Travelling with children – what you need to know

Travelling with children can be a daunting task. It is worth getting out there and adventuring. Nothing beats the first time you see your Childs face light up they see something for the first time. I will never forget seeing my eldest son run along a beach chasing sea gulls in Queensland Australia for the first time.

The following is meant for travelling on a plane. There are defiantly useful tips for someone travelling on a road trip.

Choosing the right destination for family travel

Choosing the right destination for family travel can make or break your vacation. Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision:

1. Consider the age of your children: Choose a destination that is age-appropriate for your children. Younger children may enjoy destinations with more kid-friendly attractions and activities. Such as theme parks or zoos, while older children may be more interested in exploring museums, historical sites, and outdoor adventures.
2. Think about your family’s interests: Consider your family’s interests and choose a destination that will cater to those interests. If your family loves the beach, then a coastal destination might be a good fit. If you’re all history buffs, then a destination with historical sites and museums might be a better choice.
3. Take into account the travel distance: Consider how far you’re willing to travel and how long your family can tolerate being on a plane or in a car. If you’re flying with young children, choose a destination that doesn’t require too long a flight, or break up the journey with a stopover.
4. Assess the local infrastructure: Consider the local infrastructure of the destination you’re considering. Make sure there are enough family-friendly activities and amenities, such as parks, playgrounds, and child-friendly restaurants. Check if there are good medical facilities and pharmacies nearby, in case of emergency.
5. Check the climate and time of year: Choose a destination that suits the season and climate that you prefer. If you want to escape the winter chill, then a tropical destination might be a good choice. Conversely, if you’re seeking cooler weather, then a mountain or forested destination might be more suitable.
6. Assess the safety and security: Research the safety and security of the destination you’re considering. Check travel advisories, and ensure that the destination has adequate safety measures in place for tourists, such as safe public transport, reputable tour operators, and secure accommodation.

By taking these factors into account, you can choose a destination that is a great fit for your family, ensuring an enjoyable and stress-free vacation (or at least less stress).

Planning a family-friendly itinerary

Planning a family-friendly itinerary can be a fun and exciting process that involves everyone in the family. Here are some tips to help you plan a successful itinerary:

1. Involve the whole family in the planning process: Ask everyone in the family to contribute their ideas and interests to the itinerary. This will help ensure that everyone has a say in what they would like to do and see, making the vacation more enjoyable for everyone. TIP: After getting a list of activities try to rank them. If you run out of time at least the higher priority activities were done.
2. Plan activities that suit everyone’s interests and abilities: Ensure that your itinerary includes activities that suit everyone’s interests and abilities, including younger children and elderly family members. Plan a mix of indoor and outdoor activities, such as visiting museums, parks, and local attractions, and enjoying outdoor adventures like hiking, swimming, or cycling.
3. Allow for downtime: Remember to allow for some downtime in your itinerary, especially for younger children who may need naps or breaks from activities. This will help ensure that everyone has enough energy and enthusiasm to enjoy the activities planned.
4. Be flexible: Be prepared to adjust your itinerary as needed. Unexpected events, such as weather conditions, traffic, or tired children, can disrupt your plans. Allow for some flexibility in your itinerary to accommodate these situations.
5. Consider the pace of your itinerary: Plan your itinerary to include a mix of fast-paced and leisurely activities. Too many activities in one day can be overwhelming for everyone, so ensure that you have a balance of activities throughout your trip.
6. Plan for meals and snacks: Plan for meals and snacks throughout the day, and ensure that you have a mix of restaurant meals and picnics. This will help you save money and enjoy local cuisine while still accommodating everyone’s dietary needs.
7. Budget wisely: Remember to budget for all activities, transportation, and meals in your itinerary. Ensure that you have enough money to cover unexpected expenses or emergencies.

By following these tips, you can plan a family-friendly itinerary that accommodates everyone’s interests and abilities, creating a memorable and enjoyable vacation for the whole family.

Tips for packing and organizing for family travel

Packing was one of the most time consuming things we did to prepare for our travel to Australia. Packing can look different depending on what you plan on doing and how long you are planning to stay.

