10 tips for traveling with kids

This post on 10 tips for traveling with kids is a culmination of my experience of traveling with infants, toddlers, pre-primary, primary and pre-teens. Having extensively traveled with kids of all ages by now I know that these 10 ways will ensure a memorable trip, in all the right ways for you and your family. These are divided into three stages – A. planning and booking, B. Packing, and C. The trip itself.
These include tips for traveling with infants as well as tips for traveling with a toddler.

Additionally, you can also look at these 10 ways of keeping kids creatively busy in longer journeys

1. Choosing an age appropriate destination
The first amongst the tips for traveling with children is age appropriate travel based on kids’ age and I don’t mean not taking young kids to temples of Khajuraho :), more on that later.
What I’m talking about here is planning for a destination that allows you to manage your kids the best. For instance, when I had infants and toddlers, I picked places where nursing in public was not a challenge or getting baby food from outside was easy. The trips were easy going and not dragging the strollers halfway around the world while tiring out an already famished baby. This is one my most recommended tips for traveling with toddler.
Additionally, pick a place where we didn’t have to pick the baby in a carrier and walk for miles. So we didn’t do long hike places, tough terrain and extreme weather places etc. With infants and toddlers, my picks would be
relaxed beach vacation, visiting family and mixing sightseeing with the trip, a cruise, long road trips with stay in places where either you can cook or the
hotel will be willing to cook baby food for you (Taj Hotels in India – I loved my stay in Taj Srinagar (Kashmir), Taj Green Cove Kovalam (Kerala), and Taj Bekal (Kerala) with my kids 9 months, 4 months, 8 months old respectively; Additionally our experience in their Gateway properties has been phenomenal too – both Madurai and Sassan Gir.
This makes to the top of 10 ideas for hassle free travel with kids, as this is where everything begins – well begun is half done!!

2. Flights you choose set the tone for the rest of your trip.
Last thing any of us wants is our luggage lost, damaged or delayed by the airline. Second of my tips for traveling with kids or an important amongst the tips for traveling with toddlers is your choice of a good airline.
Of course some of the airlines go beyond just being reliable and add a bit of luxury for the kids – Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airlines and the like provide kid with play kits (a small soft toy, some crayons or color pencils, activity sheets). We have almost 10-15 of these between both our kids and it’s not as much as it keeps them busy, as it lifts their spirits to just get a gift. The other part as kids grow up is in-flight entertainment. Many of the low cost airlines do not have an in-flight entertainment and picking a reliable carrier with no screens for a red-eye flight, could be a viable option.

3. Check for weather conditions and pack well
Some days could become total washouts with heavy rains, and you could end up spending the whole day in your hotel room. Definitely this is not something one plans for. Light weight ponchos could be your best friend in such days. Similarly checking weather conditions before booking the flight and 4-5 days before your actual travel could save you many a cold shivers and the extra $ or pounds you may have to spend to enjoy that snow you didn’t anticipate. My third one in the tips for traveling with children may be the one that comes in most handy for you as weather could totally make or break a vacation.

4. Advance planning never hurt anyone
This includes both planning a day wise itinerary before you leave and also keeping ready a plan B in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Some buffer time every day will also help to ensure you can include some activity the kids really want to do or that extra sleep that would ensure less irritability. A bit part of advance planning could be going with extended family or friends with kids in the same age group. That way the kids will be busy with each other and you have a happier bunch. Our Euro-trip (Czech, Austria and Switzerland) was a memorable trip for our kids and this was one of the big reasons too.
Planning shouldn’t even be in the tips for traveling with children and more so traveling with toddlers that it is almost a given.

5. Before the trip, get them excited about the place or activities you’ve planned
I try to tell my kids about all the places we plan to visit and even highlight to them some of the unique experiences they can look forward to in the trip – like a balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey or staying in a Martian Tent in Wadi Rum, Jordan. It makes them super excited about the whole thing and overall helps in the family spirit.

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6. Favorite Food and Toys are must haves
We are a vegetarian family, hence part of our luggage is always food. But even when I’m traveling to places I know I’ll get food easily, I pack some snacks for the day travels. Whether you pack it from your home country, home city or buy something where you’re visiting is totally up to you and the destination, but your whole itinerary could get messed up if you’re running late in a sight-seeing and kids are hungry: no one gets to enjoy. For food ideas, check out this post I’d written for infants + toddlers and young kids.
Same goes for toys as not all destinations will be equally fun for all the ages especially historical monuments. But you can make them fun if they something of their own to play with or something new that they learn to experiment with during the trip. We had a fabulous time in Turkey looking at all these historical places while our kids loved the audio guide that they shared between the 2 of them. Of course the younger one didn’t get anything that they spoke about but the elder one enjoyed and since she was happy, she took care of the younger one to give us some peace of mind J

7. Good baby gear can go a long way
A light and comfortable baby/toddler stroller which can work in the terrain you’re planning the trip to, is essential for your own sanity. I don’t prefer umbrella strollers for this age as the kids are not able to sleep in them.

8. A Non monotonous itinerary would be really welcome
All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl, in our case makes them irritable. Our itineraries are complete with some learning – museums and historical places, some fun – exciting exhibits, tall towers, unique experiences – balloon rides, Swiss Alps gondola blended with rest – long drives, dip in the pool, luxury stays.
Good news, you don’t have to work too hard on making one yourself. If you’re interested in any of the places my family has been to, just drop me a note on theglobetrotmom@gmail.com and I’ll share with you the day by day itinerary that we used along with other details like the Hotels or B&Bs that we took in the time of the year we went and things you need to keep in mind when traveling there with kids.

9. Well rested and well fed kids equals less irritation
I can’t say this enough so make sure your itinerary and packing ensure the kids are well rested and well fed. While this is the 9th item on this list of 10 ideas for hassle free travel with kids, this could be one of the most important ones depending on the age of your kids and how hectic your itinerary is. Give this part enough thought while planning.

10. Make them a part of souvenir shopping
Especially true for the little older ones, as they enjoy the whole process from picking a souvenir that speaks most to them about their experience in the trip, to negotiating the prices (we usually end up doing that) to of course putting it up on the mantle or hanging it on the wall or putting the magnet on the fridge. It cements their memory of the trip.