Travel with children: It can be done

TAKING an overseas holiday with kids in tow doesn’t have to end in disaster. Here are some ways to make it less terrifying.

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WITHOUT a doubt, the most effective way to strike fear deep into the heart of any childless plane passenger during boarding is to creep purposefully towards their seat row with a baby or toddler in tow. (Bonus points if your child is already whining, throwing up, or plastering your hair with a goop-laden teething rusk).

Not surprisingly, the primordial fear of kids on planes runs both ways. Even normally cucumber-cool parents can be reduced to nervous stress puddles just thinking about the potential for Junior to throw a nuclear-level meltdown midflight (and the inevitable roomful of disapproving stares to follow).However, if you’ve been postponing plane travels with children because of how tricky parental folklore portrays it to be, or holding out on that big family road trip thanks to how un-fun and ripe for disaster they seem in comedy movies (here’s looking at you National Lampoon’s Vacation), we’ve got a scoop; trips with kids off all ages can be survived —  and even enjoyed. This parenting public service announcement comes with a caveat: for smooth travels, you’ll need to align your expectations to suit your child and their specific strengths.  

Here are eight tips to help you get up, up and away:

1. KNOW YOUR CHILD’S LIMITS It might look picture perfect on Instagram, but will that trip to a Mexican reef to swim with whale sharks delight or terrify your little ones? Let your innate knowledge of your child’s physical and emotional stamina be your guide when considering travel destinations and activities. If Junior can’t get through an episode of The Wiggles without getting so hyped up they trash the lounge room before collapsing into a regenerative power nap, a consecutive five-day pass to Disneyworld might be a stretch. Likewise, if Junior can’t get around a shopping centre without requesting to be picked up, a hike to Everest’s base camp mightn’t bode well unless you’re prepared to seriously step up your Sherpa game. Granted, children don’t often reach their potential until they’re challenged. However, proceed with baby steps and keep in mind that testing their mettle on the road can backfire in spectacular fashion (think dummy spits Kanye would be envious of).  
   
   
2. DON’T MESS WITH SLEEP Dovetailing the last tip, travels run smoother if you incorporate your child’s sleep patterns into your schedule as much as practicably possible. A tired child is like an emotionally fragile time bomb, so minimise situations likely to cause over exhaustion and light their fuse —  like scheduling a giant family reunion the night you arrive after a long-haul journey, or booking consecutive red-eye flights. If your child sleeps well in cars and planes it can be helpful to earmark big stretches of travel time to coincide with their usual naps, but be aware some mini travellers have trouble falling asleep in new situations (like hurtling through the sky in an oversized tin can crammed with strangers, for example). Unfamiliar surroundings overstimulate little minds making it harder to rest, so add any familiar touches you can. Try following the same sleep routine you regularly use at home (eg: dinner, book, cuddles then bedtime), or pack their favourite soft toys or blanket to sleep with.
   
   
3. FEED THEIR BELLIES It’s likely the term hangry (or hungry-angry) was invented by a child or a pregnant lady, as there are few more ferocious creatures than either on an empty stomach (and woe betide those who have both in their travel party). To keep collateral damage from your hangry hordes to a minimum always have a solid supply of healthy snacks on hand. Aim to reach destinations well before meal times, especially at night – you’d be surprised how many places don’t have late-night food options. Be mindful of how long food wait times can be in popular restaurants (apparently it’s hip to be hungry). And while it’s fine to cajole picky eaters into trying new cuisines while on the road, best to also order regular staples as a backup.
   
   
4. FEED THEIR MINDS If you didn’t know Stonehenge’s background, would it seem impressive or merely look like a field filled with rocks? Kids are more likely to ‘get’ sightseeing if they feel interested and connected to a destination, so make sure to explain the backstories of places you’re visiting. Look into books, movies or apps that can teach them different aspects of the history, languages or cultures they’ll be encountering. There are great resources for toddlers through to teens that can make learning on the go fun, and don’t need to be costly; a quick Google search will reveal free or low-cost options. For older children, activity sheets and travel diaries can also act as great boredom killers.
   
   
5. KEEP THEM BRIEFED Aside from mushrooms and bats, few living creatures like being kept in the dark. Kids feel less anxious (and act more calmly) when they know what to expect, so shed some light on your travel plans. Explain schedules by breaking trips down into steps, and try anticipating anything new or surprising they may encounter. For example; “The flight will be three hours, then we’ll have to wait to get through immigration, which is a big room where they’ll stamp our passports and take our photo,” etc. Show them through maps or pinpoints on the globe the destinations they’ll be visiting. Even better, involve them in the planning process or let them have some input on the activities you’ll be undertaking.
   
   
6. KEEP ‘EM SEPARATED As Aesop once wrote, “familiarity breeds contempt”. If he hadn’t lived BC (as in Before Cars), Aesop may well have been referencing the stereotypical family SUV on school holiday missions with kids bickering in the backseat. If clashing kids drive you nuts, try rotating them in alternate seating arrangements. Get creative by booking them into different plane rows or splitting them up either side of parents, or utilising the car’s front seat to literally keep them out of reach of each other. Once at your destination, divide them up into separate activities with different family members as chaperones. Give feuding kids the space and time away from each other they need, and you’ll minimise opportunities for them to get on each other’s nerves (and salvage your own nerves while you’re at it).
   
   
7. STRESS LESS For small humans prone to thinking nostrils are an acceptable hiding place for sunflower seeds, children can be surprisingly hard to fool — they can sense stress like Yogi Bear can intuit a nearby picnic basket. If you’re uptight about the logistics of your upcoming travels, they’re likely to get anxious too.If you’re not the naturally-Zen type and it’s affecting your children, consider steps to minimise your stress levels. This may be simplifying your itinerary by making fewer stops or detours. For DIY plan-o-holics with travel option overwhelm, perhaps it’s time for a travel agent to take over the planning reigns. For those buckling under the responsibility of having a family’s worth of passports, airline tickets, travel insurance certificates and bookings in their care, consider ways to back it all up. This may be leaving photocopies with loved ones at home, organising originals in a dedicated travel wallet, and keeping virtual copies accessible somewhere safe on your phone (look for apps which can also file bookings into timelines and add updates automatically).
   
   
8. MAKE IT FUN No matter where you roam, there’s always room for fun. Turn climbing steps in the airport or train station into a counting game. Get older children to help map out the series of sights you’ll be visiting into make believe Amazing Race-style adventures. When they tire of classic trip games like Eye Spy, show kids something new — like how to use the Google Translate app to interpret any foreign signs they pass by. There will always be tedious aspects to any form of travel, but by approaching everything in a fun manner you can change how children perceive the experience. You mightn’t ever become your child’s personal ‘Travel Whisperer’, but by consistently making efforts to keep travel engaging you may just share the trip of a lifetime.

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Originally published as Travel with children: It can be done