Tis the season to be jolly, and for some people, tis the season to be on the road, or air, or rail 😊.
It’s the time of the year that some people travel. Some run away from their cold abode to a warmer clime, some travel to spend the festive holiday with family, some travel cause that’s the only time they can get away from work…
People travel a lot at Christmas and a lot of people travel with their family. I’m going to share my tips for traveling with Children.
Personally, I prefer traveling during the Spring /Easter Holiday. The weather is usually perfect for me, not too cold and certainly not hot! The queues at holiday spots are not too long (unlike summer 🙄) even the airport doesn’t seem too choked…
So here are my holiday tips for parents traveling with Lil Humans, please feel free to share your tips in the comment section.
Tips for traveling with children
- My first tip is pre-travel, this is for when booking the tickets. I’m sure we all know it is wise to book long before your travel date to get a good deal/ticket fare. But most importantly, get sleeper/good night tickets. I know there are some journeys you have no choice as nights flights are unavailable. But whenever that’s not the case, it’s always wise to get sleeper tickets especially if it’s a long journey. This will add to your lifespan, trust me 😜.
- Matching/Uniform Clothing: I’m aware some people are not fans of matching clothes. If you find yourself in that group there’s no better time to put aside your dislike of matching clothing than when traveling with young children. It’s easier to identify or describe children in matching clothes just in case someone becomes a little too adventurous and strays from the pack😗. It doesn’t even have to be exactly the same, you can dress them in very similar clothing. This of course can be anything from tops, dresses, coats, jackets etc.
- Bright Clothing: Children can also be dressed in bright colours to make it easy to identify or describe them. People tend to notice bright colours easier, you can just turn around and your lil one is not beside you as they should be, people around can easily spot them. I’ve witnessed a case where a stranger spotted a wandering child by his outfit.oh, ‘a lil boy in an orange shirt just ran past me’, she said to the panicked mum. It really is just easier and colors are usually fun for children anyway so it’s a win-win 😊.
- Backpacks: It’s always a good idea to pack a personal bag for your child/ren. They always want to enjoy every part of the traveling adventure which of-course includes pulling their own carry all or carrying their own little backpack. I prefer the latter because it’s easier to carry around and less likely to forget.
- Activity books: Coloring, drawing, puzzle, crosswords, word searches, brain games, quiz books, story books etc. The list is endless. These can be taken along for the children. It’s important to take books that they actually like, in their bags. One or two of them will do so the bag is not too heavy.
- Tablets and Devices: I know some super mums don’t like their children spending too much time on their electronic devices. This is the one time you could let them have a go at it for as long as they want. Indulge them for your peace of mind as well as that of your neighbours🤐.
- Wipes, wipes, and more wipes: I always say whoever invented wipes deserves a Nobel peace prize for this great gift to humanity 😊. You can’t travel with enough wipes, one in your handbag (face and hand wipes), and one in the children’s bag. It doesn’t have to be the big brands, I buy the store brands now, cheaper and they do the job. Make sure you have more than enough wipes on you at all times during your travel,
- Sanitisers: Kids are always touching things, more so during travel. they’re exploring, touching the clear glass walls, the panels, seats etc. They are also always nibbling on something so please remember the sanitiser, let’s keep the germs away as much as we can.
- Food and Drinks: You need to pack enough snacks in your bag as well as the children’s bags. Sandwiches, biscuits etc. Try to make it as healthy as you can, especially with the drinks as a sugar high will make for a dreadful journey. Also, remember not to buy the drinks till after going through airport security. This is because the liquid allowance is 100ml.
- Same coloured suitcases: If you can, it helps to have similar suitcases. But not all of us have suitcases from the same brand, I’m still aspiring to that 🤔. A lovely string or bow can be tied around the handle to make for easy identification. Some may think it’s not necessary but it does save a little time. You’ll be amazed at the number of people that have the same suitcase as you do.
- Sweets, lollipops and gums: Regardless of what seat you’re in, First, Club or even luggage storage 😛 ear discomfort is common to all during air travel. This is caused by the change in air pressure. This altitude change disturbs children a lot more as they don’t know to deal with it. Swallowing solves it, and we adults usually just swallow but to help younger children, a lollipop or candy will do the trick. Drinking also helps, so nursing mothers can choose this time to breast or bottle feed their babies. The sweets or gums will help older children, you can buy sweets with reduced sugar or fruit sweets.
- Extra Clothing: Ensure that you have one or two extra clothes for the children. You never know when there’ll be a toilet accident, food/drink stain. There should also be one for yourself especially if you’re a nursing mum.
Do not forget your travel insurance and internet data. You never know when you’ll need google map 😉. And the less drink the less toilet run, I’m sure we all dread plane toilets, too tight and always busy 😂.
I hope I did not leave out any important tip. Please, let us hear from you if you have a good tip to share
Also pls be nice to your neigbours, I always apologise in advance😊.
For those traveling Bon voyage…
How’re you traveling 😉?
