Are you planning a family vacation but are wary of the challenge of traveling with kids? Read here to find more tips that will guide you to a perfect trip.
Trips with kids!
You will get tempted into reducing the length of your trip in favor of closer short-term options. This way, you may never get to make lasting vacation memories with your children. In order to have a successful vacation with your children, you must first decide to make it happen.
If you are not sure whether they will enjoy the vacation, you could consider including fun activities to make them feel like part of the trip. This will include offering them their own meal choices once in a while, letting them explore places they are interested in and allowing them ample playtime while on vacation.
Keep everything moving comfortably
Children are not used to the hustle of last-minute flights and secret shortcuts to help beat the deadline. They travel better when they do so comfortably. When you are traveling with children, remember to allow ample time for your trip. This includes allowing enough time during transit for relaxation.
If your children are young, they might need extra care. Allowing some time during the trip for rest will enable you to take care of their needs while catching a break yourself.
There is no need to pack everything
Children will not be able to carry their weight in luggage. You will still need to pack sufficiently for everyone on the trip, which could mean excessive baggage. You may also be tasked with looking after the luggage, as well as the children. This could be overwhelming if you are packing heavily.
The trick to packing for children is to remember that some items are available at your destination. You could pack less and budget more for a number of items.
It is important to research the availability beforehand. Certain specific brands can be difficult to find. For instance, organic and eco-friendly diapers are not as common in some countries as in others. Instead of packing the diapers, you could test other brands to see whether they have any effect on your baby. This will help you reduce your luggage.
Tag a child to keep track of them
Parents prefer short-term options that are closer to home because their child is less likely to get lost. If you are traveling on vacation and are worried that your child may be lost, you could buy a GPS tracker that can be attached to the child’s clothes, shoes, bag or wrist. You can track the device through an application on your phone from the comfort of your room. You may need to research into the accuracy and performance of certain apps in specific countries before investing in one.
Also, write your name and phone number in indelible ink on their clothes or body in case they wander off.
Keep swimming pool options available
Some children are not comfortable with the ocean. When making reservations, you should consider the availability of a pool area to allow your child maximum fun even though they may be unable to enjoy the ocean.
If you are not going to supervise them continuously, a pool can be the safest option for your child. They will be closely watched by a lifeguard and will have as much fun in the pool as they would in the ocean. It could allow you some free time too!
Consider the floor you will be staying on
You may have enjoyed a specific hotel because of the facilities, ambiance and other factors, and might be tempted to stay there again for your vacation with your children. Unlike before, you have to consider what floor the rooms you will be staying in are located.
Your children will not have an exciting vacation if they have to climb ten sets of steep flights to get to their rooms, which they will spend a healthy amount of time getting into and out of. You will need to find a hotel that is compatible with your children’s high activity levels.
Games can make every part of the trip better
When you travel with kids, you should have a list of interactive games to keep them occupied and to help you spend time with them. You could be tempted to find electronic games that will distract them for long amounts of time, but there are other alternatives that will be just as entertaining and better for their development. Games could even help them appreciate the trip more.
For both trips, you could play creative, complex and memory-stimulating games such as I Spy and Six degrees of separation. You could play competitive games such as checkers and tic tac toe, or word development games such as hangman.
During your stay, you could play interactive family games such as monopoly, or help them learn more on the trip with memory games based on the experiences they shared. If you are traveling with your children, pack a few games too.
Travel insurance can help you co-parent
You should get travel insurance for trips with children. They increase the size of your luggage while demanding a lot of attention, which could potentially result in the loss. They are also very vulnerable to drastic changes in weather and environment, and could easily fall sick. Most times children are under the parent’s coverage, which might be insufficient outside the country.
Travel insurance can also help cover any cancellations arising from your child’s inability to make the trip.
A first aid kit will take care of some emergencies
Children are more prone to injuries and illness. You could protect them from serious harm or avoid medical expenses by keeping a first aid kit handy.
Keeping a few bandages, child-friendly painkillers, antibiotics, anti-acids, and other minor medications will help your child overcome most illnesses. You will have to research your destination’s policy regarding some of the drugs beforehand.
