Travel with kids

On a shoestring

Before we got an addition to our two-person travel team me and my girlfriend, who I nowadays call my wife, travelled on a budget.

Often we just bought a pair of plane tickets without knowing exactly where we were going to stay before arriving in a destination.

Never planning a travel route in too much detail was part of the fun as there were always new exciting places that came up along the way.

Connecting with other likeminded backpackers in some budget hostel kitchen was many times as good a source of information as any guidbook. Life on the road as a backpacker was usually quite uncomplicated.

Time flies

Our travels started out more than 15 years ago and since then we have visited more than 40 countries all over the world.

Change of plans

After a summer in Barcelona almost five years ago there was a sudden change in our lives. My dear girlfriend announced that in a couple of months, nine to be more precise, the family of two was going to be a family of three.

I got happy, of course, but at the same time a bit worried. What would now happen to my life of freedom?

Had the life as travelers as we knew it just come to an end?

And what about the thing I loved the most – exploring the world and meeting new people and cultures. Was this even going to be possible in the future?

Inspiration

Then I remembered an event that occurred in Poipet, the border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia.

This was in 2004 and it was our first trip together. We were sitting on the side of the road waiting for our passports to get the right stamps when we saw a cool hippie family passing by.

They had two young kids that and dragged them around in an old stroller on the dusty pathway and I remember thinking, “That seems like a bit of a struggle”. At the same time, it impressed me tremendously. These guys did not let having kids stop them.

Pretty much the same

Now I know that my worries of travelling with children was a bit exaggerated.

Yes, travelling is not the same as it used to be in many ways, but at the same time it is.

You just have to accept the fact that everything nowadays takes more time, it is probably a bit more expensive and travelling is no longer entirely on your own terms.

Intimidating world

We have never been worried about travelling on our own.

Some people can find the idea of getting out into the unknown world with just a backpack or suitcase a little scary. Add children to the picture and it can look impossible, but it’s not.

Children are icebreakers

Travelling with kids open up doors. Children and babies are an amazing way of getting to know people, especially the locals that many tourists miss when they travel.

Most countries we have visited as a family have so far been child friendly in one way or an other. It is how people react when they meet a child that differs a lot from country to country. Cultural differences are interesting in that way.

In the U.S. people had no problems giving nice comments about your child. But they rarely ever get physical, by touching or giving a kind tap on the head.

People in South-East Asian countries on the other hand have a more warm and unshy approach. Reaching out a hand or giving a light pat on the cheek while passing by is not uncommon when you travel with children in Asia.

We have never had any problems with this during our trips, and the kids have by now learnt to say when enough is enough.

Trust people

Not being too over protective also helps when the male waiter suddenly “kidnaps” your two-year-old and wanders of with him into the restaurant kitchen.

In Bali this happened on numerous occations.

Five minutes later they come back out again accompanied by two ladies from the staff, our son could not have looked happier.

Why backpacking?

Backpacking is in many ways an ideal family way of travel. It is cost effective, gives you endless options regardless of what your interests are, but most of all, it can be great fun and an experience of a lifetime!

Tips when travelling with children

One of the most important things that we have learned during our family travel adventures is that to pull off a great experience it helps a lot to have and follow some important guidelines.

Here is some tips that has been super valuable to us and hopefully it will make the most of your upcoming family trip.

How to choose a destination

Of course, this might depend on your personal interests, the age of your children, the amount of time you have to travel and what kind of budget you are on.

Maybe there is no point in going to Disneyland with a newborn or an isolated island with some restless teenagers.

Does it have to be an all-inclusive resort or is a simple hostel all that you need?

The options are endless, but we have learned that there are few things to look out for when choosing that will make life on the road a little more fun and hassle free.

Plan together

Plan and discuss the trip together and involve the children in the planning. It makes everything much more fun and they get interested in the upcoming destination and activities.

These days, we like to have a balance between downtime and adventures.

For us it is very important to think about the children’s needs and interests, as they often require a lot of stimulus. A good pool area or a beach for running freely is therefore almost always on our destination planning list.

Flying

Flying with children can be of concern to many parents.

Take it easy, and try not to hurry. It is no longer you who decides the pace, and get used to that thought.

In the past we usually did not care too much about when we flew. We chose a well-reputed airline who had an awesome in-flight entertainment system and off we went.

