5 Things To Make Travelling With Children Easier
Here at The Real Algarve, we know how important it is to make memories with your children, especially as they grow, which is why all of our villas are family-friendly, no matter how old your children are. However, we also know just how tricky it can be to travel with children, especially when flying.
our Tips for Travelling With Children
Whether you’re travelling as a family for the first time or have been doing it for years, there are always some challenges along the way. Being prepared can make family travel all the more smoother, but there are some other things you can do to prepare for your trip and make travelling with children easier.
Take Your Time When Travelling With Children
When you are travelling with children, especially babies or young children, taking your time will make the whole process that much easier and more manageable. Rather than battling through security and rushing to your gate, getting there with a few hours ahead of you will make it much less stressful. Everything will take longer than you expect when travelling with children, including:
- Checking in
- Getting through security
- Sorting snacks and drinks
- Boarding the plane
- Making sure you’ve packed everything you need including sunscreen
Our main travel tips include: to get to the airport early so that you can leave plenty of time incase something was to go wrong, or take longer than expected. Leave your travelling schedule as loose as possible, with room for adjustments. Having a flexible schedule will mean less stress and a happier travelling experience overall.
Try Not To Overpack
Generally speaking, families who are travelling together tend to overpack and bring more items with them. Whilst bringing familiar items will help you to maintain a sense of routine, it isn’t the best idea when travelling with children. At the end of a long travel day, you’re not going to want to be lugging around heavy suitcases and tired children, so instead, try to pack as little as you possibly can.
Remember, you should be able to get everything you need, should you forget something, once you arrive and we work with a number of partners and concierge services which provide childcare essentials, such as car seats, cots and toys.
Explain The Trip To Children
Talking your children through the trip ahead of your departure date is especially important if this is your first family holiday, or first time travelling with children by plane. We all know that when kids are uncomfortable, they are unhappy and if there are too many things going on which they aren’t aware or sure of, then children will quickly become uncomfortable. Talking to them before and will keep the kids happy and make the journey easier.
For toddlers and older children, taking over the outline of the trip will help them to understand what is happening and what they can expect to happen next. Plane journeys are especially important to talk about, as they come with a whole new set of rules and feelings, such as ears popping and the feeling of landing and taking off. Once your children understand what’s happening, they’re less likely to get upset or ask hundreds of questions.
Pack Snacks
Hungry children can quickly transform a fun family holiday into a stressful one. Hunger can mean the difference between happy children and grumpy, irritable ones. Try to have plenty of snacks on hand for your children, as you never know what could happen.
From delays to traffic, you will likely have to deal with a hungry child at some point whilst travelling, so it’s better to be prepared. You could pack a little snack box for on the plane, or take handy grab bags of their favourite snacks, but when travelling with children, it doesn’t hurt to have a few choices to hand which you can easily access should you be on a plane or waiting at baggage claim.
Bring Entertainment for children on your trip
You might think that your little one will be happy with the colouring book and pencils you packed, but after a while, they will likely lose interest and get bored. Keeping children entertained is one of the most important things when travelling with children and can make all the difference between a good trip together, and a terrible one.
You could let children use personal electronic devices during waiting times, such as on flights, during your transfer or at baggage claim, even if you don’t let them have much screen time at home, or stick to things such as toys, colours and mini-games.
If you would like more information on the range of family-friendly concierge services that we can arrange for you, please get in touch with us today!
