Traveling is a significant way to loosen up after a long working life full of hectic schedules.
As soon as the holidays start, the children already start hopping for the trip. And when you’ve kids, you’re not obviously letting them reside alone at home and go for a vacation trip to relax… it’ll not be relaxing really!
However, traveling with kids… is fun, besides the noises and some extra care which you’ve to take.
Keeping in mind some points, you can have a happy vacation along with the kids because they actually make the space for more fun and memorable moments.
So here are some tips that allow you to stay zen before leaving and during the trip.
1- Anticipate the purchase of plane or train tickets
The airline rule is first come, first served. So the earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket will be, 6 months or more.
Well, sometimes there are crazy promotions for those who can leave the week after or plan 4 months before. Basically, if you really want to go somewhere, don’t go there at the last minute.
2- Check the formalities
It’s basic, but I’ve seen families arrive cheerfully at the airport and leave in the opposite direction because of a torn passport or simply because they “thought” the identity card was sufficient.
You REALLY need to check the formalities before buying your plane tickets.
Identity card or passport, visa or not, vaccine… Making a passport or applying for a visa cannot be improvised 1 week before leaving.
And the family booklet is also good if you leave without the dad and your children bear his name (and not yours). You never know what can happen and it doesn’t take up space.
Mark alerts for some particular dates and look out for them before each trip too so that you don’t forget to check for necessary things beforehand.
3- Book accommodation and activities before leaving
Holidays are freedom….The idea is not to shield the program because…well, it’s the holidays. But the hotels or rentals and the flagship activities that you really don’t want to miss are the minima.
Amusement parks, museums, guided tours… This forces you to think about your days in advance, but the time saved afterward is enormous and above all the peace of mind.
Arriving in front of a museum that has an hour’s queue is tiresome and disappointing. Book ahead to skip such problems.
4- Vary the accommodations
With children, I really prefer rentals, especially when you stay more than 3 days somewhere.
In the hotels, we are on top of each other (ah family rooms to reduce costs) and you have to find a restaurant for lunch and dinner (even for breakfast too if it is not included).
When you’ve been trudged all day, the idea of going to a noisy and not necessarily fast restaurant doesn’t make children or adults dream.
While a good pasta dish in pyjamas is royal and cheaper.
For rentals, you can contact Julius Homes that provides its services within your budget.
5- Copy important documents
Even if you are very careful with your belongings, anything is possible during a trip. Keep a copy of the passports of the whole family with you but also in an email, which you can retrieve everywhere.
So if you lose them or have them stolen, you will save considerable time at the consulate or embassy.
Also make copies of airline tickets, hotel reservations, and booked activities before you go. It’s not eco-friendly but very practical, especially when it’s mandatory.
6- Prepare first aid kits
With children, don’t go on an adventure on basic products, safety is a must. You have to be careful about some things like, any doliprane left over, compresses impregnated with disinfectant (also used to clean public toilets), bandages for minor ailments, hand gel, arnica, mosquito repellent, etc.
You can take as many products as possible in mini or practical versions (like doliprane in pods) to put in the “travel pouch” which will remain in the bag all the time.
7- Prepare the suitcases
When the children go camping, it’s simple, there is the trousseau. You just have to check 1 week before. The rest of the time, 99% of that time, you have to pack. Yes boring, no need to cross out this one.
You should keep small and necessary things with you and also keep in mind that you do not have excess luggage which will get you in trouble at the airport. With time, it gets better. And as we are limited in weight by plane, we had to rationalize.
So the contents of the suitcase depend on the destination and the possibility of doing laundry or not, more than the number of days there.
For the summer or the winter, clothes should be kept according to the season.
8- Prepare the backpacks
If the children are old enough to do it themselves, let them do it, they won’t be able to complain about having forgotten something.
After all, depends on their age, but in general, there may be:
- something to occupy them: Magazines or books, games, tablets, consoles, or MP3 can work because parents are on vacation too.
- During long trips, screens should be avoided because children play a lot on them.
- something to snack on: you can prepare a sandwich, cherry tomatoes, small packets of crisps, a compote to drink, some sweets, a small bottle of water, etc. Rather biscuits, compote, sweets and water on the plane.
- the basics: Things like sunglasses, caps, etc can also be added to the list.
9- Choose comfortable clothes and a change of clothes for the children
Clothing should be suitable for transport more than the temperature before and after. T-shirt – jogging bottoms – socks – basketball. And a vest because you never know if it will be hot or cold on the train or on the plane.
You can also take a small light scarf in case the air conditioning is really strong. If it’s very hot on arrival, plan on shorts from the cabin of the plane (or on the train) or we change once the suitcases have been collected.
Even if it’s cumbersome, don’t overlook the children’s spare outfits. An accident (vomit, meal tray, coke…) may quickly happen. A T-shirt and a stocking each and off will go serene.
10- Prepare your backpack (or cabin suitcase) last
The luggage should be kept less as extra things also get added due to the children. And on the plane, the cabin suitcase bag is preferred. The things below can be checked upon-
- mini-first aid kit: with the essentials in mini version: disinfectant, bandages, doliprane pods, paper tissues, mist sprayer
- wallet with all the important documents
- children’s spare clothes
- laptop (to tell you all this and also for the films that will keep the children busy during the trip but also on certain evenings)
- camera
- current book
11- DON’T FORGET the things we tend to forget
- the adapter for the sockets
- a maximum of films on the tablets/computer for the trip and the evenings when you will want to rest
- the phone’s external battery
- a second photo card
- and the airline’s app if you’re flying, it’s very useful if there are unforeseen events.
12- GET AHEAD
Don’t arrive at the airport at the last minute unless you have checked in online beforehand. If you haven’t done so, it’s best to be present at the start of check-in to make sure you’re all together on the plane.
Then, you have to go through passport control and cabin baggage and go to the boarding gate. It can take a while so unless you want to sprint after the controls which can drag on, plan wide.
There are more and more playgrounds in airports so they will find plenty to do while you read your first magazine.
If you have other tips for a peaceful trip with children, try figuring them out and enjoy a hassle-free trip with the family.
