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Travelling with Children

Travelling with young children is such a different experience to travelling without, kids can be quite demanding, but seeing places through their eyes is well worth it I think. Even visiting places you have been before takes on a whole new flavour when viewed through their eyes, their interest, their excitement, even visiting the “kiddie” places can be such fun when you can see how much they enjoy themselves.

There are a few different ways you can travel, by car, plane, bus and train being the most common (of course there are ships too, but as they are pretty much like a home away from home, and most provide children’s entertainment, kids clubs etc, I wont cover sea travel). Each form of transport has its pitfalls and upsides, I will try and cover some of them.

By Car

Travelling by car is probably the easiest in some ways, you can carry most of what you need with you. In saying that, it is also usually the longest, so you have to do more preparation as far as entertainment, comfort and supplies go (you learn quickly to carry supplies, it lessens the amount of stops you have to do, and is far cheaper). You will at times be required to stop as they get fractious or need the bathroom etc, this can be frustrating if you are trying to drive straight through to somewhere, so make sure you allow for this by adding a few hours to your travel time. If however, you are planning a driving holiday, then it’s not so bad, as you can plan your runs between places to stay. Children do get bored quite easily in the car, its quite a “normal” mode of transport for most of them and holds less of the “excitement factor” that planes and trains etc hold. There are many games that you can play with the older ones (see below) that they enjoy, you can also take along toys that they like to play with etc.

I found that a great device was a portable DVD player (you can get an attachment so that they attach to the back of the front seats of the car). The one we borrowed, had two screens and a main controller, so I kept one screen in the front (sound off) so that I could see when something was finishing and needed my attention. This was extremely successful, especially when my little boy was tired, he would usually drop off to sleep watching his favourite show. We didn’t use it all the time, we only set it up for the long stints, it made the experience much more pleasurable for everyone, he actually looked forward to the long drives.

The cost of car travel these days is quite high with fuel prices the way they are, food stops and perhaps even overnight stops if it’s a long journey. The good part is that you pay (within reason) the same price no matter how many you have in the car, this isnt so for other forms of transport. You can also stop whenever you like and stretch your legs, which is good as it can be quite tiring. It does take longer to get there, and depending on the length of the journey, you may find that the child/ren are tired and a little fractious the next day, until they recover from the trip.

By Plane

Planes are the quickest mode of transport, therefore the entertainment and comfort factors are considerably shortened, as is the amount you can carry. The excitement factor is large, so for some of the start and some of the end of the flight children will entertain themselves (particularly if you can manage to get seats near a window). The inflight entertainment is great these days, the planes with a screen in the headrest of the seat in front of you are best for children (some of the older planes have a large screen at the front but no choice in what you watch). The ones with the headrest screens have their own own controller and there is usually Nick Jnr on, or cartoons, or something of the sort on one of the channels. With the younger children, you may have to take little walks, but once the seatbelt sign is off you are quite free to do this. On some planes there are no change tables, in others there are, but they are extremely confined, which can be a bit of a problem. It is advisable to make sure your child has a clean nappy on boarding to reduce the likelyhood of an inflight change.

This site http://www.casa.gov.au/airsafe/trip/children.htm is fabulous, and sets out for you many of the aspects of air travel with children in detail. They point out that you should carry all essential items in case luggage is lost or flights are delayed, they also point out the danger of falling asleep when in sole charge of a child/ren (it is advisable to sit in the aisle seat so that you will feel when they try to get past you). This site also gives information in regard to child restraints and emergencies etc.

One thing I would advise doing is checking with your airline to see what is and isnt allowed on the plane. Quite a lot of what isnt allowed as hand luggage, can be taken via your main luggage, but its best to have this sorted before you go to minimise hassles, particularly when it comes to food and drink allowed to be taken on with you. Most airlines are quite lenient when it comes to children, some are far more child friendly than others though, they understand that kids arent really “into” airline food, just check to make sure. A lot of airlines also have “child friendly” meals available, when you book your flight also prebook these meals, these airlines usually supply a little entertainment kit as well with colouring in, puzzles and games. The child friendly airlines will also heat and wash bottles and dummies, supply wipes and even nappies if you run out. Some even carry “a limited quantity, for emergency use, of top brand baby food, milk, baby bottles and brushes, cereals and rusks” (not formula though).

