I am a professional travel writer and mother of twins. My kids have traveled around the world with me, because I made travel a priority in my family. Traveling with kids is always worth it if you know how to avoid pitfalls. I am a travel writer by trade and I need to stay on the road as a mom. It is not always easy and I have made many mistakes. I thought traveling as a family would be easy after having my twins. Sometimes the trip felt like the opposite of a vacation because of the challenges. I am happy to report that together with my husband, I have built the family travel life of my dreams, fostering global awareness and curiosity in my kids. It is not always easy to travel, and there are times when tempers flare. Its rewards are more than worth it if you know how to avoid pitfalls. I learned the hard way from the mistakes I made. It always helps make the experience seamless, streamlined, and joyful for all members of the family when I keep these key tips in mind. Skimping where it matters will end up costing you later. Ultra-low-cost long-haul fares and airlines are always exciting to me. Someone would be excited to score a flight in the $100s. I have learned my lesson about cheap flying experiences and am more realistic when it comes to springing for extras that make the experience more enjoyable. My family flew from Dubrovnik to Los Angeles on a basic economy ticket. The last leg alone was an 11-hour flight, which we spent in the last row of a completely full economy cabin, on a ticket that said we were not to receive any perks. I didn't pay for meals or drinks because I thought we'd get sustenance in the airport. We were stuck with packaged snacks for an uncomfortable overnight flight when this was not possible. The drinks cart skipped us because our tickets did not include enough water. I always make sure to put myself in the mindset of a tired, hungry, jetlagged traveler before I let my booking finger get the best of me. I always pay extra for an airline ticket that comes with meals and more legroom. It is a huge mistake to avoid the seats in the back of the plane. They are some of the best seats when traveling with kids. There are some limitations to the seating on the plane. With no seat in front of you to store luggage for takeoff, you will have to wait until cruising altitude to access your stuff from the overhead bin. It is a huge mistake to avoid these seats. There is no seat in front for kids to kick and disturb. If you are flying with an infant, the only seats on the plane that have bassinets are in the back of the plane, which is more convenient than holding a sleeping baby for hours. If you choose to sit in the front row of the economy cabin, you can get a lot of legroom. I can easily slip out of the row for a bathroom break and put a bag on the floor for a leg rest, because it's enough to put a bag on the floor in front. It is well worth it even if you have to pay an extra $50. The entire family has to wait in long lines for flights if they don't have Global Entry. Global Entry is a must for the whole family if you travel internationally. To use the program as a family, every member must enroll in advance. The cost for Global Entry is $100 and is good for five years. If you enroll in it separately, you'll pay $85 for the domestic-only perk. These costs are reimbursed by many credit cards with travel perks. I dragged my family back through the airport after long-haul travel when they were jetlagged and cranky, and worse for the wear, while we waited in immigration lines. I can't tell you how much we now experience from Global Entry. We breeze through the last hurdle and get the agent to say "welcome home". Don't travel too light. I forgot my carry-on items because I focused so much on packing my luggage. For a two-week European island-hopping and road-tripping jaunt, I spent two weeks staging suitcases to ensure I packed everything in a thoughtful, non-rushed way. I got our luggage. I did not pack enough stuff in my carry-on. We barely took off from our home airport of Los Angeles when one of my kids had a gastrointestinal problem. After I sealed the sullied pants in a plastic bag, I had to change my kid's pajamas on the plane. That was fine in a pinch, but not ideal for arriving in Barcelona in a hot July. I neglected to bring a lightweight plastic bag on board for trash and had to contend with an explosion of snacks and no sense of order. I never fly without the aforementioned items, as well as an extra charging cable for any family member, and antibacterial gel and wipes. I thought it was a mistake to check multiple bags. I know the opposite is true. Traveling with children means always having your hands full. I didn't think I needed a backpack with crayons or a stuffed animal that would be easy to leave behind while I was away. When my kids were small, we traveled with one enormous piece of checked luggage for the family, and one carry-on for each adult, which also contained the kids' essentials. We thought a strategy of traveling light would make things simpler by reducing the number of bags we had to check. My one-bag-fits-all approach meant I often over packed and found myself over luggage weight limits. In a last-ditch attempt to get heavier items into carry-ons, I would splay out my suitcase on the airport floor, resulting in additional fees. If I have to, I check more than one bag. I was going to wait at the baggage carousel for that one checked bag. Give the child suitcases real luggage instead. When my twins were five years old, I decided they were big enough to handle their own rolling bag at the airport, too. Tiny bags marketed to kids are more ornamental than anything and are always a liability in real-world situations. I found they were too large and didn't fit enough items my kids wanted to bring. When I chose to use real suitcases, they were large enough so that each child could be responsible for their own stuff. Follow my example and avoid the luggage that is too fancy. I like a 20-inch rolling bag that is fun in color and will grow into it while keeping your hands free. I only stay at resorts that have hotel kids clubs, because I failed to embrace them in the beginning. The hotel kids club is an absolute game-changer when it comes to family travel. I initially avoided them because I thought they were just a way of dumping kids off with a babysitter. Most of the time, children must be four or five years old to access the club. When we had little ones, it was a goal we wanted to reach, and a perk that didn't disappoint when we got there. I now know that these kids clubs expose children to a wide range of cultural and friendship opportunities. Through these programs, my kids have traveled to all over the world, including baking bread in Marrakech, racing crabs in Bora Bora, and busting pinatas in Mexico. At the same time, our parents jet skied around islands, and we shopped the souks in the medina. I believe that refreshed parents make better parents. I do not agree with the idea that traveling with young kids can not be rewarding. I only book hotels where this perk is included in the room rate, or where we can add access as an add-on. I think the value is always worth it even if it means a higher nightly price. When my kids were small, I missed the chance to travel. The first couple of years after I became a mother were about survival because I was often overwhelmed. We did not travel much with our twins until they were two years old. We missed out on some of the perks that come with traveling with babies. You don't have to pay for a seat for a child under two, and that is a big deal when it comes to cost savings. There aren't enough oxygen masks so you can't fly with two lap infants in the same row. Babies too small to crawl are not mobile enough to be able to fit in on a flight, making it easier for parents. We missed out on some opportunities to travel with them as infants. I would do it differently if I could. My twins are seven years old and are seasoned world travelers with global cultural and geographical awareness. We did it! With a little planning, you can too. The original article can be found on Insider. America has more than 24,000 miles of rail-trails that appeal to cyclists as well as walkers, according to the organization Rails to Trails. This fast-growing city of nearly 90,000 people in the southwestern corner of the state is an hour from Zion National Park. You won't be paying state income taxes if you cross the state line into Nevada. 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