Kids Who Travel: Podcasts and Activities

I have to admit that I love having Kids Who Travel. Traveling with kids is great. To a point. It’s a lot of work but is worth it to see the world through fresh eyes. To catch the wonder and curiosity makes all of the planning worth it. I mentioned a few easy, non-Pinterest ways we make our travel flow in this post (click here). Our kids are now 5 and 8 years old and here are some additional tools that are useful as we travel both near and far… and even when we stay put. 

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Podcasts. Our kids are huge fans of non-fiction, so Wow in the World is the perfect match for them. I decided to try it out on a short car ride, and, when we got back into the car, they asked to put it on again. A sure sign of enjoyment. For fiction-loving kiddos, Story Pirates is a popular one. The storytellers and improvisers take a story written by a child and expand upon it in all kinds of fun ways.

Illustory. My parents bought my daughter a writing kit awhile ago. This would be a great purchase to bring on a trip with you. There are all kinds of writing tools, including a story web, draft pages, etc. Then, when your child is ready, they can write all about their travel adventures and draw pictures. You just send it in and receive a “published”-looking book in the mail. What a great souvenir and way to treasure your child’s writing and travel memories. Click here for the kit we have.

Local Kids’ Websites. We are incredibly lucky in West Michigan to have GR Kids (and, subsequently, Kzoo Kids and Lansing Family Fun). These websites are  remarkably well done and perfect tools for being “in the know” with all activities and seasonal favorites in the area. We especially use the “Calendar” option on days that we have the ever-illusive “free time” which is always craved and then about an hour into it, turns into me playing referee. If you are traveling, it may be worth a quick internet search to see if other areas have similar websites. 

Little Passports.  I know, I know. I’ve mentioned this a million zillion times, but I couldn’t make a travel kids list without including them. My kids absolutely love learning about other countries (as well as our own), the activities provided, and getting something every month in the mail. They plan to ask for them again this holiday season. You can check them out here.

And there you have it. Four ways to get your kids more involved in travel. I’d love to hear from you… What do you do to make your trips more kid-friendly? How do you plant travel bugs in your kids?