Tips for traveling with kids
And, we have to face it, the truth is that it will never be the same again, it will be totally different, but the totally different is not necessarily worse. From our experience, we can tell that it is a better different, we can even say that is a lot better. Discovering the world through the eyes of a child makes the experience even more fascinating, wonderful, and only increased our thirst for knowing the world.
Of course, there are necessary changes and that is what we wanted to talk about, and we leave a list of some advice that may be useful to you when you prepare your family trip.
1- Start slowly
Your dream destination has always been to meet Tokyo? Glad it was but, this should not be the destination chosen to start traveling with your small child. We recommend that you start with closer destinations and shorter journeys. It's one thing to have a baby one hour crying in a plane (believe me, it's not easy), another thing is to have him crying 7 hours, nobody deserves it, let alone the child. Don't be scared, our son never cried in one airplane...
2- Study your destination
Fortunately, with the internet, we are been able to find out everything about our destinations. This was where it came up with the idea that is the basis of our blog. It's one thing to get to a destination airport and have to figure out what transport we should get to get to the city center ... or miss the subway exit station ... so many situations that can happen but, when we travel without children, they become small inconveniences. But when we go with our children, tired from a plane trip, we can prevent them if we have done a timely study at home.
Try to study what transport you have to take to your destinations, organize your routes to avoid long hours of hiking, look for alternatives to meals, etc ... This advance plan of travel works, in our case, as therapeutic and makes us feel a little like already traveling, and is a way to prevent children and adults from fatigue.
3- Appropriate goals
What a person saw in one destination before being a father and what he can see differ greatly, you will never see Paris the same way. The pace, the hours of walking, of meals, everything is different and, it is important for the father to accept that otherwise, the trip will disappoint you. As parents, you need to adapt your expectations. We get used to needing more time to explore, and often we do not see everything that was planned but, on the other hand, it is wonderful to see the world through the child's perspective as well. For those who used to explore the nightlife of the different destinations, will certainly be a change but on the other hand, you will learn to see the other side of your destinations.
4- Talk to your child about the trip
As we have already mentioned, a trip does not start just at the moment of boarding the plane (or any other means of transport). The whole period of planning, of imagining, of studying, is already part of the trip, and an essential part of the whole process. What we advise is that the children are involved in this process. Choose together the destinations, what they want to see in each place you visit and, try to have all the opinions in the count at the time your family organize the journey. It will awaken in them the curiosity to travel and make the whole experience more interesting and pleasurable.
5- Search for attractions for children
All destinations have places of greater interest to adults and children. Make sure that when planning your trip, organize it so that it contains reasons of interest for all ages of your family members. With this we do not say to make trips only taking into account the interests of the children, traveling is also a way to widen the horizons of a child and it would also be boring to always follow the desires of the children. What is called for is a balance between the desires of the child and the ones of adults.
6- Beware of excess baggage
Today, as we remembered our first family trip, we laughed at the amount of luggage we took. For an 8-day trip through Scotland, we took enough food for 10 days, as if there were no food at our destination. As we mentioned earlier, most destinations are more than prepared for children because, of course, they also exist there. Almost everything we can carry can be bought there, so try to take the minimum for the first few days and the rest you can buy there (not worth going equipped with diapers for ten days, like we did).
7- Baby food
One of the rare exceptions for the transport of liquids in airplanes is baby food, which can be transported in quantities of more than 100ml. In this case, it is worthwhile to carry some reservations for the first meals, always taking into account where we are going, because sometimes the offer may not be very large.
Throughout our experiences, we had places where we were not obliged to open the containers, others were more rigid but, in a global way, we had good experiences in the airports that we went through.
8- Choose the right place for your stay
When you travel without children, the place where you sleep usually isn't one of the main concerns for a traveler, and in particular, this is an area where you try to save important money. However, when traveling with children, and especially with younger children, we recommend that you take extra care, and always try to verify that the place you have chosen has the necessary hygiene and safety conditions.
Fortunately, we live in a time when we can easily collect hotel/rental information with ease through the opinions of previous travelers on booking sites. So, we recommend, before making your reservation, try to read various opinions, especially from people who have traveled in a family with young children.
Fortunately, we live in a time when we can easily collect hotel/rental information with ease through the opinions of previous travelers on booking sites. So, we recommend, before making your reservation, try to read various opinions, especially from people who have traveled in a family with young children.
Also, try to see hotel conditions depending on the age of your child, there are several possibilities for adults only to pay for their stay or for not very high prices if they require a baby cot or extra bed in the room. Therefore, when making your reservation, study carefully.