Planes are quite expensive but quite often have cheap deals going if you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and aquire them, certain airlines supply food and drink without extra charge, others do not, so take this into account. The travel time is cut dramatically so you do tend to arrive more refreshed and less harried, as do the children, which is a consideration. With fares, you pay per seat with a discount given for children (check with your agent too, as typically on domestic flights, children under 3yrs travel free provided they travel on your lap, the rules vary internationally depending upon the airline).

By Train

Train travel is similar to travelling by car and isnt all that much faster, but you can freely walk around, look out the windows, go and have something to eat, use the bathroom etc at will. The excitement factor wont carry you through the whole journey but it does add to the experience. You can’t stop wherever you wish of course but for straight through journeys they are a good option. Train travel is quite expensive if you have your own beds, much cheaper in economy but like plane travel you pay per person with cheaper tickets for children (check with your ticket agent too as young children at times are free eg. on Countrylink, children under 4yrs travel free with a paying adult).

By Bus

Bus travel is similar to car travel too, but you can’t carry what you would in your car and you don’t get to move around much. They do stop for breaks but they are scheduled breaks and they do not like to stop in between unless it’s an emergency, as they have a time schedule to keep. Bus travel is a cheaper option, you still pay per seat with discounts for children (again check with your agent as children 0-2yrs with Greyhound Australia travel free as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult).

Games

Some suggestions for entertainment include:
* For car, and train trips pack plenty of toys. You arent able to carry as many in planes and buses.
* Rotate the toys so that they don’t get bored. You can also use certain toys for the way there and have some different ones packed for the trip home (whilst on holiday they wont play with much).
* Maps are a hit with older kids, you can mark on it where you are going and let them “follow” your route on the map.
* “I Spy” is usually a winner (I spy with my little eye, something beginning with……. Give a letter and let the child/ren see if they can guess what it is).
* “Spotto” is another good one (Spotto is where you write down a list of things to look for and the child/ren tick them off as they see them, this can be a competition….. or not). You can include things like: motorbike, train, truck, certain road signs, river, playground, farm shed, horse, dog, tractor etc. For older children you can even do brands of cars etc.
* Another one for older kids is making up words or sentences from the number plates of other cars that they see.
* A good game for the younger set is colour spotting, pick a colour and see if they can pick out the cars or objects of that colour, even counting them if they are able.
* An observation game that you can also use, is one where each person says one thing that they see out the window, another good one for the littlies.
* My parents used to use this one with me…… “who can last the longest without making a sound”, well it worked. Laughing

Additional tips:

* Don’t forget to take a medical kit containing items such as baby paracetamol, thermometer, nappy lotion (change in diet and general travel stress can cause irritated tummy and bottom), medication they may be on and band-aids. Also remember to pack sunscreen, insect repellant and hats.
* Remember that whichever mode of travel that you choose, children have short attention spans and get tired very quickly.
* If you are worried about the water where you are going, buy bottled water and use for bottles, teeth brushing and drinks, this is much better than dealing with sick little tummies.
* Also beware of changing their diet too much whilst on holiday, having sick children can make a holiday not so enjoyable.
* To help with motion sickness, plan for frequent stops in the car, encourage the child to look out the window rather than colour in or read, a bit of fresh air also helps and avoid heavy greasy food.
* With air travel, if you give the child/ren something to sip during take off and landing, it helps to reduce the effects of cabin pressure on their ears, as they are continually swallowing.
* When travelling on a plane, train or bus etc, dress your child in bright clothes so that they stand out in a crowd. A wristband with your mobile number isnt such a bad idea either, just in case.
* Make sure you pack a couple of empty plastic bags for your trip, for scraps etc and perhaps for use if they are sick. Its best to have something on hand just in case, no matter what type of travel you choose, its often too late by the time you get to ask for assistance on planes, trains, buses etc. I also like to pack at least one cloth nappy for “wipe ups”, again, just in case.
* When packing food and drink, opt for the type of food that doesn’t make too much mess and is stored in a resealable container, and drinks that are also resealable to prevent spillage and other messes.

Good luck with your journey, with good preparation and forward planning it will be a wonderful one. Very Happy

For more information:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Travelling_with_children
http://www.holidayswithkids.com.au/travel_tips___info (Great site, covers lots of topics)

Written and compiled by Kara