Top Five Holiday Traveling Tips (from a Family of Five: three kids, 10 and under!)

Traveling for the holidays can be stressful and exhausting. Here's some tips to save you some time.

1. Know the weather. Are you heading North? South? Do you need sandals and flip flops or extra socks and boots? Call your family and friends, research online, and check frequently. Weather can change in an instant. Be prepared for roadside emergencies in any weather condition.

2. Save money on clothing and items that are not typically worn in your region by shopping at thrift stores. For example, this holiday season we'll be heading north to New York. We've been shopping at the Salvation Army (on Wednesday's in our area clothing is 50% off!) and have gotten a ton of name brand sweaters for $3 or less! Most were only $1.50!!

3. Pack Snacks. I love the little snack sized zip lock bags because they're perfect for packing snacks for the car or plane. How annoying is it dragging the ginormous bag of pretzels out of the cloth shopping bag, and passing it over the baby's head to the big kids in the back? Pass back a small baggie with your child's favorite goodies, and save the mess, and hassle!

4. I know it sounds obvious, but bring something OTHER than something with WiFi to keep your children occupied. While the tablet or computer is a great way to keep the kids busy, there may not be a network signal, or a WiFi access on the go. I cannot tell you how many airports don't have free WiFi! Grab the old MP3 player or iPod, an extra set of headphones from the dollar store, a handful of coloring and activity books, and plenty of crayons. Even the big kids enjoy coloring in the car or plane, and it keeps little Johnny's hands away from his sister.

5. Play with your children- yes, even on the go. We love "Down By the Bay", and it helps our middle child with rhyming. Make them read signs, count billboards, look for flags. My children LOVE looking for flags and seeing who can find the most. If you're going to be flying, make silly faces, play tic tac toe, color with them. The memories you're making will last a lifetime!

These are the top five tips that I can offer you tonight. While I'm packing, I will be sure to brainstorm and come up with some new ideas. Feel free to comment and leave your travel tips below!