Outer Banks in North Carolina! Both the trips were a lot of fun and also showed me the reality of having young children.
Both trips consisted of one million random questions about the most random stuff in the world such as adding infinity and a billion together, questions about shark teeth, questions about where we were, and where we were going, and of course how long it was going to take to get there. We flew to Florida in March so it was quicker than the drive to the Outer Banks, personally I liked flying better because it was quicker and you can shut the window on a plane to block the sun to get the kids to nap. The car ride to the Outer Banks was longer and a lot harder to entertain and try to get the kids to sleep. One thing that is a must is to raid your favorite grocery store of all the snacks you can possibly fit in your luggage/car because kids eat a lot and I mean A LOT!!!! You also have to have extra changes of clothes for the kids. We traveled from New York to Florida and had to pack outfits to change into once we got down south because it was cold in New York, but hot once we got to Florida. It's also good to have an extra change of clothes on hand just because you never know and don't want to have it under the plane or shoved a way in the trunk. Pee breaks are also another thing that seem to happen every 10 minutes. Screaming will happen, but so will singing and lots of funny comments.
Traveling with kids can be a struggle and being patient is a must. The kids will scream, they will yell and whine, they will ask for every toy they see and throw another fit when you don't buy it for them. They won't want to eat dinner, but still ask for dessert. They will refuse the nap they most definitely need, but fall asleep within 15 minutes of putting them down for a nap. In the end the it will be worth it. You forget all the struggle, well most of it, once you get to see the excitement on their face when exploring a new place. Traveling is definitely worth it through all the tears, whining, and fighting there is a lot of love, learning, laughs, and growth for everyone. Many priceless memories will be made.
