Traveling With Children – 10 Tips For Parents

Planning any trip is not easy, especially if it is an overseas trip. It takes a lot of preparation, time and money, and you can only imagine the added stress when your kids are involved. But fear not, this article will tell you everything you need to know about traveling with children to a foreign country.

Can I Travel With My Child?

Yes, of course you can travel with your child! After all, what would a family vacation be without them?

Traveling with children can be a core memory for them, especially if you take lots of pictures with your children during your trip. So that you can all cherish the moments forever.

How To Travel With Children

There are a few steps you need to consider taking when traveling with children. It obviously needs planning, just like how you would plan for any event. Here are some travel tips that can make traveling with young children a lot easier for you.

Book Your Trip In Advance

Booking your trip in advance is always a great idea especially if you want great deals and to also save extra money. This is essential when you are traveling during the holiday season.

Also, you will still need to make preparations for your children and everything may take longer than expected. So by booking in advance, you will save so much time too!

Find Accommodation

You will obviously need a place to stay for both you and your family. Your best bet is to consider  family-friendly hotel rooms, lodges, or resorts. Unless you have a holiday house which is even better.

Pack Your Bags

Make sure you have everything you need when packing bags for the trip. You can even bring carry-on bags for small items that you will need on a daily basis. Make sure that everything your kids will need are in their bags

Get Some Sleep

Both you and your family will need to get enough sleep for your trip especially before your flight. Getting a good sleep will make planning a family trip easier. Also try to implement the same sleep schedules even when you are on your trip, especially for small children who are already used to having a routine.

Note that if you are traveling to a country with a different time zone, you and your kids may experience some jet lag.

Plan Activities To Do

When traveling with children it is important to have the perfect balance of activities to do. For instance, it would not be a very good idea for most of your sightseeing to be made up of seeing historical sites and art galleries, your kids will get bored.

Instead you can visit a theme park or a national park, and head for lunch afterwards.

Tips For Traveling With Children

Not every child is the same and they all have different needs. Traveling with a teenager is not going to be the same as traveling with a toddler.

In this section we will take a look at travel tips according to how old your child is.

Traveling With Infants

Traveling with babies is relatively easy because they are much more portable compared to older kids. Unless they are crying for food or a diaper change, engaging in family travel with your little one should not be a big problem as long as you have everything they need for the trip.

Essentials for traveling with infants:

• Bring along a stroller, umbrella stroller, booster seats, or baby carrier
• Consider having a car seat for road trips
• Clothes
• A diaper bag
• Breast milk (if you are a mother breastfeeding)
• Some airlines provide bassinets so you can take advantage of those
• Blankets
• Baby toiletries
• Pacifiers

Traveling With Toddlers

Boarding a long-haul flight across an ocean or continent with a raging toddler is no easy task,

Essentials for traveling with toddlers:

• A change of clothes
• A diaper bag
• Plastic bags (for any reason or in case you need to store something)
• Blankets
• Toiletries
• Toddler proofing devices if necessary
• Any special medication that your child needs
• Sunscreen and a hat if traveling in summer
• A tablet, headphones, books, or toys that will keep your toddler entertained

Traveling With Older Children

Making trips with school-aged children is a lot easier because they are curious and keen to do lots of exploring and learning. Traveling is like a huge adventure to them especially if it is their first time.

Essentials for traveling with older children:

• Blankets
• Clothes
• Any special medication that your child needs
• Sunscreen and a hat if traveling in summer
• A tablet, headphones, books, cards, or games that will keep yong kids entertained
• A backpack for carrying items they will need daily
• Toiletries

Traveling With Teens

Traveling with teens can be very helpful as they can get involved with the trip’s planning, and they are also older and much more responsible.

Essentials for traveling with teens:

• Books, charger, cellphone, headphones, tablet, laptop, games and anything else to keep them entertained (most airlines have wifi)
• Toiletries
• Clothes
• Blankets
• Any important medication that needs to be taken

What Are The Requirements For Minors?

There are certain requirements for minors that must be met when traveling with them, and this refers to children who are under 18 years of age.

Requirements for minors will vary depending on the country you are traveling to, in some cases both you and your child will need a visa for whichever country you are traveling to.

A lot of the requirements are documents you may be asked to present at the airport during check-in or Immigration.

• Birth certificate
• Passport
• Visa (if required)
• Adoption documents (if your child is adopted)
• Minor identification or your child’s ID ( a library card for example)
• Vaccination (depending on which country you are visiting)
• Child Travel Consent (if there is only one parent traveling with the child, or if the child is traveling with guardians). This includes both parents’ information, basic information about the child, and the travel arrangements.
• Certificate of citizenship

Children under 2 years old can board a flight free of charge. They just need their birth certificate

Have A Fantastic Trip!

We hope you have an amazing trip with your family and that these tips have been helpful! Now get ready to plan, pack and fly!