Travelling with children

We all know that travelling with children can be fraught with pitfalls, namely stress and tantrums, causing you to wonder why on earth you bothered! Having said that however, if you cover all bases beforehand and follow a little advice, you could find you have a much more pleasant journey than you anticipated. It’s all about distraction and preparation!

Covering all eventualities

You will be calmer if you know that you’re covered in the event of a problem, and making sure you get your family travel insurance sorted ahead of time will calm your nerves and help you look forward to a more relaxed holiday. Shop around and get the best deal, remembering to declare any pre-existing medical conditions.

Stock up on sleep

Trying to avoid extremely early departures as much as possible is the way forward, but sometimes that’s not possible, so try and make sure your little ones get as much sleep prior to departure as possible, allowing them to sleep on the way to the airport if you can.

Try and stay in a routine

When children are out of their routine tantrums and tears can start, and whilst it’s impossible to keep your regular routine going whilst you’re travelling, you can try and incorporate it in some way, such as avoiding sugary foods, and having a proper sit down meal in the airport, preferably a highly nutritious one to stop them wanting to snack on crisps and sweets halfway through the flight.

Distraction is your friend

Having a few handy games to whip out when the boredom begins to set in will help you starve off tantrums and ‘are we nearly there yet’. Tablets and iPads are great for this, allowing them to watch films on the go, play games, and read. Try and buy a mobile battery if you can, so you can top up when you start getting that irritating charge light. Remember a pair of earphones each, and to turn it onto flight mode prior to boarding.

Stay calm!

This is probably the most important piece of advice there is, but staying calm yourself will help your little ones stay calmer as a result. Take deep breaths, focus on your end destination, and remember that when children are out of their routine, at the mercy of over-excitement, and probably a little tired too, it’s perfectly normal for tantrums to be present.