2. Planning ahead can save a lot of trouble. I’ve always been a planner and to me, planning a trip is half of the fun. I usually ‘rough’ out a day-to-day calendar throughout our trip. We don’t have to stick to it, but it can help get us started when we are feeling tired or jet-lagged. Speaking of jet-lag…
3. Jet-lag isn’t a big deal. Kids often deal better with jet-lag than their parents. We find traveling from east to west more challenging as it usually results in B waking up a lot earlier than we’d like. But as long as we stick to our normal routine in our destination time zone, it doesn’t take more than a day or two to get into the swing of things.
4. Get your child involved and excited about the destination. Prior to traveling to Paris, I bought B the book “This is Paris” by Miraslav Vasek. When we visited the Louvre, B was SO excited to see the Mona Lisa, as he had seen and read about her many times in his book. Before we travel anywhere, B and I read and talk about some of the things we will see, eat and do there. What kid wouldn’t be excited about an upcoming trip knowing they will have a chance to eat waffles in Belgium or ride an elephant in Cambodia?
5. Slow down. Prior to being parents, Mark and I covered a lot of ground trying to see and do as much as possible during our travels. Traveling with B has made us slow down, spend more time in each place. With a toddler, we often head off first to the local playground. These playgrounds often turn out to be highlights of our trips – not only does B get to blow off steam, but we has the opportunity to meet local kids and we get to chat with fellow parents. And when we can’t find a playground, we find a grassy park for B to run around. Our O-Ball takes up no room in my backpack, and it turns any open space into an impromptu soccer pitch.
6. Keep it simple. Where possible, choose direct flights over connecting - each connection not required is one less connection that can be missed. Do you really need to visit five European countries or would visiting just one or two let you savor the location and relax?
7. Renting a condo can be WAY more fun and convenient than staying in a hotel. When visiting Maui, most of our time was spent at our condo rental but we splurged for a few nights at a large resort. At the resort, we had to walk a half mile just to get to our car, restaurant charges were extortionate ($8 for a half grapefruit?) and there was a large fee to use a shaded lounger at the kiddy pool. At our condo, we had plenty of space, two bedrooms and a large garden where B could play right outside our lanai. We could prepare our own meals when we wanted to but had a variety of restaurants just a few minutes walk away.
8. Don’t expect traveling with a child to be the same as before you had kids. Traveling with a young child, we do different things than we did before. We spend more time visiting parks than night clubs and see even places we’ve been to before with a new set of eyes. And although Mark and I would never have considered a cruise pre-baby, we’ve discovered that cruises can be a fun, low-hassle way to travel with kids.
10. Don’t restrict yourself to theme parks and other child-specific attractions. In B’s travels, I am frequently surprised at how much he has enjoyed places which I wouldn’t think of necessarily visiting with a child. In Amsterdam, B wasn’t interested in the paintings at the Van Gogh Museum, but what he did enjoy was our game of ‘I Spy’ where he was called upon to spot the man with the yellow hat, or to count the windmills in a painting. As a toddler at the Panama Canal, B wasn’t interested in watching ships go through the locks, but the huge viewing area was a great place to play with his ball and to run around. Using a bit of creativity can make almost any destination fun.
11. Don’t mess with nap time. We learned long ago that messing with B’s nap time can lead to disaster, so we plan our days to make sure we always incorporate nap time. Sometimes this means a few hours of down time in our hotel room, giving us time to plan for the next day, or have a nap ourselves. Thankfully B sleeps well in his stroller so when we want to do a bit of uninterrupted shopping or visit an obscure museum, we time our visits for when we know B will be asleep.
12. Trade off with your partner if you are traveling with one. Sure it is nice to do everything together as a family, but when traveling with babies and toddlers, this is not always possible. On our recent bike and barge adventure in Europe, the weather wasn’t cooperating for the long days with B out in the bike trailer. Mark and I ended up taking turns cycling for the day with the group, while the other enjoyed a day on board the barge with B. And at times when B napped in the hotel room, we took turns exploring the area around our hotel.
