In Episode 190, Allison Schaaf, founder of Prep Dish, chats about a recent vacation she and her family took to Panama and offers her best tips for flying with kids. Pro tip: snacks are essential!

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Allison's top tricks for a better flying experience with kids include

1. Having age and experience in your corner. The more children are exposed to air travel, the easier flying becomes. And as children get older, they tend to have (and create) an easier experience with air travel. Going on longer flights from the start helps make the shorter trips more palatable for all.
2. Finding direct flights and avoiding time changes if possible. When traveling for pleasure, attempting to choose destinations that offer direct flights and are in your same time zone can be incredibly helpful for kids. You'll avoid jet lag adjustments and the hustle of catching connecting flights, and be able to focus on exploring a new place with your family.
3. Investing in a color reveal activity book, such as the Melissa & Doug Water Wow sets. These types of kids' activities are luggage friendly as you only need one "coloring" accessory and can provide a lot of in-flight entertainment for the family.
4. Brining new toys or activities to enjoy on the plane. This does not necessarily mean needing to purchase several items for your kids, but could include some items that the kids haven't played with recently. Resurrected toys and activities for the win!
5. Using books as entertainment or travel distractions. There's nothing quite like getting lost in a good book or audio book to pass the time during a flight.
6. Remembering to pack the headphones for in-flight screens or music. These can be a great way to entertain kids during their air travel.
7. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks! Having a variety of snacks and bottled water on hand is really helpful while flying, especially if something gets delayed or doesn't go as planned.
8. Don't stress!

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Connect with Allison: PrepDish.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prepdish/ Get your FREE mealplan at PrepDish.com/podcast OR text the word mealprep to 33777

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Resources mentioned in this podcast:

Activity book: https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Reusable-Water-Reveal-Activity/dp/B08DJYTWGG?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1

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