Travelling abroad can be a difficult and stressful time. But it can be even more difficult when you are travelling abroad with children. Here are some tips on how to make your travelling as easy and stress-free for everyone.
When You Are Booking
A lot of resorts will advertise that they are family-friendly and will have a range of facilities designed for children of all ages. However other destinations do not necessarily cater for families. So you may need to take into consideration that a 10-minute walk from town is maybe longer or more difficult with small children or while pushing a buggy. For example, it may be up a hill or involve crossing major roads.
It can be difficult to know whether to take a buggy or not when you go on holiday. This is something that has no correct answer and will be different to every situation. If you are staying at a resort and don’t plan on exploring the local area that much, maybe consider taking a sling for your baby and considering if your toddler will need a buggy. During a holiday children’s routines are disrupted and they don’t get as much sleep, so younger children may appreciate having the buggy as an option.
When booking a holiday abroad everyone looks to save money and choose the cheaper option. However, when you have children this isn’t always the best option. Budget airlines are brilliant but more expensive ones can have more space on board as well as other perks such as a higher luggage allowance and flying to more locations. Research all your options when booking your holiday.
Make a list of things that may go wrong and how to solve them. For example, your child loses a toy so you plan to buy another. Making this list may not help the children but it will keep you calm as you will know you have planned for the foreseeable problems. If you are less worried so are your children.
When You Are Travelling With Children
Explain everything to your children. You may realise that you need to get on a train to get to the airport and there may be a lot of waiting but your children may not. Children will go along with it if they know why. Also if your children have never flown or got on a boat before, they may be nervous. Explaining what is happening will keep them calmer and the whole family more relaxed.
Children are smaller and therefore take longer to walk places. They can get distracted along the way as they don’t always understand the urgency to get places. So, give yourself extra time to get there. Arrive at the train station or airport early to give your children time to get distracted by things they may never have seen before.
When you are travelling with children, make everything into a game. There may be a lot of waiting, delays and long journeys so keep your children entertained. Games such as eye spy, 20 questions or I went to the shop to buy can keep your children entertained. Fill a bag with toys such as a colouring book and pencils that they can get out and play with while they are waiting. There are many websites that offer free activity sheets for travelling.
When You Are Abroad With Children
In the excitement of being on holiday, young children may have wandered off. Giving your children a card to put in their pocket with contact details can help if your child gets lost. Teach them to find an adult who can contact you or a family member to reunite you.
Although the idea of travelling abroad with children may seem daunting to you, you can do it. It may require some planning, but you will be glad when you get to give your children the opportunity to experience new cultures and countries.