Nowadays we still try to find a great airline, but we have different search criteria’s.

We look for airlines that has a reputation of being child friendly, but, most importantly, we look for good overnight flights.

By flying night time, we can not only get some own time of peace and quiet when the kids fall asleep. It also saves us one hotel night which is pretty good and hopefully we´ll wake up well rested ready for new adventures.

At the airport

Be at the airport in time!

It will save you a lot of stress and we have found that kids have a lot more possibilities to run and play on an airport than on a plane.

Of course, this probably makes perfect sense, but it is easy to forget the needs of your child when you have so much more occupying your mind.

Most people probably prefer a direct flight, even on long-haul flights. But it might not be such a bad idea to reconsider having a stop-over or two just to let the kids stretch their legs and blow of some steam outside the plane for a while.

Note on the back

Kids can be fast, very fast. Usually you will have your hands full keeping an eye on them, but at the same time you probably will be busy with other things too.

If you are worried about losing your child on a crowded airport, try to “equip” them with a note or a wrist band with relevant contact details (your phone number/home address etc.).

That will give you some extra peace of mind and it allows you to be quickly united with your children in case they get accidently separated from you.

Lower your expectations

Do we really need to plan our trip?

No, but it helps, it helps a lot.

Bear in mind though, kids just do not care too much about plans, adults do.

So, lower your expectations when it comes to planning, as you never know exactly what will happen and when.

Kids fall asleep, they need to go to the toilet, they get hungry.

They cannot wait like the adults do, they usually need to go NOW, and this affects all the important plans made up by us adults.

As long as you take these facts into account/consideration you will probably handle them in a more positive way when they do happen.

What to bring

Try to not carry too much gear. Most things can be bought at your upcoming destination.

Asian countries for example are cheap. Bringing a crammed bag full of your favorite clothes and other “important” must-have stuff, that maybe are not so important when you come to think of it, might not always be the best idea.

Here are some things that we consider being a bit more essential than others when travelling with kids.

Avoid bulky luggage or bags.

We have always travelled with backpacks.

A backpack will let you have both hands free and they are easier to handle and can be pressed together if needed, and they fit better into an overhead compartment or car etc.

They also have extra outside compartments and straps where you can put items that you need quick access to.

Should the kids carry their own bag?

We also have tried the concept of letting or oldest son, now four years old, carry his own little backpack.

First, I thought that this was a great idea but after some trips I think that I have changed my mind, at least for now.

Yes, he loved his backpack when he got it. He was very excited to fill it with all his favorite toys and gadgets, and proudly carried it around the airport when we got there.

However, kids get tired and bored quite fast, and every so often we ended up carrying his backpack too.

Conclusion – you will most likely be carrying your childrens packs, regardless of the initial plans.

Stroller or not?

Consider bringing a stroller if it’s an option.

As the kids usually gets tired of walking pretty fast, they can sit in the stroller and you can carry on sightseeing.

Strollers also usually have some sort of storage basket which helps a lot as you don´t have to carry around daypacks, food and water and this gives your back a break.

Do not forget liquids and chow

When flying – make sure to always have some extra food and water available. And be sure to bring some extra treats or sweets in case flying starts to get boring, which it most certainly will on long-haul flights.

Do not forget to use the right kind of sweets though.

Try to replace candy and sugar with fruits, cereal bars, raisins, healthy purees, crackers and what not.

Most parents know that having a kid on a sugar rush, on an airplane 10,000 feet up in the air, might not be the most enjoyable experience in the world. The same goes for your fellow passengers…

Wet wipes

They are a lifesaver and we never leave without them!

Wet wipes work wonders when it comes to cleaning all kinds of things, including hands and faces of young ones.

And when travelling with babies, as we are at the moment, do not forget to bring diapers and disposable changing pads.

Most airport and airplane toilets are usually are far far away from being spotlessly clean. The changing pads take no space in your bag and they help keeping your baby´s clothes clean.

Entertainment

I can not say that I am entirely pleased with my own feelings towards tablets and smartphones, but one thing is very clear:

If you need some peace and quiet for a while, they work!

Make sure the battery is full and the tablet loaded with your kid´s favorite movies and games and chances are that your trip will be an even more pleasant one.

