Did you know there are a few things that you can do to make travelling with kids a lot more easy and fun? Especially if you’re travelling overseas or going on big hiking trips, such as camping on Tour Du Mont Blanc in France. It may sound like a distant dream now, but a family friend of ours said the best way to see mont blanc is with kids!
That said, it can be overwhelming travelling with kids for the first time and you are bound to run into some challenges, which are all too normal when you are travelling with kids.
Knowing what you are in for will help you to prepare for the family travel time. Follow these few tips to help you on your journey:
Leave with plenty of time ahead
When you are travelling with kids everything will take longer to do and the process won’t be as smooth. Instead of quickly walking through security and boarding the plane you will probably encounter some tantrums on the floor and refusal to walk etc.
Things like the below list will take longer when you have tired of whiny children:
- Checking into the airport
- Buying snacks and drinks
- Getting through the security
- Getting onto the plan
- Checking into your hotel
- Ordering meals and eating out
Don’t overpack
Parents tend to pack absolutely everything for their children and most times it is stuff they won’t even need. Bringing familiar items for kids is a good idea but don’t bring items they can do without. Your children will get tired and you may end up carrying one while also carrying their bag packed that weighs a tonne with so much unnecessary stuff.
Try and pack only necessary items and remember where you are going children live so you are bound to find items at the stores if you end up needing something you didn’t pack. A little less cash is better than tired and aching arms carrying everything all day.
Pre-book everything
You will already have your flights organised, but the pre-bookings don’t stop right there. With kids, you can’t just go to different places, check them out and then decide whether you want to stay or not.
When you arrive, you are going to want to drop the luggage off and let the kids have a rest if needed. Kids will be cranky and tired if travel time was large. Making decisions fast and upfront can be hard, so you could book two nights ahead. Then, when you are settled in and the kids are quiet and resting – you can organise the rest of the stay.
Take snacks and plenty of them
Hungry kids are cranky, and they whine a lot. Hunger can be the difference between a cranky and happy family. You never know what will happen during the day and with unexpected problems like delayed flights, traffic jams, a tour that is delayed and so on, lunch and dinner won’t always happen on time. This means kids will be cranky and hungry. If you are dining at a restaurant and it has different food than what the kids are used to, that might also be a problem. Adults can deal with it, but children just won’t eat it and might instead throw a tantrum right there and then. Having snacks on hand means the kids can satisfy their hunger and you can get them something else later that is more suited to what they are used to.
While it may be daunting to go on a holiday with the kids following a few tips here and being organised will help a lot to ensure the holiday runs as smoothly as possible.