TOP FIVE: Tips for Traveling with a Family

Traveling as a family, especially long distances abroad, can be challenging – all the more for families with young children. Following some basic guidelines when on the road (or in a plane, on a boat, etc.) will help make your travels more peaceful.  We have five tips for maintaining sanity and enjoying your family travels.  (These tips are in addition to our general Tips For Traveling Abroad.)

1 - Be organized –Perhaps the most important advice is to organize your trip.  Good organization in any arena helps everything run smoothly. Organizing and planning your trip could and should begin once you’ve decided to take the trip. Organization begins with the basics: hotel reservations, flights, and any special event admission tickets. Taking care of the basics as early as possible is a good idea, as is packing printed confirmations for the trip. Writing a list of items needed to either purchase or pack for the trip will ensure you don’t forget anything.  A written itinerary for the trip as well as for days leading up to the trip, help you make the most of your time. Having everything written down (including the things you need to do before the trip as well as what you will be taking with you), can increase your ability to relax during your travels without the nagging feeling that you forgot to take care of or have forgotten something.

2 - Pack an emergency medical kit – this kit need not be enormous, but be sure to have the basics on hand to cover any medical problems that may occur.  At a minimum, you should have bandages, first-aid ointment, hydrocortisone cream, and pain relievers. Those would be the very basics, and to be extra prepared, it wouldn’t hurt having children’s pain reliever/fever reducer, any teething aids, and anti-nausea medication with you. Having your physician give you a prescription of the new cream Phenergan is something worth having, because with little ones you never know when little stomachs will get upset, especially during a flight.  Or, for a natural alternative, tea tree oil is known for many medicinal qualities – including fighting nausea and/or motion sickness.

3- For airplane trips, limit carry-on bags to one per person. When traveling as a family, having too much on hand will slow you down and increase the risk of lost baggage. Keep bags to a minimum, even if the idea of packing in a few more items is tempting. You want as little as possible to have to keep up with, especially getting through security and during boarding. Young children can carry their own backpacks, so each family member can be responsible for their own items. With one bag per person, getting around is easier and items are less likely to get lost. This is also a good rule of thumb for road trips as well to keep clutter in your vehicle contained while you are on the road.

4 - Surprises for the kids – children will need their familiar comfort items (blanket, stuffed animal, pacifier, etc.), but have at least a couple of new items ready for them during the trip. Attention spans are short, especially for young children, so having multiple small gifts ready to break out every so often will make the journey that much better. You can purchase inexpensive clearance or dollar store items, such as playing cards, toy cars and trucks, handheld games, small coloring books and crayons. Hint: wrapping the items as gifts increase the fun factor for the little ones and the sane factor of the parents!

5 - Bring along helpers – if at all possible, co-op help during the trip. If you have a friend or family member who is able to join you, bring them along, especially if your family’s children-to-parent ration is high. Or if you can afford it, hiring a babysitter to join you on the trip can also make things run that much more smoothly.  And a good helper on the road is worth their weight in gold! Surprisingly, bringing a sitter may also not be as expensive as you might expect. You can likely negotiate a deal, such as paying travel costs in exchange for a certain amount of babysitting and help on the way. Having another adult or even teenager, can make the journey much more pleasant for both parents and kids.  

With preparation, the right supplies, and perhaps some extra help, you will be on your way to safe, fun journeys with your family with limited stress and lots of enjoyment!