9- Breakfast included, a great help
Something we have tried to have, whenever possible and when it is economically profitable, is the breakfast included in the hotel where we stayed. With children it's less of a concern and having to get up and prepare the whole family to leave the hotel before going to look for breakfast is an immense help, and when on a family trip, the more we can solve the better. And, we can say here that nobody knows, it is often possible to take some sandwiches, cakes or fruit from breakfast, which work great as snacks throughout the day.
10- Trie to cook
Sometimes you can rent a place where you can cook. In addition to saving money, it can be very facilitative when there is no identification with the local cuisine or, in the case of food intolerances of someone in the family. If this is the case, consider alternatives such as the rental of houses or rooms with kitchen.
11- Trie to stay in a central place
One of the rules for a family trip to run smoothly is to try to facilitate everything you can and, if economically viable, we recommend you to try to stay as close as possible to the places you want to visit. The less transportation we have to catch, the easier and more pleasurable the tour becomes.
Of course, always taking into account the financial possibilities of each, as we know that in many cases the difference in the price of accommodation from a central location to a slightly further away is immense and, if so, stay in the most distant but, do not forget to travel.
12- Self-drive
On our trips out of the cities, sometimes we choose to rent a car and this option has always been very successful. Besides allowing us to make our schedule, at our discretion, it becomes a practical and comfortable way of traveling and, when the children are younger, it allows them to make great and refreshing naps during the trips, which will allow the children to enjoy better the moments of visits.
13- Travel chair for the kids
If you are going to rent a car at your destination, do not forget that safety will always be the main requirement, so you always have to carry the children using the corresponding chair to the age/size of the child. The good news is that as long as the child pays an airplane ticket (from the age of 2), in the vast majority of situations he / she can take the child's seat with him free of charge, and then use it during the vacation period, saving you the amount you would have to pay if you rented the car seat at the car rental company.
However, regarding this information, the guidelines may vary according to your airline, so we ask that you always confirm with the company the conditions of carriage.
14- Baby Stroller
Something that you can also take with you for free on the plane is the baby stroller, which you can even bring to the door of the plane, and will then be returned to the exit. We can not fail to say that this is a great help during the trips, especially those that require longer periods of walking, as they allow the child to rest, as well as sleeping the famous naps.
15- Check-in Online
Something that is now easy to perform is the online check-in. This will allow you to make a quicker passage through the embarkation zone. Do not forget that, in the vast majority of cases, families with small children have priority to go to the airplane, which reduces queuing time.
16- Go with time to the airport
There is nothing worse than going running and start a trip in a stressful way, stress that will be transmitted to children and will not help anything to travel. Make sure that all moments are pleasurable for the family and, from the beginning, avoid running around. Many of the airports have spaces for children, take advantage of them.
17- Fun Bag
Together with the child, organize a bag designed for the child's fun. Choose some small, easy-to-carry toys, games, books. Although we are not big fans of a long time in front of screens, for larger flights a previously chosen games or movies can help to spend a few hours more annoying, especially on a larger plane trip.
18- Sleeping in the airplane
For larger trips, it can be a good idea to book a night flight. Nothing better than sleeping on the plane and waking up close to your destination. Do not forget to take the child's favorite teddy with you to help him fall asleep.
19- Meals on board
Another question that should be kept in mind is whether or not your family will have meals on board. In case you do not have it, you should prepare your trip well so that we do not miss anything else. We also advise you to consider the true value of choosing a low-cost company. Sometimes for a not much higher value, you have greater facilities for baggage transport, meals on board (many companies allow to choose the children's menu) and sometimes you land at more central airports, which is important.
20 - Health Insurance
This is a question that can be very important, especially when traveling with children, whose chances of getting sick are higher. There are already several companies specialized in travel insurance, so we advise you to think well before you travel.
In case of being a European citizen and traveling to a destination within Europe, we advise you to do the European Health Insurance Card, which is a free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) the people insured in that country. You can find out more here.
21- Service pharmacy
Always take with you those medicines that work the best in a small emergency. A small first-aid kit that has been prepared at home can be a great help.
23- Hygiene care: Life-saving wipes
Always keep in mind the places you eat and the bathrooms where you take your children. Wipes have been a great help. If you do not fully trust the hygienic conditions of where you are gonna eat your meal, wipe the cutlery with a disinfectant wipe, and if it is not possible to wash your hands properly, use the wipes as well. In this case, extra care never hurts.
24- Give kids a camera
Many of us have a camera that we no longer use. We have, and now it is our son's camera, who uses it to take the most fantastic and unusual photographs that we can imagine. You can believe how it makes the experience more interesting for children and helps them to take more care of the details.
