👨👩👧👦 Traveling with children: answers to all questions
Do you want to go to the sea, but don’t yet dare to travel with a child or even two? Let's figure out what difficulties may arise, whether you should be wary of them and how to solve them. Tips and life hacks were shared by Yulia and Anton Gnetnev, who visited Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus with their children Anya and Yura.
Where to stay?
When traveling with children, there are two most popular options.
Apartments
This option requires you to plan your trip down to the details. You will need to think through everything on your own, from purchasing tickets and booking apartments to entertainment and cafes that will suit both adults and children. By the way, you can choose your accommodation on Trip.com, airbnb.com or booking.com.
Apartments are an excellent opportunity to spend a varied holiday and have an active holiday. It is worth considering that when traveling according to your program to some countries, for example, Turkey, it is easier to book tickets and apartments that you have chosen through a travel agency.
Hotel
An option loved by many parents precisely because of the variety of activities for the child. There are many hotels, especially in Turkey, Egypt and the UAE, aimed directly at family holidays. There are water parks and heated swimming pools, animation programs and playrooms with nannies, where you can leave your child for a while to rest on your own. If you take an all-inclusive package, you won’t have to worry about food and clean water, which for some reason constantly falls from the hands of active kids.
How does the child's age affect it?
Everything is individual for everyone, but the youngest travelers under 1.5 years old, according to reviews, are also the most “accommodating”. As long as they are breastfed or formula-fed, the issue of nutrition is closed by itself.
On the plane, children under two years old can fly for free without being provided with a separate seat, that is, in the arms of a parent. If desired, the seat can be purchased at full price and a child car seat installed.
It is more difficult to travel with a child, whose age is approximately 2-3 years. During this period, he still speaks poorly, wants “how he wants” and does not intend to negotiate.
Then with children it becomes easier and much more fun. They are a little more independent and are interested in absolutely everything. By the way, in many hotels children under 12 years old can stay for free.
What about klima tom?
An important criterion when choosing a country to travel to is the climate. With children, this simple indicator becomes a little more complicated. After all, it is advisable for parents to calculate the ratio of temperature and humidity, the absence of wind and the warmth of the water in the sea during this particular season in this place. As practice shows, this is not always possible.
Where and when is the best time to go with children?
The most popular destinations for hotel holidays with children are Turkey, Egypt and the UAE.
Turkey is most attractive in June, August and September, when the weather is comfortable and the sea is warm. It is better to go to Egypt in April – May and from September to early November.
To avoid the unbearable summer heat, which kids are unlikely to like, you should choose a trip to the UAE for the end of October, November, end of March or April.
Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Montenegro, Albania, Georgia and Cyprus have ideal weather at the end of May, June and September.
Japan is especially attractive during the cherry blossom season – April, mid-May, and during the Momiji red maple season in September and October.
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If you really want to relax in winter and long-distance flights don’t scare you, then you can consider Thailand, Maldives, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mauritius, Zanzibar and others.
How to choose a flight?
It is better to choose night flights or flights during the day. A child may be delighted with the plane, or may be scared of it if he is very small, but then sleep through the entire flight.
If the child is unable to fall asleep, then not only educational games and coloring books, but also a tablet with cartoons can be used. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to play games that you can show at home, saying that they are specially designed for the airplane. You can bring a lollipop (for safety) or a pacifier if you use it. It is worth respecting the comfort of your neighbors and thinking about how to keep your child occupied during the flight.
But remember, it is not the parent’s fault if the child cries and there is no magic pill that will help calm him down. Try not to be nervous and not to pay attention to the neighbors who roll their eyes at your naughty baby.
How to choose a beach area?
The beach should be clean and tidy, preferably sandy or with a sandbox. And it is better to find the entrance to the water as flat as possible, without algae, broken corals and jellyfish.
What to feed children?
On this point, hotel reviews should have a five star rating, if we are talking about hotels. The menu should include simple cereals, yoghurts, fruits and vegetables, quality meat and fish.
If you choose to stay in an apartment, then be sure to have a supermarket nearby and a good kitchen so that you can organize your own meals for the children. It is advisable to look for a good cafe with suitable food in the surrounding area. For example, you can look at reviews on TripAdvisor.
No matter how well the children eat before going to the beach, one or two swims – and from the water you can hear: “Mom, I’m hungry.” It’s better to take some fruits and baked goods, such as pancakes, with you and relax in peace.
Paying attention to children's transport?
If the hotel or apartment is not located on the first coastline, then children's transport will greatly simplify your life. You can take a cane stroller or, if you are older, a scooter. In any case, sometimes you will have to carry children in your arms.
How to determine the optimal duration of rest?
The more days you set aside for your trip, the better. Flying, changing time zones and changing the usual way of life can lead to the fact that the first few days the child will behave “badly” and be capricious for no particular reason.
