Travelling long haul with kids can be a nightmare. We’re planning an overseas trip in December, and I asked some of my well-travelled friends for some advice on travelling long haul with a young child. I found these tips really useful, so decided to share them.
Take a bag of his favourite books… we also got a ton of books that we put on the tablet, not audio, but actual books.
Get some good head phones that he is used to way before the trip – they always have a bunch of good kids’ movies and that helps!
Snacks, snacks, snacks and oh did I mention snacks?! You cannot have enough! Healthy snacks are imperative as are treat snacks! You will be bribing lots but they’re worth their weight in gold!
Pack wet wipes for spills and accidents!
Take a few comfy changes of clothes and a waterproof changing pad/cloth that you can put under him when he’s asleep.
Try to keep your normal routine. Do your normal bed time routine, just like at home. Let him watch a movie right after dinner as a treat after teeth, then sleep time. If you do a red eye let him sleep as much as he wants, then wake to a new day.
Take some toys – let him pick his five favourites (smaller lighter ones!) And don’t bring them all out at once.
I made up some treat gifts for him to unwrap when he was extra good or during long waits in queues, etc., with little trinkets like bubbles or colouring in books, etc. ‘Lucky packet’ stuff you don’t mind losing or getting trashed!
Happy travelling!
Written by Sarah Mackintosh