Travel Tips for When the Kids are in Tow

In a time before kids, we imagined our holiday excursions being thoroughly enriched by a beloved tot tagging along. Each experience of wonder and awe at the beauty of the world would be magnified – multiplied tenfold! – with an extra pair of little eyes seeing it for the first time.

Once our little cherubs arrived, however, these visions of idyllic escapades were tempered by the realities of going ANYWHERE with kids. Even a trip to the shop or park across town became very, let us say, complicated. The very thought of travelling further than that can strike terror into the heart of many a parent. Thankfully, we’ve got some travelling tips to help obliterate those fears:

In the lead-up to the trip,

• Plan every detail. Driving? Carefully research your route and every potential stop along the way: the ideal ones plus every alternative should you be unlucky enough to have a sick or very unhappy child. Flying? Pack well and make yourself a to-do list to tick off before boarding. 
• Research the facilities at each site to avoid unpleasant surprises: are there easily accessible toilets, a baby feeding and changing area, any play areas? Does a space require hawk-like monitoring of kids or is it child-friendly and safe enough for you to take a breather?
• Give yourself lots of leeway should things go awry. A tight schedule is only going to lead to distress. Leave space between sites and activities, and have a few extra options each day should you end up having to leave one place much earlier than expected.
• Go overboard preparing snacks and busy bags with new trinkets to keep them happily fed and entertained.
• Let your kids in on your plan. Drum up some excitement and help prepare them for the trip.

Once you’ve started your trip,

• Relax! Having planned meticulously, you can now put your expectations aside and relish each experience with your family.
• When things go wrong, as they certainly will, breathe deeply and try to make the best of the situation. And if your efforts fail, remind yourself that each day is just a series of moments and one bad moment won’t spoil the lot. Put that one aside and make the next one better.
• Give your kids ample time to explore each space, and keep a running banter with them on where to next.
• Help them to remember where you’ve been and what you’ve done by keeping a travel journal, or collecting trinkets to remember each place by. Get everyone involved, creating an ongoing story of your trip together.