How To Survive A Holiday Tour With Kids
The world’s most exciting natural environments make for perfect adventure playgrounds. Being a parent of young children during the holiday season can mean very busy — sometimes chaotic — days. This is supposed to be a wonderful time of year, not stressful. Families come in different shapes, sizes and budgets & we cater to all corners, offering anything from private lodges to guided cycling tours or camping under the stars. Children are less bothered by guidebook “must see”, all they need is a good weather and a little bit of pampering. If you thought taking your kid on a vacation with you is a tedious task, let us clear your misconception. Here’s How To Survive A Holiday Tour With Kids.
1. Always Keep Them Occupied With Something. Always!
Kids are curious little beings and if you don’t keep them occupied with something, they’ll always end up annoying you or being irritated themselves. Unstructured time, departure from routine, and the demands of travel are unsettling for many kids. Make sure to pack some new games and activities for your child in your carry-on bag – stickers and colouring books, word search and puzzle books, and small, cheap gift-wrapped toys you can dole out at a rate of one an hour.
2. Avoid Last Minute Airport Rage
Get to the airport as early as possible to avoid last minute mishaps. Go through security. Do warn your kids that they have to go through the security too. Explain them in detail how their carry-on bag will be searched, they’ll have to take off their shoes and step through the security scanner. Explain the older kids not to joke about having a bomb in their luggage, this may result in missing your flight. When the plane is taking off and landing, give your toddler or preschooler a sippy cup or juice box, and your older child a piece of gum to chew, as this will help equalise the pressure in their ears. If you’re travelling with a baby, bottle- or breastfeed them, as the sucking motion will help relieve any pressure in their ears.
3. Keep It Kid-Friendly
You sure would want to check out that famous art museum or a culture trip to your favourite destination, but kids tend to get pretty bored by these activities. You have two choices: either accept that you’ll have to lay off the culture until your child is in his teens, hit those places first thing and race around them in 20 minutes, or arrange a sitter if your hotel or resort offers this service so you can get some time to yourselves to do ‘boring’ things.
4. Keep Them & Yourself Happy
Kids won’t be able to enjoy if their parents are stressed, annoyed or irritated. Therefore, make sure to keep your stress in check & vacation mode on! If you’re travelling by car & they get car sick, encourage them to look out the window at a point in the distance instead of reading or playing games. And make sure they drink plenty of water to avoid getting dehydrated, which could make them feel worse.
5. Chill Out! You’re On Holiday!
You don’t need to do all the adventure activities all in once. Remember, that trips can be very tiring for young children, mainly because they often do more and get up earlier. Factor in some quiet time so they can relax and take in everything they’re doing and seeing. Also, you don’t need to worry about how you’re going to cope up with them, let them be. It’s the time they see and learn things.
