Travelling solo, or with friends or even with your partner is completely different than travelling with kids. So far I have travelled solo most of the times and recently started travelling with my nephew and niece. This exposed me to different experiences. Here I would be sharing the way things which changes and some of the tips for folks who plan to travel with kids. And I am sure that many of the readers, who have kids, can add to this.
Ensure advance and reliable booking -
When travelling with kids, it's very important and probably the first step is to plan your travel and stay bookings. It's very important to plan the booking of comfortable medium to travel and a good place to stay. With kids you can't keep things for the last moment and ad-hoc decision won't fly.
Have enough time -
Whenever travelling with kids, make sure that you have enough time in hand and you are not time bound. Many times, we rush through few things and you would not get that flexibility when kids are accompanying you. They have their own moods and by nature they are curious. So they may want to spend more time at some specific places which you may to skip otherwise :)
Well equip your kids -
It's very important to have right stuff with you when travelling with kids and that really depends upon the interest areas of your kids. If you equip them well with right things you may explore their new interests and likings. Let them handle your camera and they may surprise you with the kind of clicks they capture. Above photograph shows Nishant (my nephew) who always carries his binoculars as he loves finding birds and seeing them doing various activities. While travelling, he loves keeping a tablet or few games with him.
Be ready for weather change -
Most of the time, we plan our trips w.r.t. current weather at the place and I have learned it from experience that we should never underestimate the changes that may occur and distrupt your whole trip.
Games, books or a tab while travelling -
When you have kids with you, one needs to be extra energetic. Although you can keep some games, toys, tablet with interesting apps on it, books but be ready some instant plans. Above photograph was shot in an apple orchard for which we had trek a bit and most of us were concerned if we should do it with Nishant or not. Most of the times we try skip such activities but surprise them some time and believe me it's fun, if done carefully.
Better hygiene is a must -
While travelling, staying or eating we need to take appropriate precautions. So it's always recommended to keep bacterial wipes, sanitizers and bottled water with you. Also keep some water for hand wash on the way. These are very small things which make your life much easier.
Keep appropriate medicine and first-aid -
As a practice, as a traveller we should always keep a first aid box with us but it becomes more important when you have kids travelling with you. Ensure that all important medicines are with you, especially when you are travelling to some remote areas. If your kids having some medication, always consult your doctor for appropriate precautions and other stuff you should carry to avoid any unknowns.
Decide itinerary and place to stay, which is you kid friendly -
The place to stay should be fun and comfortable. The bar becomes high in terms of quality as well. When we travel solo or with friends, many times there is a tendency to compromise on place to stay because we see it as a place to spend nights. With that's completely opposite when you are with kids. Kids may want to spend more time in the resort or hotel you are choosing, so you would want to choose a place which has sufficient arrangements for your kid. Apart from the place to stay, we also need to be careful about the itinerary and it should match with your kids preferences.
The place to stay should be fun and comfortable. The bar becomes high in terms of quality as well. When we travel solo or with friends, many times there is a tendency to compromise on place to stay because we see it as a place to spend nights. With that's completely opposite when you are with kids. Kids may want to spend more time in the resort or hotel you are choosing, so you would want to choose a place which has sufficient arrangements for your kid. Apart from the place to stay, we also need to be careful about the itinerary and it should match with your kids preferences.
Try to move out of your comfort zone -
These days our kids are not exposed to many of the experiences which we had in our childhood. Travel is the best time to expose them to something different and let them experience things they had never done or thought before. This also helps them learn a lot. Like using public transport can be a completely different experience for your kid, especially in India :). Trekking to different place. Take them to local villages or fairs happening around. Big cities don't expose the kids to such experiences. Encourage your kids to set some challenging goals to add more fun to your trips. And all this definitely needs some creativity on your part. The idea is to keep them engaged with something which has fun and learning.
Club Mahindra Teddy Travelogues encouraged me to write this post today.
Travelling with kids is a very special experience and this also leads you to think differently & enjoy your trips. Many times you also start feeling that some kid should be part of your trip. While writing this post, I realized that many of us become very good planners and do our travelling/exploration in a disciplined way. Isn't that amazing. Also we become more responsible travellers, which we should be.
Please feel free to share your inputs through comments. Also share that how kids make your trips special for you.
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