My kids are too naughty to travel

A lot of people have asked me lately for advice on traveling with their kids. They are either nervous about traveling as a family or they aren't sure if they should. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about traveling so I thought I would clear them up. Today I am talking about the biggest one I hear, "My kids are too naughty to travel". 

I can't tell you how many times I hear the phrase, "my kids are too naughty to travel". And to that I say, no, just plain no. As sweet as my little Ava looks on social media she is a complete devil 98% of the time. Seriously! SERIOUSLY! She has more meltdowns than almost any kid I know. Partly it's because of her hearing (we are working that out), partly because of her health issues, but the other part is just because she's not an easy kid and NEVER has been. With that said, we don't let it stop us from traveling. We just modify. We know Ava's limits, we know what will set her off (most of the time) and what will calm her down and we modify. We have come to realize Ava's happy place is a pool so we always book a hotel with a pool. Then, when things get tough, we go swim. We also get a lot of room service so the girls can play in the room while they eat because Ava and Tay both aren't awesome in restaurants. We try to book family friendly hotels where kids are welcome and the staff is used to dealing with kids. While flying, we take toys and treats (chocolate) we know Ava loves on the plane to keep her calm. Generally, we take our trips much slower than we used to and that's okay. I have come to the realization that Ava will have meltdowns no matter where we are and I would rather be traveling than stay at home simply because Ava is a tough kid. Yes, it is work, but I am a much happier mom if I travel and Ava is actually a happier kid when we are out and about traveling, so we work it out. I don't worry about ruining other peoples vacation because of her behavior either. If someone can't deal with Ava then that's their issue not mine. Of course, we don't let her go crazy and scream right next to people, but sometimes we can't avoid it and we do our best to diffuse the situation.  .  Bottom line, don't let your kids meltdowns/naughty behavior keep you from traveling. Kids will meltdown and be naughty no matter where you are.  You may as well be in an awesome place when it happens. ;)