Travelling with young children is one of the most exciting and fulfilling things you can do - there's nothing quite like seeing a new country through their eyes!
But it goes without saying that it can also be anxiety-inducing and worrying for a great deal of parents.
With young children out of their usual routines, many people panic about how to keep some order and ensure that the trip runs smoothly to keep it an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. So today I'm sharing my top 5 tips for making family travel that little bit easier.
1) Research, research, research!
I can't stress enough the importance of doing your research before you travel. From looking into just how family-friendly your accomodation really is before booking (TripAdvisor reviews are a great place to get an idea of this), to looking up the best places to eat during your journey (check the menus, find the spots that cater to your childs tastes) and even down to looking up where the nearest play parks are to where you're going - research is the key to having a great time!
2) Convenience
When traveling with small children in tow, you want things to be as convenient and easy as they can possibly be. It's an inconvenient truth that most children tend to get bored and tired quickly during long journeys, and so anything you can do to reduce the impact on them - the better.
For this reason, I avoid connections on flights and train travel wherever possible - even if it means paying a little bit more as I know that too much changing around and too many delays are just going to make for a cranky toddler.
I also like to make sure that we don't end up parking miles away from the airport when we travel, as the long walks to the terminal can be another deal breaker for my kids - often resulting in them being tired and moody long before we've even set foot on the plane.
I recommend using comparison sites such as Airport Parking Shop to help you find the best parking deals before you travel, not only giving you a decent monetary saving but also offering you peace of mind in knowing that your parking space is booked and sorted!
3) Go Paperless
Be sure to take full advantage of modern technology by going paperless for your travel documents wherever possible.
When you're traveling with young children, you already have enough to think about - having to keep track of paper documents and fish them out at every check point is an inconvenience you really don't need!
Most train and airlines now accept e-tickets, so you don't need to worry about losing anything - just be sure to bring a portable phone charger!
4) Travel Well Prepared!
I can't stress this enough - when traveling with children, have plenty of distraction options!!
Bring all of their favorite snacks and plenty of them, bring different entertainment options to cater for any possible mood they might be in (Little play toys, puzzles, colouring books, story books and electronic devices like ipads are all great options!), bring some changes of clothes incase of accidents (my son was sick on our first flight - I did not expect this to happen and I had nothing to change him in to! Disaster!) and don't be afraid to stash some bribes away in your handbag incase of emergency!
I'm not ashamed to admit that this was how I coaxed my children to behave nicely at dinner on a fancy cruise ship every night - I told them they had to be good to earn the kinder eggs hidden in my purse!! Worked like a charm!
5) Have fun!
It's easy to get really stressed about everything that could go wrong with little children on holiday, but the good times will usually outweigh the bad and when you're looking back on those gorgeous family holiday snaps you'll be so glad you went for it.
Just don't forget the camera!
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