Travel With Kids Feels Overwhelming? How Squish Games Makes Family Trips Easier and More Fun

When Travel With Our Son Started Feeling Too Heavy

We used to think that travel “overwhelm” was just something parents whispered about at playgrounds or joked about online. But when we really looked at how we were moving through life, we realized something bigger was happening, something we never slowed down long enough to name.

It wasn’t one moment. It was a series of tiny ones.

The rushed packing that turned into snapping at each other.
The car rides that felt tense instead of fun.
The moments when our son, our one sweet boy, was happily chatting in the backseat, and we were just… too overstimulated to enjoy it.
The guilt that crept in afterward because we knew these years are precious.
The sinking feeling that maybe we were messing up the very memories we were trying to create.

And then came the light-bulb moment.

We were halfway through a long drive when we realized we were holding our breath, literally. We turned to each other and said, “This can’t be what family travel is supposed to feel like. Not for us. Not for him.”

We didn’t want survival mode.
We wanted connection.
We wanted to remember the inside jokes, the silly moments, the joy, not how exhausted and overstimulated we felt.

And that’s when we decided something had to change.

Not someday. Not when life felt easier.
But now.

Because if travel was going to be a big part of our son’s childhood, then we had to find a way to make it feel better, for all of us.

That change didn’t come from something big.
It came from something small.
Something simple.
Something we used to overlook:

Play.

And that realization became the heartbeat of Squish Games.

How Squish Games Helps When Travel Feels Overwhelming

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve felt it too, the internal pressure, the noise, the overstimulation, the planning, the packing, the worrying if the experience is “worth it” or if you’re doing it “right.”

But travel doesn’t have to feel like that.

Sometimes the fix isn’t tightening the schedule
or buying the right travel gear
or convincing yourself to “be more patient.”

Sometimes the fix… is play.

Not performative play.
Not Pinterest-perfect play.
But simple, real, connected play.

Below are the foundational ways Squish Games can help turn overwhelming family travel into joyful, bonding travel, one small moment at a time.

Each section introduces a method that will eventually become its own detailed standalone blog post. For now, consider this your roadmap, your reminder, and your spark.

1. Turning Travel Time Into Game Time

The simplest stress-reducing, connection-building tool you already have.

We used to think games had to be complicated, packed in bags, designed with pieces, planned ahead.

But what saved us wasn’t something fancy.
It was making play the center of our travel time, not the background noise.

Here’s the shift we made:

Instead of thinking:
“We need to keep him entertained so the trip doesn’t fall apart.”

We started thinking:
“How can we turn this moment into something we share?”

Games became the bridge.

Not just for our son, but for us.

Travel can feel overwhelming because there’s pressure to control everything.
Games remove that pressure because they invite everyone, kid and parents, into the same experience.

Simple car-ready, line-ready, airport-ready games:

• “Would You Rather” but silly versions (Would you rather have spaghetti hair or marshmallow feet?)

• The “Yes or No” Game (We ask rapid questions he can only answer with yes/no, he LOVES being quick.)

• Sound-Guessing (One of us taps or hums something weird; he guesses what it is.)

• The 20-Second Story Challenge (We each tell a ridiculous 20-second story.)

• The Shape-Spot Game (Pick a shape: circle, square, triangle, and find things outside that match.)

These games did something we didn’t expect:

They calmed us down too.

Because when play starts, pressure drops.
When pressure drops, presence increases.
And suddenly, travel feels lighter, not because the trip changed, but because we did.

2. Using Games to Manage Our Own Overwhelm

Play isn’t just for kids, it regulates parents too.

We used to think our son needed entertainment to stay regulated while we white-knuckled our way through the stress.

But what we missed was this:

Play regulates parents.
A regulated parent regulates a child.

When we started intentionally using tiny games to stay grounded, simple wordplay, cooperative challenges, connection-based activities, everything shifted.

Examples that helped us as much as him:

• Taking turns naming “one thing we can see right now”

• Letting him “lead” a 1-minute game (kids LOVE being in charge; it diffuses tension instantly)

• Playing “Count to 20 as a family” where someone can replace a number with a silly sound (this ALWAYS gets giggles)

These weren’t distractions.
They were interruptions to overwhelm.

