Travelling with Kids - 11 Helpful Tips

Get your children ready for your fun family adventure. Being prepared takes a lot of pressure off and helps get you ready for anything that might come your way.
A checklist is a very helpful way to help your journey go as smoothly as possible. Here are some of our top picks.
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Set expectations:
Discuss with your children what they should expect. Special meals, flying in the clouds, new adventures and watching movies. If travelling with more than 1 child – You might want to talk about seating prior to the big travel day – Many siblings have had fiery debates about who will get the golden ‘Window Seat’. They will also be required to sit for extended periods of time, we suggest stretching your legs when you can when the seat sign is off. 

Keep them entertained :
Packing these items can also be a godsend : Children’s headphones, colouring in pack, a surprise new toy, travel games and don’t forget the fully charged IPad preloaded with all their favourite games and TV shows/movies.
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Food:
A few of their favourite snacks never go astray and don’t forget special food if child has allergies. When Travelling abroad or interstate just be aware of any quarantine food items you may need to declare on arrival.

Baby Supplies:
Nappies, wipes and change of clothing and extra dummies - it’s not fun accidently dropping a dummy under a plane seat and not having a backup.
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Change of Clothes:
Children can be unpredictable at the best of times. You will never know when they might drop a juice bottle or get a crook tummy – We always recommend having a change of clothing in your travel bag for all kinds of mishaps.
 
Comfort:
Remember to bring your child’s favourite teddy or snuggle blanket, travelling can be overwhelming for some children, bringing a comfort from home can help them adjust to a new environment. 

Medical:
If your child requires medication, please check with your Doctor how best to carry it and if there is any issue bringing the medication into another country.
 
Night Flight:
On longer flights some parents swear by choosing to fly at night with children so they spend a large part of the flight sleeping and wake up in the morning in their destination. This is not always possible depending on the destination or airline but something worth considering.

Child/Baby Equipment hire :
Every country has different rules around child safety restraints in vehicles. We recommend to do some research about the country you are travelling to. If travelling with young children some parents chose to take their own car seats, stroller etc. In many countries you can also hire child/baby products which can be prebooked. Many parents find this option very helpful and are happy not to be lugging around extra baggage. 
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Airline requests:
Request a baby, toddler or child meal when booking flights. Many airlines do not offer this automatically, this can be done at the booking stage or may be added later with your travel agent or direct with the airline.  Depending on what type of fare you have purchased and/or airline you are travelling with, there may be an additional cost for meals. If travelling with a small infant it is a good idea to request an infant bassinet at time of booking, these are very limited as they are only available on some aircraft by the bulkheads.
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Accessibility:
Many major cities around the world don’t always have lift access to underground transport. If travelling with a stroller also be aware that some destinations have uneven footpaths and hilly terrain. If travelling with young infants a study baby carrier is a great way to explore with your children especially if travelling around on local public transport.