Children thrive on routine. Their attention spans are slim but their zest for new encounters can make them perfect travel companions if you foresee possible melt downs before they happen. Traveling can be stressful for grown ups, so it’s no wonder that it pushes children’s patience and limits too. The excitement of getting from one place to another, daydreaming about your environment and all the fun causes added stress and exhaustion for little ones. Because of this, it’s important to be sympathetic towards children’s over-stimulation on vacations and do your part as a parent to ensure the child feels safe and secure.

One way of doing this is by doing little things to make each child feel special. With my own children, giving them a daily allowance to spend on tchotchkes always made them proud. Other ways are bringing the comforts of home with you -– a child’s favorite toy, pillow or family picture to put next to his bed. Little things like letting them pick out the activities and restaurants will give them added confidence in their strange surroundings.

It’s also important not to force kids to do activities that would cause further anxiety. While vacation can be the perfect opportunity for trying out new adventures, a child might also have some homesickness and fears may escalate.

Also, just because you’re on a “family vacation” doesn’t mean you have to spend every waking moment together. As all kids are different, your children each likely have different interests (especially if they are different genders or farther apart in age). So don’t be afraid to split up once in a while and let your kids pick different activities to do if that’s what they want — besides helping eliminate complaints, some one-on-one time with mom or dad in a strange land will probably be appreciated, too.

Read more about traveling with kids from our Family Vacations Tipster.

This post sponsored by Toyota