Micro-play moments that gave us a reset button.

Instead of spiraling into stress or overstimulation, we could use play to pause, breathe, and reconnect, with ourselves and with him.

This alone made travel feel more manageable than anything else we’d tried.

3. Creating Travel Rituals Through Repeated Games

Rituals reduce chaos because they give kids (and parents) a rhythm.

One of the most overwhelming parts of travel is unpredictability:
Will traffic be bad?
Will lines be long?
Will he get bored?
Will he melt down?
Will we melt down?

Rituals anchor everyone.

For our son, having a “travel game ritual” turned the hardest parts of travel into predictable, comforting moments.

Our ritual became:

Start-of-Trip Game → Mid-Trip Game → End-of-Trip Game

He knows what’s coming.
We know what’s coming.
It reduces anxiety for all three of us.

Examples that work beautifully:

• Start-of-trip: “Guess the Destination” clue game

• Mid-trip: A packed “mystery card” with silly prompts or trivia

• End-of-trip: “Rose, Thorn, & Spark”—what we loved, what was hard, what we’re excited for next

These rituals are simple.
But they turn unpredictable travel into meaningful rhythm.
And kids thrive on rhythm.

4. Using Games to Strengthen Connection, Not Just Pass Time

Play becomes a tool for bonding, not distraction.

There was a moment, one of those moments that sticks with you, when we were in a long airport security line and our son asked:

“Can we play a game?”

We were tired. Hungry. Over it.

But we said yes.
And the simple game turned into 10 minutes of laughing.
The tension faded.
The line didn’t feel so long anymore.

That’s when it hit us:

Games don’t just pass time.
They strengthen the relationship inside the time.

Travel becomes overwhelming because we’re juggling logistics, stress, expectations, and the clock.

But games pull everyone back into the present moment.

When we play:

• We look at each other.

• We hear each other.

• We laugh together.

• We reconnect.

Travel becomes less about “getting through it” and more about “being in it.”

That’s the real transformation.

5. Preparing for Travel With Playful Tools & Kits

Small travel kits = big reduction in overwhelm.

This is one of our favorite ways Squish Games can help.

One of the biggest root causes of overwhelm is reacting in the moment without a plan.
But play kits give you something ready, something simple that turns chaos into connection.

Examples of game-based travel kits we use:

• The 10-Card Travel Deck: One card per mini-game

• Mini Whiteboard Kit: Kids LOVE drawing challenges

• The “Choose a Challenge” Bag: Draw a challenge card (“Make a robot noise” “Pretend to be a detective,” etc.)

• Sticker Story Kits: Create a silly story using random stickers

• The Quiet Games Pouch: Games that require no noise (great for planes)

These aren’t big or fancy.
But they keep travel from spiraling into stress because you have tools, tiny tools, that make play accessible at any moment.

Our Message to You

If travel with your child has ever felt overwhelming, please hear us when we say this:

You are not alone.
You are not doing it wrong.
You are not failing.

Travel is loud.
Travel is unpredictable.
Travel asks a lot of parents, especially when you’re trying to do your best with a tired brain and a full heart.

But you deserve moments that feel good again.
You deserve road trips that feel light, not heavy.
You deserve to laugh in the backseat, not hold your breath at every red light.
And your child deserves to experience a parent who feels connected, not overwhelmed.

We aren’t perfect.
We still lose our patience.
We still get overstimulated.
We still have messy moments.

But these tools, these small acts of play, helped us breathe again.
Helped us enjoy our son again.
Helped us enjoy ourselves again.

And we want that for you too.

So here’s your gentle call to action:

Try one small game the next time travel feels overwhelming.
Just one.
Let it be the moment that shifts the energy.
Let it be the spark that brings connection back into a stressful moment.
Let it be the reminder that you can create joy anywhere, even in traffic, even in airport lines, even in the in-between spaces.

Because you and your child deserve to experience the journey…
not just survive it.

We’re here with you.
Cheering you on.
Rooting for your family every mile of the way.

And we can’t wait to show you even more ways Squish Games can make travel feel lighter, easier, and full of joy.