It may even seem to you that you started all this in vain. But on about the third day, the child will adapt – he will get used to the place, get to know the staff, remember the way to the beach and be able to get ready for relaxation.
So it’s better not to move from hotel to hotel and not to change apartments if everything suits you, in order to avoid a new round of adaptation.
What to do with a child?
Where adults are interested, a child can quickly get bored and vice versa. Children prefer relaxing in a swimming pool with slides and water parks, animator performances and an evening disco, a room with toys and a children's playground, which involves relaxing at the hotel. Children don't want to get off the slides and go to the beach. So it’s better to immediately build a system for the child, according to which he will understand that in the morning he will go to the sea, and then, when his parents allow it, he will go to the pool.
When you live in an apartment, it is more difficult to entertain children, because at sea there is only a sandbox and, if you're lucky, a children's playground. Children can get bored easily. So parents should think about entertainment for this occasion.
If you really want to see the sights, then it is better to choose short excursions. Walking around the museum or the guide's long stories about architectural monuments will more likely tire children than arouse interest.
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What do we pack in a first aid kit?
An important attribute for the road. A pretty good list was compiled by sportmama_minsk. Let's go through it:
- Antipyretic, also known as pain reliever based on paracetamol/ibuprofen in syrup or suppositories;
- Isotonic solution for nasal hygiene;
- Vasoconstrictor drops;
- Antibacterial eye drops (for example, Tobrex);
- Antibacterial ointment (for example, Baneocin);
- Hormonal ointment (if you suddenly have an allergy to a bite);
- Natural insect repellent;
- Sunscreen. For children, it is better to choose a product with mineral filters;
- Antiseptic (for example, Chlorhexidine);
- Thermometer, nasal aspirator, cotton pads, sticks (do not put them in your ears);
- Biogaia (probiotic) and carminative (anti-bloating).
We think about medical institutions
The hospital or hospital should be located so close to your place of rest that you can quickly get to them if something happens. Therefore, if you have chosen remote islands for a family vacation, for example, the Maldives, then think in advance about how you can quickly get to the medical center (boat, plane).
We take grandparents
Parents' parents also need to go for health care. Alternatively, invite them to go on a trip with you. Both they and the children will have a rest, and you will have this opportunity. While grandma puts the baby to bed, parents can admire the evening views and bars of the resort.
Mood – what are we preparing for?
If you chose a vacation according to your program or a hotel without an animator and nannies, and you didn’t take your grandmother, then it’s better to immediately assume that this is a vacation for children, and not for you.
The scenario where the parents sit on sunbeds and the child picks around in the sand all day is extremely rare. Children get lost the minute their parents relax and get distracted. The child can go explore the beach on his own or try his hand at water. So adults always need to be on alert.
Be sure to take with you on the road a positive attitude and a willingness to firmly accept the difficulties that may arise on any journey.
Disadvantages of family holidays:
- Compared to an independent holiday, a family holiday is more expensive.
- The need to live according to the children's schedule. It is more difficult to plan trips and interesting long excursions. Only timely sleep and food contribute to the child feeling well and behaving well.
- Lack of evening or night life; it is difficult for adults to go out to a bar together. You cannot leave children alone and you must always remain sober. If you still need to leave sleeping children for a while, then you should take care of having a baby monitor in the room and a walkie-talkie at your fingertips.
- Acclimatization. A runny nose from warm sand and salt water, even if it appears, usually goes away in a couple of days. Questions often arise upon returning home. For example, from a vacation in Turkey, it’s no wonder you bring with you “coxsackie,” a viral disease popular in that region.
- If the hotel room or apartment is one-room, then it will be difficult for parents to have privacy.
Pros of a family holiday:
- There are more emotions with children. Children enjoy everything in the world – different plants and animals. Adults get the opportunity to return to childhood and try the slides at the water park, rather than wasting time on a serious face and cocktails in their hands.
- Wellness for the whole family.
- Children can look at their parents with completely different eyes. Instead of the usual tired adults after work and routine, companions appear nearby for bomb diving and hide and seek. On vacation, as a rule, everyone is in a good mood.
- Traveling together brings people together, helps them open up and strengthens family relationships. Mom and dad act together, dividing all worries in half if there are no grandparents nearby. When everything in everyday life is smooth and each parent has their own role, then on vacation you can quickly learn to understand each other without words and insure each other.
So what is the difference between traveling with children and traveling on your own?
In addition to the occasional twitching eye and an extended first aid kit, there are more factors to consider when traveling with children – absolutely everything is important! Traveling on your own is easier – you can live, sleep and eat anywhere. It’s more difficult to relax and have fun like an adult with children , but you really want to show your child all the beauty of this world.
For children, this is a huge leap in development. Even very young children can remember details from travel, and then suddenly remember them, for example, asking their parents to go to their house by the sea again.
The main thing I would like to add is that you should not be afraid to travel with children. Such a vacation is very fun and unforgettable, and it also makes the family closer.