Top 5 tips for travelling parents!

Travelling generally can be stressful, but when you add children in the mix it can get a whole lot more exhausting. Despite the challenges, travelling with our children shouldn't be an unpleasant memory. Our first trip as a family was when our daughter was four months and we have been travelling ever since. Here are a few tips to keep in mind that we have learnt over the past three years.

1. Flight time and number of stops

Depending on your destination, you may be limited with picking the right time to fly. We often try to pick a travel time that will fit into her normal routine and won't distrupt her sleeping schedule too much. This will ensure that your child doesn't get too frustrated because they have been able to sleep similar number of hours they do when at home.

If you can it is best to avoid multiple stops, or take the least stops provided. The extention of the journey and the wait time as transits will exhaust the whole family.

2. Airlines and Baggage

Depending on which airline you are taking the amount of luggage your child is entitled to changes. With most lap infants they often get 10kg along with two items such as stroller, travel cot and car seat. When your child is old enough and has their own seat, they usually have the same weight allowance as adults.

Another thing to bear in mind is that when booking flights, some airlines do not include baggage allowance in the price, and you will need to purchase it on your online booking or at the airport. The online fee is cheaper than the fee once you arrive at the airport, so be sure to do it ahead of time online to save some money.

3. Extra Documents

For those mothers who don't share the same surname as your children and spouse, it's always a good idea to have scanned copies of your children's birth certificates. I would suggest saving the scanned image on to your camera roll on your phone, as sometimes the airports don't have great wifi for you to connect to your email.

Having this ready when going through immigration will save you time and energy. I have been asked on almost all my trips, who is this child to you and why do you not share the same surname. I often offer up the birth certificate before being asked all these questions, not only to ease the process but to get out of there before my child gets frustrated.

4. Research your destination

When it comes to destinations it depends on the age of your child/ren. It is good to do your research as some cities are not child friendly, what I mean by this is that you may struggle to find activities to entertain them.

The structure of the city can also be a challenge, take Istanbul and Barcelona as examples. They are both cities with many uphill and uneven roads which will make it hard for those with strollers, or young children that may get tired.

Another factor we learnt from was deciding what accommodation to stay in, Airbnb or Hotel. Every country is different when it comes to what they provide in either accommodation options. While it's nice to stay in a hotel sometimes, we learnt that it is a better option when your child's an infant and not always the best for toddlers. Mainly because we often pack baby foods and formulas, but toddlers can be much more picky in what they eat and may not like eating out. Having a kitchen facility where you can cook food your child likes, makes things much easier. As your children get older and are able to eat out, hotels can become an option again.

5. Clothing, Medicine and Toys

Travelling is an exhausting experience for adults, so we can only imagine how frustrating it can get for children. For those travelling for long hours we suggest carrying a small kit of basic medicines, for oral medicine make sure they are below the liquid allowance which is 70ml. Our daughter often got sick anytime we would travel, in our kit we carried:

- Ibuprofen or Calpol - Cough syrup - Teething gel

- Thermometer - Nasal spray - Vicks baby rub

Make sure your children wear comfy clothes and as children are often very messy, it's key to remember to pack plenty of extra clothing, we also packed a few plastic bags to put any dirty clothes in.

As we know sitting on a flight can get boring especially for children with lots of energy and nowhere to run around. We used to try drain her out before boarding the flight, by letting her run around the airport she would naturally get tired. Once on board we try to keep her as entertained as possible while seated and occasionally take a walk back and forth to stretch.

Here are things we took on-board as entertainment:

- A tablet with pre-loaded videos and educational games

- Books - Favorite toys - Play dough - Arts and crafts kit

The more variety you take the more likely you are to keep the child engaged.

And that pretty much sums it up!

It's also worth mentioning that parents should never feel ashamed if their child cries or is loud, parents have just as much right on a flight as those travelling alone. Often, we are made to feel uncomfortable but children will be children and honestly people need to learn to be patient and show some empathy.

Hope this helps some parent out there!