Travelling with your kids is one of the most genuinely remarkable experiences you as a family can go through together. Travelling is supposed to be fun, enjoyable and relaxing. However, sometimes, with kids on board, it can turn out to be more exhausting rather than peaceful and calming. Depending on their age, kids can understand certain things up to some extent. Still, if they are very young, it’s highly unlikely that they will be able to grasp the concept of travelling. Travelling is basically a disruption of their usual everyday routine. It means sitting still for longer periods of time, not sleeping soundly and comfortably and not having quick access to the bathroom, among other things. That’s why it’s the parents’ role to take special care of children and ease the process of travelling as much as possible.
There are a number of things mindful parents can do to make travelling with kids more pleasant. First of all, you should always try to pick a somewhat kid-friendly destination, it will make things so much easier. Then, what you should always keep in mind is the fact that you need more time for everything when travelling with kids. As for the packing, try to pack lightly. This can be quite difficult as kids tend to need a lot of diverse things and gear. You should make priorities. Also, you should think about snacks and some forms of entertainment you can take with you. It would be advisable to familiarize your kid(s) with the travelling agenda – in that way, they’ll know what to expect. And lastly, you should always be prepared for the unexpected. Nowadays, it’s also good to take Covid-19 travel safety precautions into the account.
1. Pick a somewhat kid-friendly destination
The destination is the single most important thing to consider when travelling with kids. You should start your trip planning by picking a great destination that is suitable for kids. You can ask for some personal recommendations and have some friends or family members suggest to you some of the best family-friendly destinations. It’s always good to choose a place that’s checked out. However, you can also use Google to find some enticing destinations.
Destination encompasses the place itself – the city or town, area, but your accommodation as well. You should aim to book a hotel that has some great activities to offer for kids. Having such commodities will keep your kids engaged, which will keep you relaxed. These usually include babysitting services, playrooms and playgrounds. Also, kid-friendly hotels are usually well-equipped with bottle warmers, extra diapers, changing tables, high baby chairs and so on. This can mean a lot to parents.
2. Designate plenty of time
When travelling alone, you can always leave just as enough time to rush from point to point, without worrying if you’ll be under too much stress. However, when it comes to travelling with kids, you always need more time, so make sure that your schedule is not tightly packed. Kids walk slower, they sometimes tend to procrastinate and they can even have a meltdown if they’re cranky. Just think about one of the usual everyday activities when you’re taking them to the child care centre, for instance, and when you’re going out alone, without kids. When getting ready to go out with kids, you always need more time and perhaps you’re even late because you don’t leave plenty of time for getting ready. With this in mind, it’s clear that you should designate more time just to be on the safe side.
3. Pack as lightly as possible
Children do require plenty of necessary stuff, so there’s no need for packing anything unnecessary. You should be really mindful when it comes to considering what to take. Remember that you’ll have to take your children’s suitcase(s) besides yours and you only have two hands. A good way to ensure taking only necessary things is to allow your children to take their own backpack filled with their toys and perhaps snacks. That way, you can commit to packing only their clothes, shoes and other necessities in the suitcase. It will save plenty of space. Avoid taking bulky things which you can buy at the destination. Also, check which things the hotel has so you don’t have to take unnecessary baby equipment and gear.
4. Think about snacks and some forms of entertainment to take
As already briefly mentioned, you can pack your kids’ backpacks with some snacks to keep them occupied. You should make sure that they are sustainable and somewhat healthy. It should be some light food that gives your child energy. You should steer clear of snacks packed in sugar. That’s not healthy and it can cause a sugar rush followed by a sudden decrease of energy, which can make kids cranky. Besides these snacks in their backpacks, you should also have some just in case.
Travel is tiresome even for adults, so you can imagine how kids must feel. This is true for both short and long trips, but especially for longer trips. To avoid kids feeling bored and restless, you should consider taking some forms of entertainment they like to keep them busy. So, for instance, if they like some books or activity books, toys, games, whatever – take them, it can mean a lot to you.
5. Familiarize your kid(s) with the trip
If your kids are old enough, you should talk to them about the trip. You should explain what the plan is, tell them what they’ll see and do and set straight how you expect them to behave. You should start with this travel talk well before your trip. And you should bring it up a few times to see if they understood everything they need to understand. Through this kind of talk, you can also anticipate some potential issues and prepare for them.
Last but not least, you should make peace with the fact that something unexpected can always happen. And you should be prepared for that and have a plan B at all times. Being well-prepared for the trip beforehand is half the job done.
