This is a collaborative post
Travelling with children can be challenging. I mean, let’s be honest, travelling before we had our kids could be stressful at times, couldn’t it? All of those things that we need to remember, to pack, to make arrangements at home and work. We have simply added another layer of difficulty now! Which is why today I want to share with you 3 tips for travelling with children, in the hope that I might be able to make it a little easier for one or two of you.
Make lists
You just know that my tips posts are going to feature lists somewhere, don’t you?
You are going to want to make lists of things that you need to prepare, and then lists of all that you will need to pack, not forgetting any paperwork and documents that you will need. These lists are then your everything!
It can be easy to get overwhelmed making arrangements which is where the lists come in as you can go back over them to ensure you have covered everything that you need to. Use your packing lists to tick things off as you go along so that you can be confident that you have covered everything.
Share as much as you can with your kids
This one is going to depend on how old your children are.
If they are old enough to understand, explain to them about the journey so that they know what to expect. Let them know about what will happen after the flight, what sort of time they will arrive and what they will be doing. Plan activities and meals with them and get them involved in choosing things that they would like to take.
Children tend to focus on where they are going, the beach, the pool, their hotel room, and overlook how they will be getting there! They can then get frustrated when they aren’t instantly where they want to be, so try to make the journey a part of the holiday fun to look forward to.
Make things run as smoothly as possible
It goes without saying that you want it all to run as smoothly as possible, doesn’t it? But instead of just crossing your fingers that it will and leaving it to chance, throw all that you can at it to mitigate against any problems.
Pre-book seats and meals if those things are important to you, and arrange for airport parking or transfers. Leave in plenty of time to allow for delays so that you are not stressed on the way there.
Be sure to book an airport taxi so that your journey can continue on smoothly after you land. The last thing that you need after a plane journey, luggage carousels and immigration controls with little ones is to then be stuck in a huge queue for taxis. By booking ahead you can be reassured that it’s all arranged and your driver will be familiar with your destination. Where possible go for a company that makes it comfortable for all of you. For example, Fat Taxi operating in Turkey provides free child seats and booster seats, along with free Wi-Fi and beverages, making it easy for you to all relax and start to enjoy your break.
Send over any room requests in advance of your stay and familiarise yourself with your accommodation and facilities so that you know what to expect and what you will need to take with you. If you are self catering it is worth researching where your nearest supermarket or restaurants are so that you aren’t struggling to find food on your first night there.
What tips would you add?
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post