preparing for international travel with children

When traveling abroad with children, there are some things to consider and plan for.

1. Plan ahead. Get as familiarized with where you will be traveling as soon as possible and set your itinerary ahead of time.
2. What to look for in accommodations. When booking accommodations, make sure your lodging has a kitchen and a washing machine on the site. This is a must for families! Your wallet will thank you!
3. Passports. Getting children’s passports is a relatively easy process if you’re planning in advance. If you have less than 8 weeks before travel time, expediting your passports may be necessary.
4. Kid Friendly Cities. There are many kid-friendly European cities to go to. Look ahead at maps and online guides to cities in order to find out where you can go.
5. Restaurants. While many European restaurants do not have children’s menus, they are becoming more and more popular. When in doubt, ask the wait staff what they would recommend for children.
6. Flight connections. Make sure you book flights with fewer than 5 hour layovers and no less than 2 hours. You don’t want to wait too long in between flights, but you also don’t want to be rushing to the next gate with young children — especially if you have to go through customs.
7. Baggage allowance. Check ahead for baggage restrictions and fees pertaining to checked luggage and carry on luggage. THIS IS HUGE!
8. Walking shoes. Make sure you have packed REAL walking shoes for your trip for each member of your family. In most U.S. countries, our walking is limited and therefore, we don’t wear shoes that adequately support our feet. In Europe and other countries around the world, however, comfortable shoes are a MUST.
9. Grocery shopping. When we travel, I always try and find the discount grocery stores to buy our food. In Austria and Germany, stores like Aldi, Hofer and Lidl offer the best prices and help to stretch your budget.
10. Planning for rest. If you are trying to pack a lot in a few days with young children, everyone will be tired and cranky. If possible, build in rest days or parts of the day where you have no agenda and can take it easy and do something low key.

Traveling with children is a fun adventure with many rewards for all involved. Even though it’s a little trickier than traveling as an adult, the challenges of traveling with children can be averted with some careful planning, and of course, flexibility.