With all the #TravelGoals stories out there, it’s tempting to go for a sweet escape with your little one. However, traveling with a kid will always be a terrifying thought even if it’s your first or tenth time. From packing for the entire family to protecting your kids from the in-flight pain when taking off or landing, it is such a daunting task.
However, it doesn’t have to be this way. While you cannot completely take control of the situation, you can reduce unlikely situations by following these tips.
Tips When Traveling With Kids Abroad
Getting Started
Prepare All Travel Documents
If you plan to travel abroad this year or even next year, you should get all travel documents ready — and this applies even with newborns. For visas and passports, you should prepare this 10 to 12 weeks before your flight. If you already have a passport, it’s ideal to have it renewed two to three months before its expiration date.
Meanwhile, there are countries that will require you to have a valid passport for six months or more, so be sure to check entry prerequisites beforehand. In line with this, prepare a notarized paper if only one parent is traveling with the child. The document should state that the other parent (who will not travel) allows the child to travel abroad.
Check If Your Child’s Car Seat Is Allowed On The Plane
Ideally, your child’s car seat should be less than 16 inches wide if you’re planning to use it on an airplane. You can click this link to know more details about using a child car seat on an aircraft.
Look For An Evening Flight
Night time is sleeping time! Therefore, it’s a good idea to purchase tickets for an evening flight. When your kids are asleep, there’ll be less hassle since you don’t have to worry about them whining or running around.
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Choose The Best Seat
Aside from choosing your flight, you should also consider your seats. When booking an airplane ticket, go for a seat located on or near an aisle so you can easily go to the restroom. Chances are, you need to change a diaper or walk around when you want to entertain a child so to avoid interrupting the passenger beside you, select your seat wisely.
Some parents may opt for the seats at the back so they have easy access to the restroom; however, this area is the noisiest and that’s the last thing you want when traveling with a child.
Get The Shots You Need
When traveling abroad, be sure to prioritize your family’s health — and that includes getting the immunization you need. According to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC), it’s best to get the recommended travel shots 4-6 weeks before your flight.
In line with this, schedule a checkup with your child’s pediatrician to make sure that he/she is travel-ready. This is a must if your child has a health condition. Be sure to ask for your kid’s health records as well as the generic names of the medicines they need.
Get The Entire Family Covered
Check your health insurance if it covers traveling. If not, contact your travel agent and ask about the recommended providers so you can have the temporary coverage you need. You can learn more about international travel insurance by clicking this link.
Pack Ahead Of Time
Two months before your flight, check the weather of your targeted location. This will help you determine what kinds of clothes you need for your travel. At least one month before your departure, pack your clothing. Having a family checklist and investing on packing cubes are helpful when you want to use one suitcase but you want to separate your things from your husband’s or children’s stuff.
Two weeks before your flight, re-check your things to know if you need to take out a clothing or add more. Be sure to be mindful of your luggage’s weight so you won’t have to end up paying for extra baggage. Trust me, it’s the last thing you need to worry about.
Devise A Plan
Anticipate all the things that could go wrong on your trip and jot it down. Next, run these situations before it actually happens and think of the things you can do to resolve it. This will help you get ready mentally so you’ll know what to do in case an unlikely event takes place.
Keep Calm And Enjoy The Moment
You know you can’t take control of your child especially during a flight so the best thing to do is stay calm. While it’s not comfortable to get a gaze from the people around when your child’s making tantrums, sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it. So instead of stressing yourself out, you can take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.
You will get to your destination eventually. You will survive. (Repeat this to yourself 10 times).
Do you have other tips you’ve personally used when traveling abroad with your child? If yes, please feel free to share it on our community or drop your thoughts in the comment section below.
Buon Viaggio!