Travelling with children without misery

Travelling with children is generally described as either transformative or a disaster, and which it is depends substantially on decisions made before departure.

The pace problem

The single most common cause of a difficult trip.

Adults plan an itinerary at adult pace and then discover that everything takes twice as long and that children have finite tolerance for being moved around.

The workable rule: one activity per day, with the rest of the day unstructured.

And a genuine break in the middle of the day, particularly for younger children, since the afternoon collapse is predictable and preventable.

The accommodation decision

More consequential with children than without.

Space matters more than location beyond a certain point, since a family confined to one hotel room after the children's bedtime is a specific kind of unpleasant.

A kitchen transforms the food situation, allowing familiar breakfasts and the ability to feed children at their normal times.

Laundry access, which reduces the quantity of clothing required substantially.

Proximity to a park or open space, which is where children need to be at some point every day.

Ground floor or lift access, particularly with a pushchair.

Which generally points toward apartments and family-oriented guesthouses over hotels, for stays beyond a couple of nights.

The journey

Practical points that make a substantial difference.

Book seats together, and be aware that some airlines charge for this — regulators in several jurisdictions have raised concerns about the practice for families.

Bring more food and entertainment than seems necessary.

Allow substantially more time at airports and stations.

Consider overnight travel for older children and avoid it for younger ones, since the sleep disruption generally costs more than the day saved.

And accept that a delayed flight with small children is a bad experience regardless of preparation, and plan margin so that it does not also break the itinerary.

What children actually enjoy

Frequently different from what adults plan.

Playgrounds, which exist everywhere and which are also where local families are.

Markets, transport, animals, water, and anything they can do rather than look at.

Swimming, which is why accommodation with a pool is worth more than it appears.

Food they can choose.

And a small amount of autonomy — choosing the route, holding the map, deciding one thing each day — which changes their engagement substantially.

Museums and historic sites work considerably better with a specific task: find five of something, or take photographs of a particular thing.

The documentation

Worth checking well in advance.

Children require their own passports in most countries.

Several countries require documentary evidence of parental authority where a child travels with one parent or with another adult, and requirements vary.

Airlines have their own rules for unaccompanied minors and for infants.

And some countries have specific requirements regarding child seats in vehicles including taxis.

Health considerations

Children's vaccination requirements for travel differ from adults', and some vaccines are unavailable below certain ages.

Malaria prophylaxis for children requires specific advice, since not all medications are suitable.

Sun protection, hydration and food safety warrant more attention with children than with adults.

And it is worth identifying where medical care is available at the destination before it is needed.

The expectations

A closing observation from families who travel frequently.

The trip will not resemble the trip you would have taken without children, and attempting to make it do so is the source of most of the difficulty.

What it produces instead is different — more time in ordinary places, more interaction with local families, and a slower and more attentive version of the same destination.

Families who plan for that report substantially better experiences than those who plan an adult trip with children attached.

What to bring

The items that consistently earn their space.

Familiar snacks, which resolve a great deal.

Something for each child to carry themselves, which produces investment in the journey.

Entertainment that does not require a screen or a connection.

A change of clothes for everyone in hand luggage, not only for the children.

And any medication, since obtaining a familiar children's preparation abroad is harder than it sounds.

General information about travel, not medical advice. Consult a travel health clinic about vaccinations and medication for children well before departure.