Everywhere you look is a great sunny summer, and it almost begs you to travel with kids to somewhere fun, right? Go on an outing, go camping, fly off to a whole new place you’ve never been to… The possibilities are truly endless.
Travel can be a lot of fun and a great experience for young ones. If they’re very young, they might not remember this years from now, but they will have a terrific time and have pictures to look back at when they’re older. For older kids (and for you!) this can be a real learning experience and a chance to open themselves to a new culture and way of living.
No matter how or where you’re traveling to, it’s important to keep safe and prepare ahead – those are the keys to a good vacation. Here are some tips to help you on your way. Happy vacationing!
Traveling via airline
#1 – Provide airport entertainment. Duty free walkabouts are nice but it’s not really that interesting a place for kids (unless of course they’ve got a toy store in which case… well, good luck ever getting out!) Bring along an iPad or another similar device that’s easy to carry, connect to the airport wifi and play games, paint away on apps and watch Youtube videos.
#2 – Prepare an activity pack. Even if you’re only in the air for a couple of hours, it’s still a loooong time for children. Prepare in advance a whole goody-bag, with some snacks but more importantly games, toys, maybe a puzzle: something to keep them occupied.
#3 – Know that travel can be baby-friendly. If you’re traveling with a young child, you can bring along one item such as stroller or more (depending on the airline), there are often special fun kits they give away during the flight, you can usually get on board first… Make sure to read thoroughly what your chosen airline offers so you don’t miss anything.
Roadtrips
#4 – Bring enough music. Do you feel like you’ve packed enough CDs for the ride? Add a couple more. Then repeat. When you’re constantly in need for music it runs out quickly – especially when we’re talking about children’s songs which can be very short. Here’s a collection of TuTiTu’s songs for kids to get you started!
#5 – Engage with the scenery. No, not you, the children! Tell them about the places you’re traveling through, ask them what they see around, play “I Spy”-type games and so on. Try and help them notice how different the view is from the car to what they usually see around at home or in the street.
#6 – Plan your route (and your stops.) Don’t wait until your kid is irritated and wiggling around to make a stop, because that might teach them they have to put on a show every single time. Try and plan your drive so that as much as possible of it takes place during naptime. And make A LOT of stops for stretching, toilet use and snacks.
Have a good vacation, TuTiTu fans! When you’re back tell us all about how it went in our Facebook page!