Here are some tips to help you pack and organize for family travel:

1. Create a packing list: Create a comprehensive packing list for everyone in the family, including essential items such as clothing, toiletries, medication, and travel documents. This will help ensure that you don’t forget anything important. Do this weeks or months before your trip. I started this process and kept adding to it as I thought of things.
2. Pack light: Try to pack light, especially if you’re traveling with young children. Pack only what you need and avoid overpacking, which can make it difficult to transport your luggage.
3. Use packing cubes or organizers: Use packing cubes or organizers to keep your belongings organized and easy to find. This will save you time and effort when unpacking and repacking.
4. Pack essentials in a carry-on bag: Pack essential items, such as medication, snacks, and a change of clothing, in a carry-on bag. This will ensure that you have everything you need in case your luggage is delayed or lost. Also think about when you will be accessing these items. For example, don’t have the items you would want easy access to burred in your bag.
5. Pack versatile clothing: Pack clothing that can be mixed and matched, and consider packing lightweight and wrinkle-free fabrics. This will make it easier to pack and will save you space in your luggage.
6. Bring a first-aid kit: Pack a basic first-aid kit with essentials such as band-aids, antiseptic, pain relievers, and any prescription medication you might need.
7. Consider renting equipment: If you’re traveling with young children, consider renting equipment such as strollers, car seats, or high chairs, rather than bringing them with you. We ended up not bringing a high chair, was it harder. Yes. Do we regret not bring one, defiantly not.
8. Label your luggage: Label your luggage with your name and contact information to ensure that it’s easy to identify if it gets lost. When you are claiming your luggage having a label on your luggage can also make it easier to identify your bags.
9. Book a room with laundry: Having a room with it’s own washing machine and dryer means you do not have to pack as much as you can easily wash every week or few days depending on your length of stay and how many clothes you bring.
10. If you are travelling with a baby, bring extra changes of clothes and extra food. You never know if you will be delayed. We ended up bring a days extra of food pouches and 3 pairs of clothes.

Packing light was one of the tips we really should have followed. Our trip to Australia we stayed for a month so we thought 10 days of clothes would be a good amount. This quickly added up though with all the other things. All the places we stayed had a laundry so we could have easily paired down some clothes.

Entertaining children during long journeys

We found a mix of a tablet and coloring in books worked well. make sure you load up the tablet with movies, shows, audiobooks and podcasts. I found it surprising how little you can download for offline mode with streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. Internet on planes is either costly or slow, so downloading for offline usage is very necessary. Shows like Bluey are defiantly on the downloaded list, see why we love the TV show Bluey.

When travelling with a baby, some new toys or toys that have not been played with for a long time will keep the little one busier for longer.

Bring plenty of snacks and drinks: Pack plenty of snacks and drinks to keep your children fueled (aka not hangry) and hydrated throughout the journey. Include healthy options like fruit, nuts, and water, and some treats like cookies or candy for special occasions (or bribery).

What are the rules for flying with a child

If you are flying, the last thing you want is to arrive at the airport and have to dump all your breast milk (yes, that happens). Anything regarding travelling with breast milk or baby food should be checked with your government’s security agency. If you are travelling from the USA, a good source or starting point is the TSA Travelling with children guide.

Helping children adjust to time zone changes

There are two key strategies for helping a child adjust to a time zone change:

1. Exposure to sunlight: Make sure you get outside as much as possible when you arrive. This will help your circadian rhythm adjust quicker.
2. Sleeping as close to the new bedtime as soon as possible. Try to the resist the urge to have the kids nap for long durations. We had to wake our baby a couple of times for the first few days.
3. Make the days so fun they don’t want to sleep! Of course this only applies to older kids.

We arrived in Australia during a heat wave. This meant we went to the beach and were out in the sun for the next couple of days. It was amazing how easy it was to adjust to the time zone.

Balancing the needs and interests of different family members when travelling with children

Depending on the age of your children, will depend on what you do. My 8 month old had no say in what we do so that was easy. We did need to balance what our 5 year old wanted to do though. We did make the mistake of not doing this enough.

Involving the whole family in the decision making process (as mentioned in the “Planning a family-friendly itinerary” section) will make this a whole lot easier. Having conversations with your children on expectations and how it is important that everyone gets a turn in doing what they want.

Sometimes there is just no way for everyone to be happy. There may be a clear divide where some people want to do one thing and the others want to do something else. The day will be a lot more enjoyable if the conflicting groups divide and go do their desired activity. Afterall dealing with a day of upset kids is not fun for anyone.

What is the best age to start travelling with kids

Most people suggested travelling after the age of 3 months until they are about 8 months or can crawl. Then when they are 2 or 3 years old depending on the temperament of the child. This is partly because they are just so fragile and susceptible to sickness before 3 months and once they can crawl it can be tough to stop from wanting to touch EVERYTHING and get down on the floor and crawl.

We waited until my son was 7 months and that good. The only thing you need to consider with younger children is teething. Teething and travel can make it difficult. Note that if you are just doing a short flight, it is really what you are comfortable with. You can always try it out, lock yourself with your child in a small room for a few hours and see how you go! Only partly joking.