13. Busy kids are usually happy kids. Aside from wipes and a change of clothes for B, the most important thing in my backpack is a pencil case full of crayons, small puzzles, stickers, pipe cleaners, small sheets of colored paper and other craft supplies. This helps keep B occupied while we are waiting for our food at restaurants, and for flights and train rides.
14. There is lots of travel gear and handy gadgets out there, but you can do without most of them. Over the years, we’ve used a lot of travel gear but the things I almost always travel with include an inflatable bath tub (to keep up B’s bath routine on cruises and rooms without tubs), our stroller, our CARES harness and our Boba carrier for those times when a stroller just won’t do. We also find a baby monitor handy for times when we plan to enjoy our terrace/balcony/other room after B has gone to bed.
15. There are lots of other intrepid families and plenty of good advice available. From families who have done their first road trip to Disney World to the intrepid family at Going Anyway, who are traveling the world with 5 kids in tow, there are plenty of people out there sharing valuable travel advice.
16. Take the ‘haters’ with a grain of salt. For every person who says you shouldn’t travel to this place or that or fly with a child, there are plenty of others who have already done it, and had a great time! Prior to traveling to Paris with B, I had read a lot of articles about how unfriendly Paris is for kids but we found it to be the complete opposite!
17. How to pack lean and mean. After many trips and flights, we have learned the difference between what we really need to pack and what we’d like to pack. With all the baggage charges airlines are charging extra for these days, I’ve figured out how to pack all of B’s stuff and all of my stuff together in one small suitcase - and still have some room for souvenirs.
18. Be self-sufficient when flying. Sure, many airlines offer special kids meals but more often than not, your child will get some soggy rendition of chicken nuggets and fries, if they get anything at all. We learned long ago to bring our own food, snacks and drinks on board. Most airlines no longer carry enough milk to refill a sippy cup, so if your child is partial to milk, bring your own on board. Similarly, don’t rely on having a seat back entertainment system. Not all airlines have them and even when they do, sometimes they just don’t work.
19. Just because they won't remember, doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. While B probably won’t remember all the details from his travels as a baby, he is still learning an awful lot along the way. He does remember a lot though, but more importantly, he is learning about other countries and experiencing new cultures, foods and experiences.
20. Just do it!
What has travel with your own children taught you?
If you are looking for a expansive Singapore Zoo-type experience, this
is not it. But with a children’s
playground, aviaries, green house and gardens, and lots of animals to see, it’s
a quaint and fun destination for little kids.
The zoo is clean and well-kept, and is so serene and quiet, it’s hard to
believe it’s in the middle of Hong Kong.
Our taxi dropped us off at the Albany Road entrance of the zoo at about
the mid-way point. In hindsight, a
better place to start would have been at one of the northwest entrances off of Glenealy Rd, since
the zoo slopes steeply southwards, and wind our way down.
I’m not a fan of crowds so we generally steer clear of the crammed
swimming pools, the loud music and the sizzling sunbathers during the busiest
daytime hours. But before 10 am, and
after 5 pm, we usually have the pools, basketball court, shuffleboard, mini-golf
and other outdoor venues all to ourselves - and get to enjoy them when the
sun’s rays are less intense. These
outdoor activities are usually open 24 hours and since B is an early riser, by
the time most folks roll out of bed, we’ve already had hours of family fun. Some of our favorite after-dinner activities are
to play a few rounds of mini golf or have a swim in the moonlight - something
we rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to do at home.
Get Crafty
We enjoyed lunch at Red's Sandwich Shop on Central Street, a popular and friendly restaurant which serves enormous servings of delicious food. B asked for pancakes. At $3.50 for one, this pancake was a bargain… a foot in diameter and an inch thick… B had a big meal for lunch, we ate the leftovers for dinner that evening and still had some left!
