Best and Worst Parts of Travel with Kids

Travel with the family can be a rewarding experience. It can also be stressful. OnePoll conducted a survey on behalf of car seat brand Diono regarding the best and worst parts of traveling with kids. OnePoll surveyed 2,000 parents of children 10 and younger.

The survey found parents start getting overwhelmed five hours into a road trip. Twenty-four percent still prefer traveling via car instead of flying. Sixty-five percent of parents surveyed noted it was easier keeping children comfortable when traveling by car. Parents described favorite travel memories with their kids, including singing in the car and witnessing kids’ excitement at going somewhere new.

Of those surveyed, 71 percent said they take their kids on every vacation. Seventy-two percent look forward to bonding with their children without distractions, and 69 percent said traveling wouldn’t be the same without their children.

Two-thirds of those surveyed cited keeping up with messes as the most difficult part of traveling with kids, with 59 percent reporting having a difficult time cleaning messes while traveling. Bathroom accidents (41 percent) and spilled drinks (36 percent) were the most common messes.

Parents shared travel hacks for easing travel woes, including traveling at night while kids are asleep, making frequent pit stops and having travel trays and seatbelt pillows available. The top items making road trips with kids easier are toys, snacks, electronic devices, videos games and playing car games. Despite being prepared, 71 percent of parents purchase additional products, from diapers to snacks once at their destination.