Zen and the Art of Travelling with Twins

My very best friend from college sent her wedding invitation months ago. As the price of gas crept higher and higher, the idea my family and I may not be able to afford the cost of attending this "destination" wedding became more and more real. However, once we sat down and realized the brevity of our roles as guests and, in my case, a part of the actual ceremony, it was decided that yes, we would go.

The cost for a family of four to travel via plane from New England to South Carolina ranged between $1300 and $3000, a sum of money I just was not willing to fork over. We decided to make it a road trip, breaking up the travel to and fro over two days each way. Bags were packed, supplies procured and anti-depressant prescriptions refilled to prepare for the marathon drive.

Although we are seasoned travellers with kids, as we drive to Atlantic Canada each summer to visit my in-laws and have made other trips to various locales in the US and Canada by both vehicle and plane, we still learned a few nuggets about travelling with tots and, more specifically, with twins.

First, make sure each child has his or her own bag of cheap, new toys for each leg of the trip. We made the mistake of throwing our loot in one, big, tote bag, only to listen to the equivalent of two 3 year-olds enduring a tug-of-war over reign of the canvas sack not 3 hours into our 16 hour trip.

This point segues into my next, which is, with twins, ensure each child has his or her own version of a toy, so as to avoid any squabbles along the way. Basically, purchase two of everything. I'm normally adamant about sharing in my home, and have forced my kids to operate on one of most every toy we have, but in the close quarters of a car? Let them have their own.

Next, pack plenty of nutritious snacks, for the kids and you. We essentially put our clothing and sundry items in a roof container and used the trunk of our small SUV for snacks and drinks. Despite thinking we packed enough, by the halfway mark on our return trip, we ran out. Which meant stopping for expensive, diarrhea-inducing fried fat. To be honest, if I never see or eat another chicken nugget or french fry again, it'll be too soon.

Take along a cooler for string cheese, yogurts and juice boxes or include some dried fruits and nuts. Believe me, not only will you save money, but your digestive system will thank you for it.

Pack as many diapers/wipes/pull ups/cleaning products as you can muster since you'll likely not use them all, but if you do, you'll thank your lucky stars you packed them.

The last, and perhaps most obvious and eye opening tidbit we gained from our trip was to try your very best not to yell while in the car. Truly, screaming from the front seat to two three-year-olds who may or may not be making trouble and then that snowball effect rolls right over your husband, and before you know it, you're driving through West Virginia like a bawling fool, is just not worth it. Believe me. I speak from experience.

Don't let a road-trip with young kids or twins scare you into staying home. Plan ahead, think frugal and relax. Who knows, it may be more fun than you could've ever imagined.

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artificiallyawake  - Twins   |2008-07-11 20:27:20 I had traveled (or should I say moved across the country) with my then one month old twins. One had colic and the other acid reflux. I would love to travel with them again in a few years, but I will certainly take all of your advice into consideration when I do. Thank you for the eye opening piece.

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