Travelling with your whole family can be overwhelming. Even though it can be an enlightening and eye-opening experience for children of all ages and that it gets easier the more you do it, you’ll run into challenges any time you travel with kids. With changing schedules, frustrating packing needs and cranky children being only a few of the challenges you will probably come across on the way. While we at Zahara Travel are always there to help make travelling with your kids easier, there are a number of things that you can do to make the travel experience a fun one. Taking some small steps before the trip can ensure you have a much smoother experience and there are so many little things that can help you enjoy your time and save time, money, and stress on your trip. So what are some things that can be both useful and easy to implement during a family travel experience wherein you and your kids can enjoy seeing the world and enjoy creating memories along the way- with lots of new foods, experiences and sights, not to mention quality family time awaiting you.
The particular strategies you can use to help children enjoy a fun time on their trip will change according to how old they are with babies and toddler having very different requirements from tweens or teens.Regardless of how old your kids are, some pre-trip research on child-friendly travel options and activities in your destination that you and your family can take part in together. Just a little bit of preparation will take you the distance.
Another thing that is important to prioritise on your trip is convenience and not just the cost, for while cheap flight with a layover looks a lot easier on your web browser than it does when you’re at the airport with a screaming toddler and unless you for an especially long daytime flight, it may be better to opt for a non stop flight. On the other hand with journeys spanning to longer durations, it may benefit you to break up the trip into two shorter flights, especially if you have younger kids whom you may wish to give an opportunity to get off the plane, stretch and run around.
Something to always remember is that when you’re travelling with your family, everything takes longer than usual. From checking in at the airport, getting through security, picking up snacks and drinks, to boarding a plane, and just about everything else. So be sure to get to the airport early and leave plenty of time for things to go wrong. It's a nightmare rushing to reach the plane because of one of the things where all of you get held up with something- So take it easy and keep plenty of additional time to enjoy a relaxed airport experience.
Keeping extra time is something that you should apply to all parts of your trip. This is because when you are travelling with children, it will be difficult to enjoy jam packed itineraries with multiple things on your agenda. You just have to remind yourself that it’s ok to do less and appreciate a slow travel experience.
One thing that applies to kids of all ages is that less is more. Meaning try to ensure that you schedule in no more than half a day of structured activity and sightseeing while taking the rest of the day easy. You can enjoy some downtime and just unwind for the rest of the day.
Do remain wary of focusing too much on educational experiences for your kids and taking the fun away from their trip. As while some museums and historical sites can be exciting but too many will bore younger audiences sucking all the fun out of travel. Try to find a balance so the trip is a good experience for everyone.
Try to preplan, schedule and book as much as you can in advance so that when you arrive, you can go straight to your lodging, drop off bags, and give your children some time to rest. This holds particular importance for long travel days. If you need assistance in booking, talk to one of our travel advisors at Zahara Travel for lodging, activities and transport options.
Don’t stress and pack thousands of things on possibility and try to narrow down the essentials of what you will definitely need to ensure a smooth trip and things that can’t be bought at the destination. Travel is difficult enough without lugging around giant bags everywhere and the less you start with, the easier it is to pack up after stops, with lesser stuff you need to carry everywhere, and the more room for souvenirs that you can bring back from your trip. On the other hand don’t forget essentials like a first-aid kit, and anything that will make your trip smoother. If you’re travelling to a foreign country, while the Zahara Travel team will be there with you every step of the way, memorize the emergency helpline numbers and save the embassy contact numbers.
If you’re headed to a country where the quality of the local medical care may be questionable, talk to our travel advisors at Zahara Travel to buy a travel insurance policy that will evacuate you and your family members back to a country of your choice should a medical emergency strike.
Every parent knows the frustration of those times when your kids are being overly picky, don’t want to try any new foods, and just eat snacks and junk food. Sometimes it is best to relax a little and take it as an opportunity for both you and your kids to unwind and indulge yourselves a little while on vacation. We are not saying let them binge on sugary stuff and snacks all day, every day, but allow them a little more leeway than you normally would, and an easy way to guard against too much junk food is by ensuring that there are lots of healthy snacks available.
On the topic of food, we’ve all faced the situation when you visit a new country excited to sample some of the local cuisines, and your kids may refuse to try anything new. Instead of trying to force the issue, try dining at restaurants that offer at least one dish that your children will eat so as to not aggravate both yourself and the children.
While travelling alone with school-age and teenaged children, consider a group tour because it will take the stress of planning an itinerary off your plate for even though older kids may not need to be managed as much but travelling with kids is always stressful and you should keep things as easy as possible so you can focus on your trip and the family instead of worrying about logistics. Besides with the right family-friendly tour options, both you and your children can enjoy being part of a built-in social structure.
If you’re travelling with another parent or adult, you should share duties. For example while one person buys the tickets the other can watch the children. Make sure that if you’re travelling alone with the kids, have them sit in your line of sight while you take care of business because it is common for children to wander off if bored.
To safeguard against worst case scenarios give your children your contact information so if they get lost despite your best efforts, you can get back together. Your contact information should include everything important you can think of such as your name, phone number, email address, and local address. For young kids it may be simper to put a note in one of their pockets or tie a little card somewhere on their person as long as they know where to find it. Help older kids memorise your phone number and email address. Write down the local addresses you plan to stay for them or have them save the information on their mobile phones.
At the end of the day you mustang remember that your going on vacation and regardless of how carefully you plan, things may still go sideways at times. But keep in mind that these stumbles are all part of the adventure of travelling so embrace them, relish the journey, and enjoy your vacation to the fullest.