Smooth Sailing: Tips for Traveling with Kids
Updated: May 12
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Point of View: You are keen on traveling and often seek advice from travel blogs that highlight ‘Making Travel Easy with Kids’. There are plethora of them out there that talk about packing essentials for kids, portion sizes for meals, and other practicalities around travelling with kids.
However, what about the strategies for managing their playtime and mealtimes and ensuring they get enough rest while on the road? Here are a few Traveling with Kids Tips.
Embracing the Imperfect: Finding Beauty in Family Travel Challenges
I'm here to provide insight as I’ve been traveling with my children since they were infants. Unlike some parents who view it as a relocation of child management rather than a vacation, I hold a different perspective. For me, traveling with my kids is a joyous experience, not a chore. I wouldn't trade it for anything else. It's likely a mindset shift that parents need to embrace when traveling with children. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s not hard. It is definitely hard wrapping around the gazillion things that one needs to do when you travel with kids. However, some parents amplify these difficulties to the point where even a successful trip can feel like a nightmare. From my personal experience, I want to share with you about how rewarding this journey has been. Travelling with kids is the most fulfilling part of our lives. We acknowledge that we are not perfect parents and therein lies its beauty. Each day brings new lessons, and travelling with kids contributes to this wealth of knowledge that we are amassing through the myriad experiences we provide them. Experts say travelling with kids helps bring new perspectives and experiences to kids from which they learn and grow. I believe even parents learn in the process. Every time I go to an aquarium, or a zoo, or take on an adventurous activity like hiking or biking in the woods, the surge of adrenaline I feel is unparalleled. The joy of caring for my children and giving them a great experience also in turn gives me that sense of excitement that I’ve never felt before. I take on new activities and challenges that I’ve never tried before because I want my kids to experience them. I’m also more careful about my surroundings, ensuring safety at every step, I’ve become more vigilant, more responsible, and I strive towards perfection.
So how do I accomplish this?
Flexibility: The Key to Successful Family Adventures
For starters, I wasn't overly strict about the children's sleep and play routines while traveling. While we maintain a structured schedule at home, we adopt a more relaxed approach during our travels. This flexibility allows us to fully enjoy our planned itinerary. Otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to indulge in those early morning hot air balloon rides, post lunch safaris, late evening dinners, and night markets. Arya and Kiu have proven to be quite adaptable in this regard, often falling asleep in their strollers wherever we go. We continued to use the stroller until they reached the age of five. While this might seem old-fashioned to some, it proved to be incredibly helpful. My kids can walk. They walk 6-7 kms a day when on trips. And when they get tired, we have the buggies at their service. It’s easier for us to manage tired feet and sleepy heads by tugging along a buggy rather than making a dash for the hotel in the midst of our tour.
Tips for Feeding Little Travelers
Whenever they needed to be fed, whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding, I would find a café or restaurant to stop at. For a long time, we carried their diaper bags like treasure chests, packed with every essential item. I consistently brought along a thermos filled with warm water for their formula and a portion of finger millet porridge when they were infants and easy-to-eat snacks like bananas, milk buns and sliced apples when they were toddlers. Previously, we reserved Airbnbs. Bunty and I would prepare their daily meals, pack them, and bring them along. Nowadays, we opt for hotels that offer breakfast, ensuring they have a substantial morning meal before we embark on our adventures. Now that they are school going kids, it's far simpler. They join us for meals at restaurants, where most places offer coloring pencils and paper for kids upon request. That keeps them engaged until the meals arrive. Additionally, many restaurants provide various activities for children, enhancing the dining experience. This not only keeps them entertained but also gives parents some respite. It makes mealtime more enjoyable, as they eagerly dig into their food without feeling bored.
When it comes to accommodations, we prefer to book through Booking.com or Hotels.com. These platforms offer excellent services tailored to the needs of parents traveling with children and infants, providing customizable options to ensure a comfortable stay. You may use my code to book your stays by clicking on this link.
Customizing Itineraries for Family Fun
Our travel itineraries are always customized to include activities suitable even for the kids, such as visits to parks, zoos, safaris, or boat rides. This approach keeps them excited about the one activity planned for the day, making them more accommodating to our wishes and agenda. It strikes a good balance between fulfilling their preferences and ours. In less stimulating environments for kids, such as restaurants, museums, or shopping centers, we keep them engaged with wipe-clean coloring pads or sticker books. Once back in the hotel room, they entertain themselves with the toys we brought from home. We quickly learned from our travel experiences that their playtime with familiar toys is crucial. Children need mental stimulation, and they love engaging in imaginative play with their figurines and dolls, which is feasible to bring along when traveling. If you give those extra shoes or fancy clothes the boot, you'll surely make room for their indispensable playthings. And if space is truly tight, opting for an outdoor park play is a shoe-in alternative. 😉
I frequently utilize GetYourGuide to organize my tours when traveling to different countries. Many of these excursions offer the option for a private tour exclusively for my family, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in learning the history and culture of each sight from an experienced guide without missing out on any valuable insights. As an example, when I searched for kids' tours in Dubai on GetYourGuide, I came across this amazing Dolphin encounter show at Aquaventure Waterpark Dubai. How incredible is that!
Driving Towards Family Memories
Additionally, we prefer driving in most countries rather than relying on local transportation. We consistently opt for car rentals to facilitate our exploration of remote areas and to effectively manage the children. The car rides provide ample opportunity for them to rest, play, and have meals while on the move. I recognize that not everyone has the option to drive or rent cars in foreign countries. However, to navigate this challenge, it's essential to have a meticulously planned itinerary. This ensures you're aware of available local transportation options and the convenience of traveling between different locations.
We consistently opt for Car Rentals through Booking.com in every destination we visit. Through our experiences with different local rental companies worldwide, we've come to appreciate Booking.com as an excellent starting point. Here, you can find dependable service, a wide range of car rental options sorted by budget and type, as well as considerations like fuel type and pickup/drop-off locations, all with efficient service guaranteed.
Starting Young: Cultivating a Love for Travel
Having said all this, I realize it’s easier said than done. I have friends whose children suffer from motion sickness, which poses challenges for both the parents and the kids. Additionally, there are times when children are simply irritable. We are grateful that Kiu and Arya have always shown a natural inclination for traveling and have been effortless travelers right from the start. We followed the western approach by introducing them to travel early on. Arya visited Kashmir at 4 months, and Kiu traveled to Moscow at 6 months. In my opinion, starting travel at a young age makes a significant difference. It allows children to adapt to various climates, cuisines, and geographical conditions. It also fosters a sense of curiosity and open-mindedness from an early age on. Parents also need to be more relaxed, willing to be flexible with schedules and routines. This approach makes travel more adaptable and enjoyable; otherwise, it can feel like a chore.
After sharing these insights, what works for one person may not work for another. Therefore, it's essential to experiment and discover what suits your family best. If you found my blog post helpful and entertaining, why not show it some love with a thumbs-up? And if you want more insightful content like this in the future, don't forget to subscribe! Feel free to share the post with your fellow parents or anyone who might benefit from it. And if you have any questions about family travel or want to delve into other travel-related topics, I'm here to help! Wishing you safe and magical adventures!
Getting them used to traveing at an early age is indeed the best thing parents can do.. Loved your blog 😍