Be Prepared. Bring Snacks

By GINA ABDY Associated Press

Busy Philipps and her screenwriter husband, Marc Silverstein, jet around the world a lot with their two daughters, ages 6 and 11, and often don’t have much time to plan ahead.

“My husband and I have always been spontaneous travelers because of the way that our jobs work. We never know and can schedule things aside from big holidays,” the actress told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

With the holiday travel season upon us, the “Freaks and Geeks” star is encouraging parents not to be afraid to book a last-minute family getaway. She’s promoting the HotelTonight travel app, which offer discounts on last-minute accommodations.

Just make sure the whole family is on board with the idea, she says.

“My friends who have kids are always asking, isn’t that more stressful? But it’s not. It’s better in a weird way because your expectations are lower and you’re kind of like all in it together,” she said. “It becomes a family adventure and the kids really get into it.”

As for traveling with kids, her advice is: Be prepared, bring snacks or even whole meals, and don’t be too tough on activities.

“We have no limits on screen time on an airplane or in a car trip,” she said. She tries to encourage other things, like card games or coloring, but if the kids just want to watch movies, “I’m like, `OK, that sounds fun. Great.'”