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25+ Ideas when taking Elf On The Shelf on vacation

Elf on the shelf on vacation. I am sure there are many parents reading this wondering the same thing we did. Why did we start the Elf on the Shelf Christmas tradition? I have lost track of the number of times we have gotten into bed only for one of us to say… we haven’t done the elf. Oops. I have even woken up in the middle of the night! And this year we have an added complication. As far as we will be travelling before Christmas. Would you be brave enough to take elf on the shelf on holiday?

It is not unusual for us to go away for the odd weekend in the run-up to Christmas we did this last year. In this case, normally our Scout elves do not travel with us. Instead preferring to stay at home in peace and quiet and guard the Christmas tree. Well, at least that is what they tell us. The boys each have an elf that visits them each year. Elfie (original) and Chocolate. Aptly named by Harry when he turned up with chocolate the first year and seems to have done every year since.

Yet this time we are away for six nights ending on Christmas Eve. So it seems that our Elf on the shelf will be coming on holiday with us this year. The trip is pretty special and needs quite a bit of planning. So have decided to get ready early and make sure I have everything we need for the elves for our road trip. To keep the Christmas magic alive.

Table of Contents

Tips for taking your elf on th shelf on vacation

How do they find you?

I have thought long and hard about elf-on-the-shelf ideas and how we are going to announce our trip. To add to the excitement of the fact that we travelling, before we go I will set the elves up with an atlas. Open on the page of our destination or looking at travel details. I will do this activity the night before we travel so once the boys have been told. This way when they magically appear it will all make sense. Our elves have little doors which will magically appear in our hotel room which will explain how they will get there for the length of the trip. After all the elves have an excellent sense of direction.

Travelling with your elf on the shelf

I have thought about this long and hard. Firstly what if one suitcase goes missing? Well, we are lucky as we will be taking four bags and have two elves so at least that double the chances of getting at least one little guy. Of course, if you are really worried about this then you can always pack them in your hand luggage. My only concern with this is if it gets pulled at security and the boys see them.

If our elves are magically appearing then we need to be careful how we pack them. For this reason, a great way to do this is to put in a bag that will be hidden in the clothing. So there is less chance of little eyes spying on them. Plus it means I will be able to do most of the unpacking without worrying about hiding things in the suitcase.

Packing for your elf on the shelf for the holiday

Having Christmas travel plans with the elf on the shelf means that I need to be super organised. So I need to know what high jinks they will be up to each night. But at the same time, we are limited in weight and I do not want to be taking lots of additional things away with us. When we have enough already!

It is also important to remember when taking your elf on the shelf when travelling, that certain things can not be packed in suitcases or allowed into another country. I have tried to be mindful of these in our ideas below. Of course, if you are going on a car ride you will have much more flexibility this holiday season.

Moving around with your elf on the shelf on vacation

To compound our fun elf travels we will be staying in several different locations with our elves. So having a bag where everything is located is probably even more important. Since our elves will be presenting the day’s activities to the boys they will at least know what we are going. As I will include pictures of the new accommodation we are staying in so at least they will know how to find us. But finding a new spot each day in a hotel room may be a challenge!

25 Ideas when taking Elf on The Shelf on vacation with you

Most of these fun ideas use the items which you are likely to find in a hotel room. Obviously, if you are staying in self-catering accommodation then you may have more options at your disposal. It is also good to get family members to help.

Mini snowballs with toilet paper
Floating in the sink
Stuck in the glass
Having a bed made of towels
Writing a postcard
Being tied up (remember to pack some string)
if you bring string then you can also set up a zip line wth a candy cane
Playing hide and seek in a sock
Looking at maps
Reading a local guidebook
Writing a list of things to do while sightseeing
Writing shopping list
Totting up the receipts
Taking selfies while asleep
Elf with his own box of clothes
Leaving clothes for days out or travel destinations
Making a Wordsearch for the holiday destination
Putting on a swimming costume
Pretending to lay on the beach
Pinning destinations in an atlas or map
Delivering a note for Father’s Christmas to tell him where you are
Surprising with boarding passes or plane tickets
Leaving Christmas decorations or PJs related to your destination ie Disney
Pack items in their own bag or suitcase
Leaving instructions on cleaning, heating emptying the bins or similar
Writing a list of things to do before you leave
If you are travelling somewhere cold then make a snow angel on the balcony
Present a souvenir on your last night

Other great ideas for not taking your elf on the shelf on holiday

If travelling with Santa’s special helpers feels like too much hard work. Then you could free elf from his duties at home and release him to scout elf’s north pole duties instead. Or perhaps they could be part of a special mission?

You may also find these other Elf on the shelf blog posts useful. Some come with handy printables.