How to Travel with Kids
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How to Travel with Kids: Reading apps for education and entertainment
When traveling with kids, there’s no doubt that you’re going to run into a whole host of difficulties. From missing flight connections to suffering from those infamous toddler temper tantrums, there’s a lot of unexpected issues that can arise.
Within this article, we will talk about how to travel with kids and ensure that you all have the best trip possible.
How to Travel with Kids
There are so many benefits of traveling with kids – truly, they are the world’s best travel partners! Whilst you are likely to face some problems, there is no reason as to why traveling with kids shouldn’t be fun.
Don’t Overpack
One of the most common issues when traveling with kids is packing way more than is necessary. Besides, we are all guilty of packing too many clothes when we travel – why should children be any different?
There are several things that you can do to avoid overpacking. These include:
- Get the family to wear their bulkiest outfits on the day that you travel
- Pack ahead of time and then pack with intention
- Take only two pairs of shoes each
- Use packing organizers in the bag
- Reuse pajamas
- Purchase diapers when you arrive at your destination
- Save a space in your bag for any gifts or souvenirs that your family might purchase
- Prioritize the essentials: you might need that medical kit, but will your kids really need their top 20 favorite toys?
To avoid overpacking, you might even want to limit your bag size. Rather than buy a check-in bag, why not travel with carry-on only?
Ensure You Leave Plenty of Time
Most of us tend to overestimate the amount of time we need to travel. It may sound silly to leave so early for a flight, but when you’re traveling with kids you usually want to be prepared for the unexpected, leaving enough time for small emergencies if anything goes wrong.
If you are traveling with your kids, you should expect certain things to take longer than they normally would. This can include:
- Getting through security at an airport
- Checking in at an airport
- Buying the snacks and drinks you’ll need for your children
- Boarding the plane
Juggling your kids, strollers, and other things takes time. Because of this, you should ensure that you leave with plenty of time to spare just in case something goes awry!
Talk to Your Kids and Explain the Trip
Traveling when you’re young is extremely exciting – but it can also be pretty scary. Making sure that you talk to your kids and explain what they can expect is important before any big adventure.
Showing your kids photographs of the place you will be staying, along with sharing any details on the transport, local culture, and excursions is important in preparing them for the trip.
Make sure to create a space that is open to questions. Tell your children as much information as you can to prepare them for the trip, but then let them ask whatever they want. The key is to make everything clear and simple so that they understand exactly what’s going to happen.
Ask for Child Discounts
Wherever you go, do not be afraid to ask for child discounts! Children often get discounts on trains, buses, and accommodation along with reduced entrance fees for museums, cinemas, and excursions.
Speaking to your airline or checking their website is a great way to score a discount on one of the most expensive additions to traveling with kids. Oftentimes, they will offer discounted fares to children – and sometimes they even let them on for free!
Pre-book Everything
One of the key things to remember when traveling with children is to pre-book everything you can. It always helps to create a travel preparation checklist which you can plan well in advance. Within this, you might want to write down a checklist for required vaccinations, accommodation, potential visas, travel insurance, financials, and first-aid kit ideas. Remember that researching everything in advance is extremely important when traveling with kids, as anything left up to chance is likely to go wrong. Pre-booking as much as you can and making sure that everything is in place way before your departure date is one of the best ways to create a hassle-free trip.
Along with that, booking in advance often comes with its own discounts!
Hotels and flights aren’t the only things that you can pre-book. Try planning out what you want to do each day of the vacation, and make sure that you have tickets beforehand wherever you can. Whether that be tickets to a show, reservations at a restaurant, or a time to go to a museum, it always helps to make sure that everything is planned out so enjoying these things are hassle-free.
Snacks and Water
We all know that children can be a nightmare when they get “hangry”! Ensuring that you pack enough snacks and water for any excursions or day trips is vital when traveling with kids – otherwise, you might just end up sharing your holiday with a little monster.
