Travelling the World with Tots in Tow: Priceless Lessons From Seasoned Parents
If you have nomadic tendencies and travelling is in your blood, you will no doubt want to find a good way of continuing your adventures, even after you have started a family and want to explore the with tots in tow.
Many journeys start off with a visit to an airport, and you may already have experienced the frustration of a delayed or cancelled flight at some point. If you are delayed more than 3 hours, use Bott & Co’s flight delay compensation checker to see if you are entitled to claim compensation.
When it comes to travelling the world, it might help to learn about some priceless lessons and feedback from seasoned parents, as to how best to continue and share your intrepid adventures with your kids.
Embrace the idea
The fundamental point to take on board is that travel with your children adds a whole new dimension and if you fully embrace the idea, there is no reason why it won’t turn out to be a brilliant adventure for the whole family.
There really is no replacement in their learning journey for your children to witness new cultures and iconic locations for themselves, rather than simply reading about them in a book or seeing images online.
There is no question that the thought of setting off with a backpack and your children in tow may well be a bit scary to contemplate, but although it would be fair to say that extensive travel with young children is certainly no walk in the park, if you fully embrace the idea and prepare properly for what lies ahead, there is no real reason why it can’t turn out to be a positive experience.
Passports in order
One of the most obvious starting points when preparing for your journey is making sure that all of your passports are in order, as so many people fall at the first hurdle when they discover that there is a problem with them that they did not envisage.
It is often the case that a good number of countries want to see that your passport has at least three months remaining past your intended return date. You can find that some airlines might even refuse to allow you to board their plane if your passport does not have enough time left on it, despite the fact that it is still in date when you travel.
Check the requirements for your chosen destination so that you don’t encounter a problem with any of your passports.
Using your credit cards abroad
Most credit card providers tend to be extremely vigilant regarding potential fraud, so if you take your cards abroad and start using them, there is every chance that the card could be blocked as part of their fraud procedures.
It is very frustrating to have access to your funds restricted while you are travelling and it can also be a logistical nightmare trying to sort it out from so far away. The problem often seems worse when you are trying to look after your children at the same time as sorting out the issue with your card company.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to contact all of the relevant card companies before you go and make them aware of your intended travel plans and dates. This way, they can make a note on your account, which should ensure that they don’t flag up your spending in a foreign country as a potentially fraudulent transaction, and block your card.
Have a system in place
Parenting is a full-time responsibility in its own right, so add in the logistics of planning a foreign trip with your kids, and you soon have a situation where some important details could be overlooked.
A good way of avoiding a potential meltdown or a problem with your travel plans is to delegate responsibilities between parents. It might seem perfectly fair to share the burden of certain duties while travelling, but seasoned family travellers will often confirm that it often works better to agree and allocate duties rather than share them.
One person in charge of the documentation, or the packing, will avoid the almost inevitable question of who has got the tickets and who packed some essential item or not, as the case may be.
Agree on a system and if one person is in charge of holding all of the travel documents and the other takes charge of the packing arrangements, for example, this should often ensure that your teamwork pays off and everything goes to plan.
Travelling the world with your children can be rewarding and educational, all it takes is some good planning and a positive approach to the task.
Carl Simmons used to be a traveller who would pack his backpack and leave on a 3month trip when he had the urge. But with the arrival of his daughter, life, and travel, suddenly look a lot different! He’s researching and writing about travel from a parent’s perspective for the first time!
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