Does the thought of travelling with kids leave you feeling stressed before you’ve even packed a bag? You’re not alone. Between passports, packing lists and keeping everyone entertained, family travel can feel like a project management exercise. The good news is that a little preparation goes a long way. Here are six simple travel tips to help make your next trip with kids a breeze.
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#1. Use Tech for the Journey
We all try to cut down on screen time day to day, but when you’re travelling with kids, a little tech is a lifesaver. Thanks to the huge range of child-friendly apps, e-books, podcasts and games out there, you no longer need to pack a bag full of toys just to keep everyone amused on the way.
That said, it’s still worth packing a favourite book, or for older kids, a notebook and pen so they can jot down their thoughts and look back on their travel memories in years to come.
Recommended Reading: 15 of the Best Apps for Kids Travelling
#2. Label Favourite Items Before You Travel With Kids
A simple label can save a lot of stress. Labelling bags, towels, clothing, and precious items like teddies, blankets, sunglasses, cameras and books makes it much easier to spot belongings on a carousel, in a kids’ club pile, or left behind on a plane, train, bus or in a restaurant.
Include a phone number on the label too, so a misplaced item can find its way back to you. It’s also reassuring at busy terminals – if you and your child are ever separated, having your number on their belongings can help you be reunited quickly.
As a bonus, once you’re home, those same items are already labelled and ready for the school year ahead.
Recommended Reading: Tips for Travelling With Kids With Allergies
#3. Get Kids to Help Plan the Trip
This works best with older children, but involving them in planning – from choosing the destination to deciding what to do once you arrive – can turn a family holiday into one to remember.
You might even discover a new family hobby you’d never have considered, if your kids book you all in for stand-up paddleboarding, pony trekking, hiking or snorkelling.
You May Also Enjoy: Surviving City Breaks With Kids
#4. Be Prepared When Travelling With Kids
A few essentials in your carry-on can make all the difference between a calm journey and a stressful one. Here’s what’s worth packing:
- Medicine for earache and fever
- Cups with lids to avoid spills
- Ear plugs to help with ear pressure on flights
- Baby wipes for quick clean-ups of hands, surfaces and messes
- Healthy snacks, so you’re not dealing with a sugar rush mid-journey
- A change of clothes for everyone travelling
Having these to hand means that even if your luggage is delayed, you can settle in without scrambling to find a pharmacy, food or clothes shop in the first hours of your trip.
You May Also Enjoy: 10 Top Tips for Happy Car Travel With Kids
#5. Leave Time When Travelling With Kids
Everything takes longer with kids in tow – it’s just one of travel’s small mysteries. Build in extra time to get to your destination, with room for toilet breaks (even on short car journeys), a browse around the airport, train or ferry terminal, and time to grab food before you board.
Travel hubs get especially busy during school holidays, and nobody wants to be the family sprinting for the gate as the doors are closing, facing an expensive rebooking fee – or worse, making it onboard so flustered that the journey becomes a nightmare for you, the kids, and everyone around you.
You May Also Enjoy: More Top Tips for Travel With Kids
#6. Be Organised for Travel With Kids
It might sound obvious, but organisation really does pay off when you’re travelling with kids. Run through this before you go:
- Check your passports. Kids’ passports run out sooner than you’d think, and the renewal date can sneak up on you.
- Have you printed your boarding passes and completed online check-in?
- Have you booked seats together?
- If you’re hiring a car, do you know where to collect it, and do you have your driving licence with you?
- Check that your car insurance covers driving abroad – not all policies automatically include cover for driving in other countries.
- If you’re using public transport, do you know the timetable and where to find your connection?
- Do you have some local currency, and have you let your card provider know you’re travelling, as a backup?
- Have you packed too much, or too little?
- Do you know what’s in the kids’ hand luggage? Worth checking for anything that isn’t allowed through security.
- Have you saved or printed copies of your insurance details, accommodation booking, transfer arrangements and any agent contact details?
- And finally, have you downloaded the e-books, games and apps you’ll need for the journey?
The list can feel endless, but getting organised before you set off saves stress – and a fair few arguments – once you’re on the road.
Recommended Reading: 20 Travel Hacks to Make Holidaying With Kids Easier
Do you have a favourite travel tip we haven’t covered? Share it in the comments below – we’d love to hear it.
Related Reads
- 15 of the Best Apps for Kids Travelling
- Tips for Travelling With Kids With Allergies
- Surviving City Breaks With Kids
- 10 Top Tips for Happy Car Travel With Kids
- 20 Travel Hacks to Make Holidaying With Kids Easier
Save These Tips for Later
Planning a trip takes time, so bookmark this page or save it to your travel folder and come back to it whenever you’re packing for your next family adventure.