Some great snacks to consider when traveling with kids include:
- Cereal bars
- Cheese sticks
- Mini bagels
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Fruit pouches
- Trail mix
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Muffins
Invest in Good Travel Bags
This doesn’t have to mean spending a small fortune on just bags. There are so many great quality, affordable bags for sale today that will help you and your family stay organized throughout the full length of your trip. It’s important to remember that investing in great travel bags does not mean the most expensive version of every single thing. Instead of thinking you must buy a more expensive, better-quality stroller, look for good-quality strollers that fold up smaller so that you can then save space. Or even strollers or other items that collapse easier and faster, therefore making traveling faster and easier for you. Think about how many times you’ll use this item before spending your hard-earned money on it. This step isn’t a necessity, but it will make traveling with kids easier for all involved.
Always Know Where Your Child Is
Although to many this may seem like an obvious task, sometimes it’s easier said than done. When traveling, you’re constantly on the move, with so many things going on all around you. It’s easy to get distracted. That being said, being around so many people is also the worst time to lose track of your child. It’s as easy as getting too caught up speaking with a flight attendant, and your child running the other way.
The best way to make sure that your child is safe and doesn’t go missing is to share responsibility with whoever you are traveling with. That way, as one person does one thing, the other can watch the kids to make sure that they don’t run off. This happens to the best of parents, so it’s important to think of the best ways to keep track of your child.
Another way you can keep track of your child if they are prone to running off is by using a GPS tracker attached to their clothes. This will allow you to track them easily.
Make Sure Your Kids Have Your Contact Info
Children getting lost happens sometimes. Make sure that they have all of your contact information on them so that if they wander off, they can be found more easily.
The best things to include:
- The name of each adult traveling with them
- The phone number of each adult traveling with them
- Email addresses of each adult traveling with them
- The local address of where you are staying.
The best way to make sure that this is with them at all times is to stick this information into their pocket or to tie a card to their belt loop. If you are traveling with older children, you can make sure that they have this information memorized. If they happen to be old enough to have a phone, make sure that they have all the information stored somewhere!
Identification Documentation
If you happen to be traveling to other countries with children, make sure that you know the paperwork required for them by the country you are visiting. Although many countries only require passports, some can ask for other documentation. To make sure that everything runs smoothly while traveling, you should ensure that you have:
- Copies of birth certificates
- Notes from a parent that may not be in attendance
- Other documents
Bring Entertainment
Traveling with kids can be hard. Make sure that you have different ways to entertain them! Trust us, this will make a huge difference, as traveling with kids without entertainment can make a trip miserable. Although many parents don’t like children playing on electronics at home, sometimes it’s the best way to keep them occupied during travel. Electronics can include a phone, a video game system, a tablet, or other devices made for children.
Additionally, you can bring toys and books on your trip to keep your children occupied.
Other forms of entertainment for your children:
- Stuffed animals- many children have stuffed animals they find comforting. As traveling can be stressful, you should consider bringing a well-loved old toy or stuffed animal to help soothe your child during travel.
- Cameras- If your child is old enough, get them a small, cheap camera that they can capture memories with.
Accept that Things Go Wrong and Have Plenty of Patience
Making it a goal for both you and your children to have a great time should be your main priority when traveling. It is likely that a million things are going to go wrong on the trip – from bad weather to flight delays to receiving someone else’s order at a restaurant. Instead of getting frustrated, try to embrace the unexpected. You won’t be able to plan every detail, but you will be able to keep your cool in unforeseen situations. Whenever something goes wrong, think of it as another opportunity to teach your kids and help them to understand the world around them.
By the end of it, you will be able to navigate these issues together and witness your little ones growing alongside you.
Extra Things to Consider When Traveling with Kids
There are several extra things that you may want to consider when traveling with kids. These include:
- Avoid booking the last flight of the day in case of delays or lateness
- Factor in nap time between travel
- Stay in accommodation that comes with a kitchen
- Plan the best way to do laundry in advance
- Bring distractions for long-distance travel
- Pack reusable bottles
- Consider staying at an all-inclusive resort
Now, instead of asking about how to travel with kids, you should focus on how to have the best trip ever with kids. Go on, you’ve learned it!
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Traveling with kids can be one of the most rewarding experiences in the world – but it can also be one of the most difficult!
