We have taken our kids on all of our holidays. That's why we go on holidays. To spend time with each other and delight in everything new that we discover and explore along the way!
Besides the kids are a great excuse to go to places like Disney World or other theme parks that probably shouldn't or wouldn't appear on an all adults travel itinerary.
Don't get me wrong there are some obstacles and maybe even hurdles to overcome but that is half the fun in planning a family vacation!
Things to consider are:
- The age of the kids or age range of the kids
- How far you want to travel
- How long will you be away for
- How many times do you want to pack and unpack!
- What to take and what to leave behind
The tip to travelling with kids is preparation! Preparing the kids for what they are about to experience as well as preparing your luggage to take care of every possible outcome without carrying too much of the stuff!! The benefit to taking a baby is that nappies take up a lot of space but don't weigh much. As you get further along in your holiday you can fill that space with stuff that you pick up along the way! And just think, if you forget something it is no big deal to buy it when you get there! Even foreign countries have babies with needs!
The plane journey is usually the biggest concern for most first time travelling parents. I always get statements of amazement from people when I tell them that we took our 3 and 5 year old around the world with us and then subsequently took an 18 month old, 5 and 7 year old through Europe and are about to embark on a trip to America with oury 3, 8 and 10 year old. It really isn't that big of a deal!
Try to pick flights that fall in nap time! Those red eye flights are sometimes the best ones, not only are they cheap but the kids can sleep just about anywhere. My biggest tip on long haul flights is to forget about watching the movies and sleep when your kids do. Pack a bag of 'surprise' items whether that is food snacks or little cheap toys that will keep them occupied and wrap them so it takes them longer to get through them! Don't let on that you have a bag full of them though as all you will get is 'can we open another toy?' for the rest of the journey. (from experience)
I find the plane journey part of the adventure and it is usually the first thing to look forward to. Although by the end of some trips you just want off the plane as much as the kids do! Treat it as quality time with your kids as when else do you get to sit and spend time with your kids uninterrupted for 20 hours straight. Talk to them, ask them what they are looking forward to about the trip. Teach little ones new skills like counting! If you have more than one child make sure you swap seats and spend time with each one to make them feel special! Get the kids amusing each other by setting up a card game or drawing, colouring or playing noughts and crosses on paper. There are so many possibilities.
As we live in Australia the first part of our holiday is usually a long haul flight or series of long haul flights! Once we arrive at our destination we like to stay put for as long as possible and only go to three or four other places. This minimises the number of times we have to pack and unpack and allows us to really explore our destination thoroughly whilst taking our time as kids can be unpredictable. That way we don't miss out on anything and don't feel we have to return and are free to pick somewhere different to visit next time. We usually pick kid-friendly destinations but if you search the internet with the city name and kids or things to do with kids in XXX then you will come up with lots and lots of ideas of things to do and see just about anywhere!
Another great tip is to take things from home that young children are familiar with to help them settle in a new environment. It could be a favourite teddy, pillow or toy, book dvd etc. I take our family laptop (it also stores our travel info and is a place to download the photos to and communicate back home to family. Skype is another great asset) so that we always have something to watch of an evening (you can save files to a stick drive to save space). You never know when there is nothing to watch in your native language!! A month without tv in English is hard to endure for young kids! It is a great tool to wind them down when they are confined to a hotel room! You can watch movies on ipods now as well, great when they want to watch different things or you have kids of vastly different ages. Our family rule is that these items are only used whilst in transit or stuck in accommodation. We don't take them out with us for the day unless there is a bus trip or train trip as part of the day's events. We want our kids to experience the new places we visit not just be there not really taking anything in!!
I plan most of the days that we are away quite meticulously. Mainly because when we get to a new destination they all just look at me and go 'what are we doing today?' These plans are not set in stone and we go with the flow as much as possible but it gives you a great starting point and then you can judge what you and the kids want to explore from there. Also I like to pack in as much stuff as possible as it costs so much for us to fly from where we are that we might as well make the most of it within reason of course. If the kids or you are tired and just want some down time then take it as then you will be fresh the next day and can start again. Chances are it will be another opportunity for some more quality time!!
Another great tip is to get the kids involved with the planning phase. Show them internet sites of where you plan to visit and see if they are interested in any of the things you are showing them. You can plan your itineraries around some of these things as well as some of the things that the adults want to see and do.
I could go on and on about planning holidays but this post is getting a bit long so will get back tomorrow to unload some more useful hints and tips about travelling with kids!
A year to go around the world! A whole twelve months of scenes and curious happenings in far-off foreign lands! You have thought of doing this, almost promised yourself that when you got old enough, and rich enough, and could "spare the time," you too would go around the world. Most of us get old enough; some of us get rich enough; but the time! the time! - to spare the time, to cut loose from goods and lands, from stocks and dreary desks, quit clients, patients, readers, home and friends - ay, and our enemies whom we so dearly love! Full many a promise must be broken and few the voyagers round the world.
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