As the proud new father of a tiny 4 month old baby daughter, I thought it was time to start thinking about how travel can be integrated in the life of a parent, and how to make travelling fun for your little ones too!
Travel can be a big issue for children. Whether you are venturing in a campervan or doing long-haul flights, it’s important to ensure that travelling can be an exciting and fun part of the experience. What does it take to ensure that your children are more excited about the travel experience?
Plan the Activities Around Them
You don’t have to plan everything around your children’s needs, but it’s important to make sure that everybody’s bases are covered. This is why many multi activity holidays are a perfect option. It’s important to make sure that, whenever you go, there’s a kids club that caters for their ages, or if you are going on excursions ensure there are activities that will keep your children busy. You have to remember your children have a lot of energy, but also they can get incredibly bored or fed up if you are travelling over long distances. You need your children to burn off their energy, but you also need to make sure that they are happy because if they’re not happy, you’re not happy!
Think About Their Health
It sounds obvious, but before you venture off, you need to make sure that your children stay happy by being healthy. Having some of the following can make a big difference:
- Plasters. Having a fully stocked first aid kit should be a priority. Anything can happen (and it’s very likely that it will).
- Water. Of course, ensuring that your children are hydrated is vital, and if you are venturing further afield where you have concerns about tap water, you can purchase water filters that remove the impurities.
- Snacks. Your children are going to get hungry, and if they get hungry they get angry. Good quality snacks will always keep them occupied.
Do Not Pack Too Many Toys
As much as your kids love their toys, it is unrealistic to think that your children will be occupied with every single toy that they usually play with. Instead, you’ve got to offer them one of their favourites and one other. Anything more means you have a mutiny on your hands. And when you are too busy running around looking for places, two toys are easier to keep track of if your child is the type that ends up losing them.
Ensure They Experience the Local Culture
Sometimes we can shield our children from the experiences or feel more protective. Children are purpose-built to learn and will embrace new things if you give them enough exposure. While they may not take kindly to the food, we have to remember that when a child has their eyes open to the world, a lot of people will always gravitate towards kids and those people will always be courteous, kind, and may even give them a treat. You are there with them, so you can gauge the situation. You need to give your children the opportunity to experience new things and this is going to make a big difference to the enjoyment of the holiday, but also how they view the world as they get older.