How to Get Along While Traveling

How to Get Along While Traveling

Travel is exciting but it can be overwhelming too! These 5 tips will lead the way on how to get along while traveling (in an RV, plane or living in a small space).

Stay fed!

Start with the basics. Our family has three teens. If they are not fed properly we have lost the game before it starts. Planning three solid meals (possibly four – for the boys) along with snacks is a constant priority. This is what makes RVing so fantastic! Gone are the days of being subjected to whatever is available.

A fitness trainer once said to me, “Nutrition is easy, Tricia. You just have to get the right foods…remember to bring them with you…and then remember to eat them.” At the time I found the advice pretty basic – but he was right! Shopping for the right foods, then putting them in a cooler or having them ready in the fridge is the biggest part of the battle. When we’re hungry it’s the wrong time to figure out what to eat or be in a grocery store.

While we try to make healthy choices on the road a guest on the KYD podcast (Paul Kortman) shared an interesting tip for traveling with small kids in foreign places. “Don’t get in a battle over food.” If they want cereal and hamburgers in Tokyo then let them have it. Younger children celebrate their day by what they get to eat. We don’t want them to hate a new place, or travel in general, because it means they have to eat “gross food” (relative term).

How to get along while traveling – Tip 1: Carry a cooler or backpack every time you head out on an adventure. You will not only save money but also keep up your endurance.

Solution Based

Let’s face it…life is going to throw all kinds of things our way no matter where we are. It’s our job to stay focused on solutions. When we are fatigued its easy to pick on the ones we love. Solution based thinking instead of faultfinding is a priority when traveling.

Marie Forleo, life coach and host of MarieTV, said the best thing her mom taught her was that everything is “figureoutable.” This put her in a solution based mindset.

What if we were teaching those around us, especially our kids, that we can collaborate to fix instead of trying to blame. Would an airline attendant work harder to find our bag? Would a stranger give us a time-saving tip? Would our family share more with us because they know they can trust us to elevate instead of put down?

How to get along while traveling – Tip 2: Keeping the focus on the problem and not on the person is helpful in finding a solution.

Laughter

We have gone from everyone upset to tears of laughter just by one good joke. Keeping things light and having a sense of humor is a must. Laughter is literally one of the best medicines as it triggers endorphins, boosts your immune system, and stimulates creative thinking. When things go wrong train your brain to find the humor. Sometimes I pretend my life is like a scene from the movie Dumb and Dumber. No matter how ridiculous Jim Carey’s character was in the film he still came out ahead. “So you’re sayin’ there’s a chance?”

How to get along while traveling – Tip 3: Keep jokes on the situation and not targeted attacks on each other. Taking cheap shots at your travel partner is a recipe for hurt feelings and a weakened relationship.

Escape Route

Once, we were several days into a long travel itinerary and everyone was starting to wear on each other. Let’s be more specific…our boys were driving our daughter crazy! Our daughter said something interesting, “There is just no place to be quiet and by myself.” It was so true! Living in a small space or when traveling we have to make parameters about alone time. Determining what “alone time” looks like, ahead of time, and what the rules are around it gives space for escaping and refreshing.

How to get along while traveling – Tip 4: Travel can sometimes be exhausting and we need to hit the refresh button. It’s okay to, go for a walk, listen to a book with your earphones, or take a nap without anyone interrupting you.

Body Language

Small things like eye rolls and shoulder shrugs erode trust and can lead to negative results over time. The Gottman Institute goes as far to say that it’s the number one predictor of divorce. Wow! What?… Why? Gottman says its because the emotion behind the eye roll is based in contempt.

The good news is this kind of body language is habit-based and can be changed immediately for a more positive relationship. The next time you feel the emotion (contempt, frustration, or overwhelm) hit the pause button. Acknowledge the emotion behind the upcoming body language. This will give you an opportunity find a way to respectfully deliver information that fosters trust and resolution.

How to get along while traveling – Tip 5: Travel presents many opportunities in a day to complement one another. Take as many times as you can to appreciate, show affection, and acknowledge positive outcomes with your travel partner.