Wow, it’s August already! Have you been on any holiday trips yet? If you are just planning one we have some useful tips for you so travelling with small children wouldn’t turn from vacation pleasure into tiring work! This trip planner will let both you and your kiddos enjoy your holiday trips, and if you have any trusted tips of your own please share them with us, too!
- Start preparing to pack a few days before you travel. Keep a running packing list of things to bring, or set out items on the table as you think of them.
- Never forget hats, sunglasses and sun protection creams! Choose the highest SPF you can find and apply it more than once a day, especially after the kids swim in the water.
- When possible, load kids’ bags with the stuff that you might need, such as diapers, bottles and wipes. This will save you space in your bags meanwhile children will feel like “big” boys or girls.
- Pack mess-free snacks for children (and yourself!).
- However, just in case, bring A LOT OF wet wipes and tissues
- Load a tablet or a smart phone with cartoons and game apps, and bring it on the plane. Even if you limit screen time at home, a tablet can save your and your fellow passengers’ nerves
- Leading up to the day of the departure, prepare your kid and build positive anticipation for the trip by pointing out planes flying by or giving them a toy airplane to play with.
- If you arrive to the airport early and there’s a lot of spare time till the flight make a scavenger hunt list for the children, it will keep them busy for sure. For example, a big airplane, a woman travelling alone, an empty water bottle, a blue suitcase, a mom holding a baby, a man speaking a foreign language, a girl wearing a dress, an airport shuttle, a pilot, an airplane landing. Similar lists can be done for long car rides, too, try it!
- At the airport, let your kid burn as much energy as possible before you board – there will be plenty of time to sit still once the plane takes off.
- Once you’re up in the air, explain to your kids what is going on in each step of the journey, it will reduce their anxiety.
- To get your children excited and prepared for the trip you can start a few holiday-related projects with them. Explore maps, the history, animal and plant life of your destination together.
- Don’t forget to designate a meeting point in each new place in case anyone gets separated from the group. You can also stick a label with your phone number to your kids’ clothing in case they get lost.
- Always have spare clean clothes for yourself and the child for unexpected “accidents”
- Encourage your children to keep a travel journal where they could draw and list things they see and eat, collect ticket stubs and labels to stick in, write down new words of the foreign language they learn while travelling. Oh, it sounds so cool even adults will want to join them!