Summer Travel with Kids: A Therapist’s Guide to Smooth Sailing (Even If There’s Turbulence) 

Summer Travel Can Be Magical—But Let’s Be Real 

Summer travel promises sunshine, new adventures, and quality time with the kids. If you’re a parent, you already know it can also mean meltdowns at the gate, arguments over snacks, and anxiety in little (and big) hearts. 

As pediatric mental health professionals, we get it. The good news? With a little preparation, emotionally and practically, you can create a trip that’s joyful and mentally manageable for your entire family. 

Let’s dive into therapist-approved strategies for making summer travel with school-age kids smoother, calmer, and actually fun. 

1. Prepare Their Minds Like You Pack Their Bags 

Travel isn’t just a logistical shift—it’s a mental shift, especially for school-age kids who rely on routine for emotional security. Children thrive on predictability. The more they understand what’s coming, the safer they feel. 

Therapist Tip: Use a Visual Countdown or Social Story 

• Start talking about the trip 1–2 weeks in advance. 

• Use a visual countdown calendar (paper, app, or even stickers). 

• Make a simple social story: “We’ll go to the airport. There may be lines. It might be loud. Then we’ll get on the plane/train…” 

Resource: Try apps like Choiceworks or a picture book about travel that help kids mentally map out the trip. 

2. Normalize Travel Anxiety (Yes, It’s a Thing!) 

Fear of flying, unfamiliar places, or being off routine? Totally normal. Your child isn’t “difficult”—they’re human. 

Travel throws kids into unfamiliar environments—new sounds, new rules, new faces. This unpredictability can trigger travel anxiety, which often shows up as clinginess, irritability, or even physical symptoms like stomachaches. 

Therapist Tip: Validate First 

Before you try to fix anything, start by validating. This tells your child, “Your feelings make sense. I’m with you.” Then introduce a coping strategy that teaches them how to manage those feelings—not avoid them. 

Try this combo: 

• Validation: “It’s okay to feel nervous. Sometimes new things feel scary until we try them.” 

• Tool: Breathing buddy, emotion cards, or a calming “travel kit” (coloring, chewing gum, sensory toy). 

• Rehearsal: Practice the scenario at home. Role-play airport security or train announcements. 

Over time, repeated exposure + support = less fear and more confidence. That’s anxiety desensitization in action. 

3. Help Kids Feel in Control: Choices Matter 

Travel takes decisions away from kids. Giving back some control helps reduce power struggles and supports emotional regulation. When everything feels uncertain, small choices give kids a sense of autonomy. 

Therapist Tip: Offer Controlled Choices 

• “Do you want to bring your blue headphones or the red ones?” 

• “Would you rather sit by the window or the aisle?” 

• Let them help pack their “fun bag” with books, snacks, a small toy, or activities. 

4. Involve Kids in Planning to Build Buy-In 

When kids are part of the planning, they feel invested—and less resistant to the unexpected. Here’s the bonus: this process also strengthens executive functioning. 

Executive functioning refers to brain skills like planning, organizing, focusing attention, and problem-solving. They’re essential for success in school and in life. 

Letting kids: 

• Research a museum and create a “kid’s itinerary” 

• Help budget for souvenirs 

• Choose their outfits for travel days 

…helps them stretch these skills in a fun, real-world setting. And they’re far more likely to follow through on plans they helped shape. 

5. Prepare for the “What Ifs”—Without Panic 

Travel rarely goes exactly as planned. Missed connections, lost bags, rough behavior days…it happens. Prepping for hiccups helps your child feel safe, even when things don’t go as planned. It also prevents panic from taking over when things go sideways. 

Therapist Tip: Plan, then Reframe 

• Pack a mental health first aid kit: noise-canceling headphones, familiar snacks, sensory tools, medication (if prescribed). 

• Know that one meltdown doesn’t ruin the trip. It’s a moment, not a measure of your parenting. 

• Use positive reframing: “That was hard, but we figured it out. We’re a great team.” 

6. Speaking of Medications…What Should Parents Know? 

Travel disrupts routines, which can affect how medications work. If your child takes medication (for ADHD, anxiety, etc.), talk to your provider about how travel might affect dosage schedules, appetite, or sleep. Being proactive keeps kids stable and safe, and saves parents major stress. 

Therapist Tip: Keep It Routine 

• Stick to regular med times—even across time zones. 

• Pack medication in carry-on bags. 

• Bring extras, along with a doctor’s note and original prescription bottles for TSA. 

7. Regulate Yourself First: Kids Mirror Our Stress 

The energy you bring sets the tone. If you’re frazzled, your child likely will be too. Kids learn emotional regulation by watching you. Your tone of voice, body language, and reaction to stress teaches them how to respond to challenges.  

This is called co-regulation—the idea that kids borrow your calm until they build their own. 

Therapist Tip: Model Coping in Real Time 

• Narrate your own feelings: “I’m feeling frustrated about this delay, so I’m going to take some deep breaths.” Or, “This delay is frustrating, but I know it won’t last forever.” 

• Use grounding tools for yourself (breathing apps, a calming playlist, a travel journal). 

By being transparent about how you manage stress, you’re building their emotional vocabulary and showing them that big feelings are manageable—not scary. 

8. Keep Routines (Loosely) in Place 

Routines act like emotional anchors. Even one or two predictable elements each day can help a child feel safe when everything else is new. 

• Bedtime routine (same book, same stuffed animal) 

• Meal times (as close to normal as possible) 

• Screen time expectations 

Consistency builds a sense of safety, even in a new place. 

9. What If We Have a Bad Day? 

You will, and it’s okay. No trip is perfect. But when you bounce back from hard moments together, you’re teaching your child one of the most important skills they’ll ever learn: resilience. 

Resilience is the ability to recover from setbacks. It’s not about “toughing it out,” it’s about believing, “I can handle hard things, and I’m not alone.” 

Therapist Tip: Create a Reset Ritual 

When things go off the rails, do a quick family “reset”: Stop. Connect. Reflect. 

Modeling that tough moments can be repaired teaches resilience—a skill far more important than a perfectly executed itinerary. 

• “Let’s do a restart. Want to grab a silly snack and start fresh?” 

• “That morning was rough. What helped you feel better?” 

• “We’re not starting over—we’re starting again. That’s what strong families do.” 

Over time, this builds your child’s internal script: Mistakes happen, but I can move forward. 

Quick Packing & Planning Checklist for Mental Wellness 

The right tools = fewer meltdowns and more moments of connection. Pack for the nervous system, not just the suitcase. 

• Sensory/fidget toys 

• Headphones + downloaded calming music 

• Familiar snacks (plus a couple of “surprise treats”) 

• Medication (with backup) 

• Emotion cards or calm-down tools 

• Something comforting from home 

• Activity book or journal for downtime 

• Family meeting before travel (“what to expect, what we’re excited about”) 

Summer Travel Is a Masterclass in Emotional Growth 

Even when things get bumpy, every experience, every tough moment, silly snack, or shared joke is helping your child build confidence, flexibility, and connection with you. That’s the kind of growth you can’t buy in a souvenir shop. 

If the stress of it all starts to feel like too much—or if your family could use support navigating anxiety, big transitions, behavioral concerns, or parenting challenges—the licensed therapists and certified parent coaches at PM Mental Health are here to help. 

Read more about how we can help, and if you’re ready to get started, schedule a free informational consultation now – no waitlist!