We have also bought some proper noise cancelling headphones suitable for kids, as the ones provided by the airlines usually are of bad quality and do not fit well on young children´s ears.

Most high-ranked airlines also provide great activity packs including coloring pencils and games which helps our luggage stay a little lighter.

Travel pharmacy

We always bring a small first-aid kit in our carry-on luggage.

It includes: prescription medicines, painkillers, plasters, nasal spray and tweezers.

Besides from this we also have a proper first aid kit in our checked-in baggage.

Keeping routines

Before boarding a late evening long-haul flight we also try to get the kids into sleeping mode.

By finding some similarities to their normal bedtime routine we have experiences that it is easier for them to sleep on the plane.

So, make sure to brush their teeth, get their favorite teddy or pillow and put on a comfy pajama.

Hopefully your loved ones/kids will soon be slumbering.

 Accommodation

As mentioned earlier, when it is time to choose accommodation, do it with your children in mind.

We have realized that longer stays in one place equals more harmony. The children get a feeling of coming home, and it is more important than you might think.

Before we got kids we usually stayed 3-4 days at the most in one place.

Nowadays we usually stay in one place minimum one week, sometimes even longer, and then use it as a hub to do shorter daytrips from. Even if this means that we occasionally (and I do mean occasionally) pay for double accommodation. It is not a big thing overall as we travel cheap and it gives a lot back in terms of peace of mind.

Of course, sometimes we have to move around faster for some reason and make shorter stays. Nevertheless, we have learned that a certain amount of routines makes the kids feel more relaxed and this affects the whole family in a positive way.

Sometimes you just need a break, as simple as that

One other essential thing that we have learned during our longer trips is the importance of getting some own time, away from the family.

The thing many people forget is that the normal non-travelling life includes a lot more time personal free time, even if that means spending it at your work.

When you are travelling as a family you tend to stick together, almost 24/7.

Lots of family time is wonderful, but it can also be demanding.

New energy

Be sure to make up rules and guidelines of how to get some time off from family life. Not all people need this of course, but for us it has been a great way of finding new energy.

Sometimes only half an hour on your own can do miracles as you need to clear your head from the “must do” family tasks.

Hire a “babysitter”

Both me and my wife loves to go diving and we have done it together on numerous trips. Two years ago, on a trip to Bali, we wanted to experience some of the fantastic dive sites around the island.

Having a two-year-old meant that we would have to do separate dives, right?

We went to one of the dive centers and asked them what options we had.

Two days later we went on our dive trip, together. Our son stayed happily on the beach with a great child-friendly dive instructor Denmark, who got his days diving salary by alternating as a nanny.

Take care of each other

Don not forget to take care of the caretakers!

If the parents are well fed and happy, the kids usually have a far greater chance of being happy too…

Cost

Travelling with kids is usually a bit more expensive than going solo. This should hardly come as a surprise as some family activities can cost a small fortune.

Still you can always find other stuff to do even when you are on a budget.

One thing we have learned is that it does not matter a lot exactly what we do, it is more important that we do it together.

The secret is to find activities that are interesting to both adults and children.

Even a boring museum can be interesting for a child as long as you as a parent present it in an appealing way.

Stay positive

Maybe not the easiest thing to do, but remember…

If your kids hear you talk about how much you enjoy the view, how much you appreciate the challenge of that ridge in front of you, and all the good memories you have of other similar backpacking trips – then your kids are likely to adopt a similar attitude. (WAY much easier to write about it than to do it in real life, I know…)

Finally

No matter what you put in your bag or when you choose to fly there is one final thing that belongs on this list.

In our opinion – THE best thing about travelling with your children is the closeness and the strong bonds you develop to each other.

During 2018 we have spent more or less the entire year together on the road. Not always easy, as living side by side 24/7 sometimes can be too much of a good thing.

Regardless of minor disputes that inevitably will arise – The amount of quality time we have spent with hour children during the past year has without a doubt been more than most families spend together during a couple of years. Invaluable family time, with equally invaluable family memories, that we will hold dear forever.

Conclusion

Le grand cliché.

All families have different needs and thoughts of how they wish to travel. You just have to try and make the best of what you got. But no matter how you travel and what your needs might be, some planning will make a difference.

More than a few of you might have no use at all of this text as you are experienced travellers already. And if you have read this far and belong to that category, I sincerely apologize… 🙂