I do not categorize myself as a travel blogger nor a travel enthusiast but my family loves to travel occasionally and I somehow have managed to keep a checklist of what we need to bring or check before and during travel vacations. I would like to share some tips I thought noteworthy for mothers like me, especially those traveling for the first time, who would like to have some travel time with their kids and don't know how to bring the whole household. A mama's packing list need not include the whole house, you just need some of the most essentials. Preparation is the key to a less stress travel with kids. If everything was prepared ahead of time, what a joy it is to discover new places with the whole family!
Now, what tips can I give you? Suggestions below are based on my experiences during our past vacations. I hope these can help any parent who would read this post.
Now, what tips can I give you? Suggestions below are based on my experiences during our past vacations. I hope these can help any parent who would read this post.
1. Don't forget the medicines. Never forget medicines especially if your child has a special medicine that needs to be taken daily. My son takes only one vitamin everyday so I always pack that. Additional medicine would be for some sickness that one may acquire during the travel like medicines for fever, cough, colds. Also, some alcohol and bandages if there are some small wounds.
2. Brig Extra Clothes. If we are traveling for four days, I pack clothes for a six day travel. A few additional pieces would be helpful for untoward incidents like emergency wherein you cannot go home because the flight was cancelled, or if the traveling abroad and you did not expect the weather to be too cold.
3. Food or Snacks. Whenever we travel, be it by land or air, I always, always bring some snacks for my little one. Because sometimes the kids don't like the food available to the place we are traveling to. If they are really hungry I must have at least some light snacks to give them. Also, for practical reasons that I don't need to buy too much food which would add up to our travel budget. My rule is we can eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner but for snacks, I always try to bring biscuits, breads (I even brought spreads!) etc. so we won't need to buy from the stores.
4. Comfortable Clothes and Shoes. I choose sandals over heels every time we go to the beach. I could even get by with just slippers. I know it doesn't look good in pictures but I just wouldn't trade comfort over fashion. If traveling in a place where there's a need for a lo of walking, I would wear sneakers for the rest of the trip. Most hotels provide slippers so you can use that or bring a pair if you want to use you own slippers when staying inside the hotel. I don't like to bring another pair of shoes just to satisfy my OOTD. Save yourself from tantrums by letting your kids wear their most comfortable clothes and shoes. After all, the kids just want to have fun and the last thing they could care about is how stylish their outfit is.
5. Important Documents. Whenever we travel, I put all the passports and ticket planes in one pouch. If traveling locally, I still bring the passports for identification purposes and so as to make it a habit to bring these documents every travel. If we are traveling by land, I make sure I still bring IDs for each family member and also a map I downloaded from Google maps, which is very useful for travels that require long drives. Important documents should be ready at least one week before your travel date.
6. Check on the Weather. Thank God for new technologies, we now have apps for determining weather in different places. Its not 100% accurate but it gives you somehow an idea what kind of weather you will be bumping into when you travel abroad. Weather forecast can help us what clothes we need to bring and if its appropriate to go out. With kids in tow, you may just want to skip a rainy season destination.
7. Research About Your Destination. For travel vacations, I refuse to rely on spontaneity. When we went to HK, I swear I've read and research about a hundred blogs and articles on how to commute in HK, what are the forms of transportation, where are the kid-friendly destinations, what weather are we going to face, etc. Researching and reading beforehand can maximize the things you can do during traveling because you already know what to do or how to get to a certain place instead of wasting time researching online during your travel.
8. Brief the Kids. I always do this weeks before our travel date. I always tell the kids once in a while where are we going and what they can expect during the travel. Always helps because the kids get really excited and help them prepare their minds.It also makes the mood brighter during the travel because everybody is happy instead of the kids being grumpy because they are clueless about the vacation plan. They can also prepare what they want to bring during the trip if they are aware beforehand where you will be bringing them.
9. Take Your Vitamins! Last but not the least, we, parents should take care of ourselves too. We cannot take care of our young if we are too weak or too tired or exhausted with the preparations we forgot that our body needs to rest too.
There's so much more we can add up to this list but these are the basic I can give right now. Of course, the main tip I can give to you is: enjoy the travel. Its an adventure with the kids and you must enjoy every moment you have with them. Someday, everything will just be a memory, make sure you enjoy those times you can no longer pull back. Your kids will surely thank you for all the fun times they can recall when they grow up.
Stay positive and pass it on!
3. Food or Snacks. Whenever we travel, be it by land or air, I always, always bring some snacks for my little one. Because sometimes the kids don't like the food available to the place we are traveling to. If they are really hungry I must have at least some light snacks to give them. Also, for practical reasons that I don't need to buy too much food which would add up to our travel budget. My rule is we can eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner but for snacks, I always try to bring biscuits, breads (I even brought spreads!) etc. so we won't need to buy from the stores.
4. Comfortable Clothes and Shoes. I choose sandals over heels every time we go to the beach. I could even get by with just slippers. I know it doesn't look good in pictures but I just wouldn't trade comfort over fashion. If traveling in a place where there's a need for a lo of walking, I would wear sneakers for the rest of the trip. Most hotels provide slippers so you can use that or bring a pair if you want to use you own slippers when staying inside the hotel. I don't like to bring another pair of shoes just to satisfy my OOTD. Save yourself from tantrums by letting your kids wear their most comfortable clothes and shoes. After all, the kids just want to have fun and the last thing they could care about is how stylish their outfit is.
5. Important Documents. Whenever we travel, I put all the passports and ticket planes in one pouch. If traveling locally, I still bring the passports for identification purposes and so as to make it a habit to bring these documents every travel. If we are traveling by land, I make sure I still bring IDs for each family member and also a map I downloaded from Google maps, which is very useful for travels that require long drives. Important documents should be ready at least one week before your travel date.
6. Check on the Weather. Thank God for new technologies, we now have apps for determining weather in different places. Its not 100% accurate but it gives you somehow an idea what kind of weather you will be bumping into when you travel abroad. Weather forecast can help us what clothes we need to bring and if its appropriate to go out. With kids in tow, you may just want to skip a rainy season destination.
7. Research About Your Destination. For travel vacations, I refuse to rely on spontaneity. When we went to HK, I swear I've read and research about a hundred blogs and articles on how to commute in HK, what are the forms of transportation, where are the kid-friendly destinations, what weather are we going to face, etc. Researching and reading beforehand can maximize the things you can do during traveling because you already know what to do or how to get to a certain place instead of wasting time researching online during your travel.
8. Brief the Kids. I always do this weeks before our travel date. I always tell the kids once in a while where are we going and what they can expect during the travel. Always helps because the kids get really excited and help them prepare their minds.It also makes the mood brighter during the travel because everybody is happy instead of the kids being grumpy because they are clueless about the vacation plan. They can also prepare what they want to bring during the trip if they are aware beforehand where you will be bringing them.
9. Take Your Vitamins! Last but not the least, we, parents should take care of ourselves too. We cannot take care of our young if we are too weak or too tired or exhausted with the preparations we forgot that our body needs to rest too.
There's so much more we can add up to this list but these are the basic I can give right now. Of course, the main tip I can give to you is: enjoy the travel. Its an adventure with the kids and you must enjoy every moment you have with them. Someday, everything will just be a memory, make sure you enjoy those times you can no longer pull back. Your kids will surely thank you for all the fun times they can recall when they grow up.
Stay positive and pass it on!
