Don’t worry, I am here to help you. Just know each family will have a different traveling experience.
You need to start with a positive mindset and start preparations earlier rather than later. Just remember these opportunities are absolutely amazing for your children. Not only to get them used to being, little travelers but to let them experience different cultures.
You need to follow the steps below in order to have a fun vacation with little headache.
Passports, Visas & Other Documentation
Start by checking each person’s passport for an expiration date. Each person’s passport needs to be valid at least six months beyond your trip. Not all countries require this expiration, but many do. If your passports expire before six months make your appointment to get new ones. For those traveling from the US, click here for any passport needs including appointments and forms required. Be sure to do this at least three to four months before your trip as some passports can take up to twelve weeks to arrive.
Visas are required for many countries. Before booking flights make sure you have the visas for the countries you plan to visit. You will need to search the country’s embassy website for the appropriate visa requirements.
All members of the family must possess a passport and visa (if applicable) before traveling outside of the United States. If children will be traveling without their parents a notarized letter must accompany those under age 18, find more information here. This may not be requested by the airlines but it’s just to cover you. Some locations require the mother or father to carry such notarized letters to show they’re able to take the children out of the country, in particular, if they do not share the same surname.
Now that you’ve got your travel documents settled let’s look at flights and accommodations.
Booking flights & Accommodation
Now it’s time to start booking your travel. Start looking for flights or other transportation needs.
If you’re cruising you may be able to book flights through the cruise line. If you’re flying you will need to check flight itineraries to see what would work best for you. International flights are long flights, usually more than 10 hours, not including stops. If you plan an international flight, you may want to start by booking flights during the night. Make sure to bring plenty of snacks and activities for the different age groups of children.
Keep in mind most airlines have an age limit, meaning super young infants may not be able to fly. You will need to check with the airlines about lap children or if you want to purchase your infant or toddler’s seat at a lower price than an adult ticket.
Additionally, you will want to make sure you plan ahead with car rentals, taxis, or other vehicle accommodations. If you know how you’re going to get around that helps you plan additional activities in or around your location. Please make sure to only use Taxis that are advertised. Many people pretend to be Taxi drivers but then ask for a fortune at the final destination. To avoid this, only go to Taxi drivers in the Taxi lanes that have a Taxi number on the car.
Finally, booking hotel rooms through the hotel website can be tricky, if you plan to have more than 5 people in the hotel you will need to call or email the hotel to book the “Family Connecting Rooms” or for larger group bookings. If you do not plan to stay at a hotel you may want to contact the property, you’re trying to stay at to make sure it can accommodate everyone in the party, including toddlers and infants.
You can use my travel checklist here (Password: Memories2022). This checklist will help with organizing your travel plans and give some guidance on what to pack.
Travel Tips & Tricks
Budget: When traveling, make sure you have enough spending money for your destination. Make sure you understand that not all currencies cost the same. Many European countries use Euros. Euros cost .91 cents to the dollar and this can change daily. Therefore, the dollar costs about $1.10 cents to 1 euro. If you don’t realize this you may be budgeting out of your limit.
When booking your destination make sure you find a location for everyone in the group. You may want to look at the activities each place offers too. Some locations offer babysitting and spa treatments. While others don’t offer activities but do offer maps and ideas of what you are able to do around the city.
Travel Insurance: It may seem silly, but booking travel insurance can help in case of emergencies. If you miss your flight or lose your luggage it can help during those stressful times.
Stoller Accessories: Many places in Europe have cobblestone roads, meaning an umbrella stroller may not work properly for you. But, you can find many great travel strollers with larger wheels that may accommodate these cobblestone roads.
Plan for Jetlag: Jetlag happens and there usually is no avoiding it. The time differences may get to you and everyone in your group. You need to plan for jetlag and hope it passes sooner rather than later. It usually is worse for children. Just plan to try to stay up until at least 8 PM to give yourself a good chance of sleeping throughout the night. Try not to take any naps throughout your first day to keep you standing up, as it may seem like a good idea, but it is not.
Kids Activities & Toys: Plan to pack one or two activities for the kiddos. These items can be put in the diaper bag. Don’t pack their entire toy chest as you may lose some items or just not have enough room on the way back to pack them all. As previously mentioned, make sure to contact the hotel for a child bed well in advance.
Realistic Expectations: Remember you cannot do everything the country can offer in your short trip. Having realistic expectations can go a long way in making your family vacation a success. If you want to visit more than one destination, then plan your visit accordingly and understand you may need to spend several days at that location to get all the sightseeing in.
Traveling with children can be rough but try to remember it will get easier the more you travel with them. The best way to travel is with a plan.
