Traveling With Kids: The Survival Guide Every Parent Needs

After Bedtime with Big Little Feelings

Dear Media and Big Little Feelings

Big Little Feelings, Kids & Family, After Bedtime, Kristin Gallant, After Bedtime With Big Little Feelings, Deena Margolin, Parenting

4.7 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 31 December 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Before kids, travel was a vibe. After kids? It’s CrossFit, hostage negotiation, and a team sport you didn’t train for. If you’re traveling with kids this holiday season — flying, driving, or doing both — this episode is your survival guide. We’re talking about why travel melts kids down hard, what’s actually happening in their brains at 29,000 feet, and the simple shifts that make the entire day go better (without needing a color-coded itinerary or superhuman patience).

You’ll walk away with:

• Why meltdowns hit harder when routines disappear

• How to prep kids so they’re more regulated before the chaos even starts

• What to do in the moment when everything goes sideways

• How to reset your expectations so the day feels like a win — not a failure

• And the permission to use screens, snacks, and survival tools without guilt

This episode isn’t about making travel smooth. It’s about getting there with your relationship intact. If you’ve ever whispered “never again” in an airport bathroom…If you’ve spent $52 on a stuffed animal you didn’t plan to buy…If you’ve boarded a plane already exhausted…You are not alone. And you are doing an incredible job. Pop this on before you leave for the airport — or while you’re hiding in the bathroom pretending to pee.

This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.

Visit chrysler.com/pacifica to build your family's perfect minivan.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast is a Dear Media production.
0:03.4	Okay, listen, I used to think I was not a minivan person.
0:07.9	And then I had multiple kids and I realized, oh, okay, this isn't a car.
0:14.0	This is a survival strategy.
0:16.4	And I have to say, after looking at lots and lots of different minivan options, the Chrysler Pacifica,
0:22.9	it's the MVP of survival. Kristen and I, we actually text about this all the time. Like,
0:28.2	we are officially at that chapter of life where we're minivan people now. When it comes to the
0:32.6	Chrysler Pacifica, we're talking room for everyone, up to eight people, plus all the things, strollers, dance bags, soccer cleats, someone's half-eaten granola bar collection.
0:43.9	You know what I mean.
0:45.4	And there's stow and go seating?
0:47.0	It's a game changer.
0:48.1	You can fold the seats flat into the floor for major cargo space.
0:52.5	And if you've ever tried to open a car door with a baby in one arm
0:55.1	and a toddler screaming in the other about their sock being wrong, the hands-free sliding doors
0:59.8	and power lift gate will feel like a miracle for you, friend. And my personal favorite feature,
1:05.2	the fam cam. So this is a night vision camera that lets you keep eyes on the back seat, because
1:10.1	silence in the back
1:11.3	seat is suspicious. That's right. Plus, it's got built in Amazon Fire TV, heated seats in both
1:18.1	rows, a dual pane sunroof. It's giving luxury, comfort, peace of mind, especially with all the
1:24.6	advanced safety features. So, discover all the ways a Chrysler Pacifica can make
1:29.5	your life and your family's rides easier and more enjoyable by visiting Chrysler.com slash
1:35.2	Pacifica today. Welcome back to after-bedtime, besties today's episode. Ooh, it's about holiday travel. We pray for every single
	...

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