Taking your children on holiday can be as daunting as it is exciting. No one knows this better than the people who travel for a living.
Here, some leading travel bloggers give their advice on how to make travel with the kids fun for all the family.
Slummy Single Mummy
Jo Middleton is a mother of two and her blog, Slummy Single Mummy, is one of the biggest parent-blogs out there. Here’s what she said when we asked her for her ultimate tips:
“Other than leave the kids with their grandparents? I would say be prepared. Pack snacks, drinks, books, tissues – there’s no such thing as being over-prepared when it comes to travelling with children. Well, my kids are older now, so the stress is really stuff like finding out the Wi-Fi code!”
Top tips for travel with kids:
-
- Leave them at home
-
- Prepare, prepare, prepare
-
- Keep on top of technology for teens
Beauty Baby and Me
Fi is a recent mum feeling out her motherhood experience one blog post at a time. Her blog is packed full of first-hand baby-travel experience.
“The first tip I think that is invaluable is timing! If you have a long drive, or a flight to take, try and do it around the time your baby would nap. Even if your car journey is long make sure you start it when baby would go down for a nap – babies love a snooze in the car.
“If you are flying with baby try not to get stressed. It’s amazing how much tension babies pick up from Mum. So ignore those stares you think you’re getting because you’re “that person” on the flight with a baby and just concentrate on baby and you being relaxed and comfortable.”
“When you arrive at your destination, set up yours and baby’s room exactly how you want it; have a nappy changing area set up, travel cot ready for bed and clothes to hand. Having things close to hand will eliminate stress for you and this will also create some familiarity for your little one if you set your room and system up similar as to how you have it at home.”
“Don’t forget to take a baby carrier – these can be less of a hassle than taking a pram out with you and gives baby a chance to look around and take in the exciting new sights!”
Top tips for travel with kids:
-
- Keep your things familiar and maintain your routine
-
- Ditch the pram to see the sites
-
- Don’t stress – it’s contagious!
Diamonds and Dudas
Jolie is an Aussie mum with young kids. She likes to tackle the reality of womanhood head-on, omitting no detail.
“My advice would have to be ‘Always be prepared for the unexpected; plan, list and research!’” she told our Travel Managers. She also wrote an excellent blog post on how to travel with kids that you can find here. Here’s what she had to say.
“You don’t want to pack big clumsy toys for inflight entertainment. Instead, think small. Find the balance between enough to keep them occupied yet not so much that it is wasting precious souvenir space! I found individually wrapping matchbox cars ‘pass the parcel’ style in 100 little layers was a great time-waster and also such a fun game for the little ones. I had quite a few small different toys like this up my crafty sleeve.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The cabin crew are there to help you so take advantage of it. Dress your kids up in outrageously gorgeous (yet comfortable) outfits so they won’t be able to resist! This also helps with the immediate passengers around you…for a while at least.
Know that this will all be over relatively soon! Embrace it, expect chaos and then anything less will be a bonus. If all else fails and it is a hellish trip, take comfort in the knowledge that you may not likely ever see the people you are surrounded by again!
Top tips for travel with kids:
-
- Remember hand-luggage space is at a premium
-
- Don’t sweat it if people are annoyed at you – kids are a fact of life
-
- Use your kids’ cuteness as your secret weapon
For a travel management company that really understands travel with kids, speak to Simplexity today. No matter where you want to take your loved ones, our Travel Managers are experts in making family friendly holiday itineraries and finding luxury holiday experiences your children will remember forever.
Call us today on 0203 535 9290 or email leisure@simplexitytravel.com.