Travelling with your children is an opportunity to give them experiences they’ll remember for a lifetime. With a little care and planning, you can ensure that their memories are great ones, and instil in them a lifelong love of travel and understanding of what the world has to offer them.
Planning
Many websites recommend involving the children in planning the trip. That way you get to see the Louvre and they get to do Eurodisney! Seriously, making sure that your itinerary includes a major stop for everyone can make for a much happier trip.
If you’re up for an adventure, Intrepid Travel has some great ideas for family adventures in Nepal, Morocco or Italy. Reids Guides has some great suggestions for travelling in Europe with children, while closer to home, TravelWithKidz has some great suggestions for memorable family breaks in Australia and New Zealand.
Travelling
If you’re flying long haul, check the In-Flight Entertainment guide before you book. Most airlines have these on their websites and good IFE can make the difference between a pleasant journey and a nightmare! For little ones, lots of toys and books to read to them can help but make sure the toys will be OK to pass through airport security! If you’re not sure, check the CASA Dangerous Goods description here.
You might want to consider purchasing a portable DVD player for both air and car trips –or take the laptop or the iPhone with their favourite TV episodes preloaded! Music that everyone can sing along to is great too.
If you’re driving, many websites have activities for long car trips – check out Yahoo Travel for some great ideas to keep children entertained. Magnetic board games and MagnaDoodle boards are great. You can buy small cheap ones from many discount stores. I Spy is a good simple game to keep them busy and you can use colours instead of letters if the children are very little (or can’t spell!). And don’t forget that regular breaks where everyone can stretch will help the journey. A good walk around can help carsickness too.
Accommodation
Many hostels such as YHA offer family rooms at budget prices, or you could check on Wotif for last-minute deals in Australia and New Zealand.
Health
Vaccinations apart from the standard childhood ones are not required for travel within Australia or to New Zealand. However if you’re travelling to Bali, Phuket, other places in Asia or parts of Europe, vaccinations may be required. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a list of required vaccinations for all countries; its good to check this early on as some vaccinations need to be given some time before the trip.
If you are travelling to places where the quality of food and water might be not as good as Australia, the WHO also has some great tips for making sure what you eat and drink is as safe as possible. Travel Doctor (also has great advice for what to do if the children do get sick while you’re travelling.
And don’t forget to drink lots of water during the flight to help with jetlag and dehydration.
Cover against the unexpected
Even with all the planning and precautions, sometimes the unexpected happens. You could lose your bags, your flight could be cancelled or a family member could become ill or injured. No one likes to think about things like this happening but it’s best to be prepared. Worldcare Travel Insurance can cover you for a range of occurrences including transport or event cancellations, lost, stolen or damaged baggage, and, if you’re travelling overseas, medical emergencies. (You don’t need medical coverage if you’re an Australian citizen travelling domestically because Medicare covers you.)
Why not protect your family with Travel Insurance? You can choose from a range of coverage options to suit your holiday and your budget. And don’t forget that Worldcare Travel Insurance includes children under the age of 21 for free – find out more in the Product Disclosure Statement. If you want more information before you choose, our Tips for Choosing Travel Insurance will give you the basics to think about beforehand. Or you can fine-tune your insurance package to suit your budget with our easy to use online Select a Benefit tool. Once you’ve decided what you need, it’s easy to either purchase online at call our friendly Call Centre on 1800 008614
Disclaimer
Any advice here is general only and does not take into account your specific needs or circumstances. Pre-existing Medical Conditions exclusions may apply. Please refer to the Product Disclosure Statement to consider whether our products are right for you and for details of policy benefits, limits and exclusions. Any medical advice here is general only and you should always seek advice regarding your specific situation from your medical professional. Mondial Assistance does not endorse the content of linked websites nor comments by contributors or the content of websites linked by contributors.