Planning Travel Around Naptime

Our four-year-old still naps, and we've had a lot of experience when the kids were younger planning around naps. Naps are useful to keep in mind for two reasons: this is when adults can do things the kids aren't interested in and you want to make sure the kid-friendly activities aren't happening when they are at their most tired and cranky.

One of our favorite things back when they would both sleep in their strollers was to plan restaurant visits during naptime. We'd just ask the staff to remove chairs and push the kids under the table while they slept. Then we could eat in peace, with no one on our laps or stealing our food, and they would be quiet and not disturb the other diners.

The strategy is typically to take the kids out for something you want them to participate in first thing in the morning. Most things aren't very crowded the minute they open, and the kids are most awake and interested then. After that, they can nap and you can eat, rest, work, or take turns watching them while the other person does something of interest to them. Then you can all go out again in the afternoon. Even now, we rarely plan more than two activities a day.

If you are on a road trip, it's a good idea to be driving during naptime. If our kids are tired even a little, they will far asleep in the car. So now we tend to push through two activities at once and tire them out, then let them sleep on our drive either back to our hotel/campground or on to the next destination.

In the past, we've made the mistake of overscheduling when we traveled. It's tempting when you are only in a place for a few days and want to see everything, but you should resist the impulse. You'll have a better trip if you see fewer things more thoroughly and make a list of the things you want to do next time. Especially if the many things you want to see include a lot of walking. Museum-fatigue and blisters are real and can put a damper on a trip. I know, you may never get back, but it's nice to dream.

So from time to time, I'll share my lists with you. After I write about all the things we did in a location, if there are things I really wish we'd had time for or that were closed when we were there for whatever reason, I'll add them. Next time, I'll go and write about it, or you can!