10 Helpful Tips When Traveling With Children

Family trips are the desires of most families/parents but many wish they can just arrive at their destination without the hassle of getting on the road or flight depending on the destination. The hassle is even worse, especially when you are travelling with your children.

Trips are great for children and very enlightening.

They get to observe, explore and learn new things, they also have so much fun that they don’t want to go back home.

Being prepared and knowing what you are up for can save you a whole lot of stress and help you enjoy your trip.

Have you been considering a family trip and you have got some worries about how to get through the journey?

If that is you, then I have got some tips to help get you ready whether it’s your 1st or 10th trip with your kids and make your trip better.

WHAT ARE THE HELPFUL TIPS WHEN TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN?

1. BOOK AHEAD:

Making your bookings earlier can help you with your budgeting.

Whether local or international trips, tickets should be done in good time.

It is also important to get accommodation sorted before you arrive at your destination, you don’t want to arrive in a new environment and a trip looking for hotels you can book.

The kids will most likely be tired especially if it was a long trip and might want to rest, you too will need some rest.

Fun parks and tourist sites should also be booked ahead and can attract discounts, it can also help guide your activities through your stay at your destination.

helpful tips for traveling with children

2. PACK ALL NECESSARY GADGETS:

Strollers, slings or baby carriers, car seats, toys, books and electronics should be part of your strategy to help take off some stress of the journey depending on the trip you are making.

Strollers are especially good so you don’t wear out your arms or use up energy trying to carry your child around the city, slings and baby carriers help with this too depending on your preference.

Toys, books and electronics help keep the child occupied and somewhat distracted from the stress of the journey especially if you have long stops though international airlines have got some entertainment inflight. For some kids, being with their favourite toy can also bring some comfort.

Read this next:
8 Fun Activities to Do with Your Children During the Holidays

3. DO NOT HOLD BACK ON THE ESSENTIALS:

Snacks should not be underestimated. Try to pack sufficient snacks, water and their favourite drinks to last you through the trip.

For babies and toddlers, diapers, wipes, food, diaper disposable bags and change of clothes should be top on the list. Diapers can leak and you would need to change them up, for this reason also you might want to take a pair of cloth for yourself, you never know.

Be sure not to overpack though, you don’t want to struggle with both luggage and kids.

4. PREPARE YOUR KIDS:

It’s important to intimate the kids about the trip before it even happens.

It prepares and gets them in the mood.

Children love adventure and you can bring the fun things forward followed by the process.

Let them know what to expect and what is expected of them.

5. SCHEDULING FLIGHTS AND TOURS:

When booking flights and tours, you want to make sure you consider the schedule/routine of the child. You don’t want to book a tour during sleep time, the child might be irritable and not productive.

Something else you want to do is be sure you have all the necessary documents for the trip especially with regards to your kids.

Also, try to avoid long wait hours. Children can get bored just sitting and waiting. Most times, families with kids are given preference. You can opt for premium classes as they have their lines too.

6. DISCOUNTS:

Most times, children get a lot of discounts and freebies so be sure to ask. If you don’t ask, you never know. Transport, tours, restaurants might just have packages that can save you some cash.

7. DOCUMENT THE TRIP

Journaling the experience is a great idea, the kids can always revisit the time they had.

If kids are older, you can give them journals, phones or cameras to help them with this process depending on their preference.

8. HEALTH:

Pack essential basic medicine both for yourself and the kids.

Also, if you are on any medication, ensure to visit your doctor to get your refill to last the trip.

Check if there are vaccines needed to be taken for the country you are visiting.

For kids and toddlers, you want to help them pop their ears when taking off or landing on a plane.

You can achieve this by feeding them during these times.

This is important because ear pain during elevation change is one of the reasons babies cry on the plane.

Helpful article:
What To Do When Travelling With A Sick Child

9. SAFETY:

Your child’s safety is a priority and should be taken seriously. Keep your eyes on your kids, give them your contacts and equip them with how they can be identified if you miss each other.

If travelling with a group of families, parents can take turns to watch the kids. There should always be an adult watching over them.

10. RESEARCH:

Research on the place you want to visit, their language, food, weather and the kind of experience your family can get from the visit. This automatically informs everything for your trip.

If you will be needing a visa, a guide that will also be an interpreter, pack food you might be used to if you aren’t that adventurous with your tummy and the kind of clothes to pack, you see?

ENDNOTE

Dear Mamma, travelling with kids is a lot of work so accept some things will go wrong but don’t beat yourself hard, there is nothing you can do about some of the situations.

The whole idea is for your family to have a new experience and build memories together, so even though it doesn’t go perfectly as you have planned, it will still be perfect because of the experience.

Remember Mamma, travelling is an adventure, stop overthinking the process and where you travel to doesn’t matter.

PS:

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Viv?