Other help we have has to do with the routes we carry out. Often, we use smartphone applications that help us to guide on our destinations. Sometimes children get bored and tired, but when they are the "captains" and are in charge of finding the way, they seem to gain extra strength. So, give them the GPS and let them in command, it has helped us a lot.
Something that also works very well is to make a "travel diary", which may be drawings of what they saw, in the case of the younger ones, or even the writing of the older ones.
25- Identification tags
Of course losing sight of our son is the last thing we want to imagine when traveling with children, but in any case, we must always be aware of this eventuality, so we leave the advice to put in your children identification, as well as the parents' contacts and address. There are also devices that work through Bluetooth and GPS, which allow you to help locate your child in case they get lost. They are now very cheap and easy to buy online.
26- Just do it!
Many times we're afraid that something goes the bad way. But there is nothing to prove that, safeguarding the proper precautions, it is dangerous to travel. In our case, what we have verified is that it is a great experience for our son, for our family and that traveling as a family has become a more enriching experience than it already was, so we recommend it to the fullest. Overcome your fears and advance. Go for it, end enjoy.
We hope that our article will help you plan your trip and if you still do not have a place to stay, we always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and it's with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals in your destiny by clicking here, it will not cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.
We would also like to invite you to give your opinion, questions, and tips, by using the comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, do not forget to share it with your friends.
![](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://nonstopfamily1.blogspot.com/2018/05/tips-for-traveling-with-kids.html&media=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf966yudXFam8pf6yePrtSxd_zpKW7hGruxlnGjE9CETzrNSO1sfp4RF_UBMNWOiuoAtLyssBg5qWoFELZmmd4TC5fNlX6VnqhdLnajLOwl19iiN8SgTVaRX2F0cLHB7s6dTmrdtCIcT0/s72-c/nst3.png&description= Throughout our lives, it was very frequent to hear from our friend's  words like: "When you become parents, you will see tha...){kind=link}
18 comentários
Nice tips. I believe travelling is good for kids because it gives them lots of opportunities to try new things, step outside their comfort zone and give things a go.
ResponderEliminarI don't have children but your post is very encouraging for ever young family who is worrying about how they will continue traveling after they have a baby.
ResponderEliminarI have traveled with my friends and their young kids and my then dog many times--via automobile. Even that can get tricky. I love the idea of having identification on your child or pets--they can disappear on you in the blink of an eye!
ResponderEliminarWe travel a lot with our kids and the most important thing is to adjust your expectations. Plan to do one or two activities per day and leave the rest open in case of meltdowns or nap times.
ResponderEliminarI do not have children but do remember all the family trips we took with our parents when I was a child. We started off with road trips to nearby towns then went further to the interior of the country and along both coasts. I have such wonderful memories of those times that I would highly recommend people travelling with their children.
ResponderEliminarThis is so sweet. My parents never got to do this for us when we were younger which really makes me appreciate this post. And even with or without kids, these tips really come in handy! Thanks a lot for sharing a piece of your mind! 🤗
ResponderEliminarThese are some great tips for traveling with kids. We have done so multiple times now and there are new and interesting challenges each time. One thing parents should understand is they don't have the same laws for traveling with kids in other countries.
ResponderEliminarHealth insurance is a totally overlooked must for all travelers.
ResponderEliminarYou have a lot of useful tips here. I used to travel a lot when I was younger and my parents did some of these.
ResponderEliminarThis is such a great guide when traveling with kids. Knowing your destination is really important. Off course. first we should start researching if the place is a kid friendly so our children will really enjoy the trip.
ResponderEliminarWhat a great and informative topic. I have never experience travelling with kids. And this could be very helpful when I plan to.
ResponderEliminarThese are very useful tips and all of them are so important for me but I guess the most important thing that should not be forget is to put name tags with our kids and their info and also the first aid kit.
ResponderEliminarSuch a great travel tips to give to those who are traveling with their kids and everything you said are important.
ResponderEliminarThese are fantastic tips for traveling with kids. We don't have kids, but we have gone on vaca with our niece and nephew.
ResponderEliminarThese are some great tips for travel with kids. I love that giving a camera to kids. Its a good idea for making their each travel as memorable.
ResponderEliminarGreat tips! My friends have just started traveling with their new little ones and I'll definitely be passing this along. xx
ResponderEliminarThese are such great tips! I love to travel and having kids hasn’t slowed me down. My two year old has been to 11 countries! It certainly is different but still enjoyable.
ResponderEliminarThese are great tips that I will use in the future. I don't have a child yet, but I found those really useful when it comes to traveling. Thanks for the mindful tips.
ResponderEliminar