Traveling internationally is one of my families greatest joys. We have built a mountain of memories from the experiences we’ve had, and love to sit around and recount our greatest adventures. Pictured below is my family in Quito, Ecuador having just mounted our rides that would help us navigate the slope of the Pichincha Volcano on our way to the Cruz Loma Viewpoint. This whole trip was an incredible experience for our family, and one we speak about often. We visited a rainforest, hiked multiple volcanos, stood on the Equator, and sampled new foods, and tried our best to live local. That’s what travel is all about. Seeing new things, experiencing new cultures, and getting a feel for what life is like for the rest of our world. Our kids have been traveling with us since they were born, so it’s the lifestyle they were raised to; but to get the most out of International Travel With Kids, there are a few tips we’ve found to help the trip go as smoothly as possible. And yes, some of these lessons were learned the hard way!
Get the Kids Involved in the Planning, and Get them Excited!
From an early age, kids like the feeling of being in control. We all do, right? A family vacation is the perfect way to give them a little bit! Get them involved in the planning process, and point out things you are going to do that would be of special interest to them. Even let them pick a site to see while you are gone! Start watching videos at home before you go about the location you will visit, or movies set in that area. Amazon and your local bookstore have tons of options for age-appropriate travel books for foreign locations. When we took our kids to Venice, we purchased a kids travel book that included a scavenger hunt through the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica. It was fantastic! It got our girls excited to visit the sites we also wanted to see, and gave them something extra to occupy their time while we were walking the grounds! There are also multiple ways to start introducing your kids to the local language, we always tried to make sure our kids knew “Hello”, “Thank You” and “Goodbye” in the country we were visiting. They seemed to enjoy being able to communicate just a tiny bit wherever we went.
Be Realistic, and Be Flexible!
It’s important to know the limits of your family, and to respect that. An African Safari is a hard trip, it’s long flights, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s pretty much on the go the whole time to maximize what you can see out there. That’s probably not a good trip for your elementary age kids. The further you go from home, the more jet lag you and the kids will experience. Take that into consideration. Don’t overschedule yourselves, and don’t force your kiddos to go somewhere you’ve always wanted; that may not be appropriate for their age. I don’t know about you; but if I’ve spent the money for us to travel, I want them to be able to both remember, and appreciate the journey! Plan accommodations accordingly as well. Seriously consider an apartment if you are traveling to Europe with more than 3 people. European hotels aren’t generally built for families of 4. You might be looking at 2 separate hotel rooms to fit, which can really add up. Apartments can be cost savers, and give you the added bonus of making your own food if you’d like. Flexibility is key. As we all know, things don’t always go according to plan. Bags don’t show up, ticket’s get cancelled, weather interferes…things happen. Plan for the worst, but hope for the best! A good rule of thumb is: if it’s absolutely necessary for your travel, have it in your carry on. We’ve trained our kids to always travel with a few toiletries and an extra outfit in their carry-on, just in case. That really came in handy for my daughter’s senior trip to Athens, Greece when our luggage didn’t show up for 3 days thanks to an unexpected flight path change!
Allow for Sleep and Down Time!
Travel takes effort, and take a lot of time. Whether you are going across the US, or crossing half the world; it can be a time consuming process. 
Sleep patterns are interrupted, and people get cranky. We’ve all seen it! Take some time upon arrival at your destination to recover. If you have the ability to, stay in one place for a few days and allow yourselves to acclimate to your new time zone. Don’t hit the ground running if you don’t have to. If you do, then schedule some time mid-trip where you can take half a day (or full!) to just relax. Hang out at the hotel pool, visit the local zoo, or just take an easy stroll through the city. Everyone will enjoy the trip more if you are allowed to rest!
Take Your Kids Favorite Snacks/Pack Food
Obviously you’ll need to observe local regulations about brining foods in country, but especially if your kids are young and not as adventurous as you…bring some food from home. Local cuisine can take some getting used to, and foods in new countries may not be to everyone’s taste. My youngest is not a fan of German food and all, but loves when we find ourselves in Italy and eats her weight in pizza there, my older daughter is exactly the opposite. Everyone has foods they like, and don’t like. If you travel with a bit of food on hand for the littles, you can save yourself a bit of frustration at a dinner table. Different cultures often eat a different times as well, with a few snacks on hind you might be able to avoid the “I’m HUNGRY” meltdown!
Travel in the Shoulder Seasons!
I know it’s not always possible, especially if you are having to work around school schedules, but traveling outside of Summer has it’s definite advantages. It can be a lot cheaper to travel of a February Winter Break or an October Fall Break than mid-Summer and Christmas. You also deal with far less crowds while traveling, and depending on your location, much better weather too. Europe in Summer is HOT for the most part. Pair that will long lines to see anything and walking through every museum as part of a mass of humanity can lead to less than ideal experiences. You’ll find reservations are much easier to get, and accommodations during those times can be found at significant savings.
These are just a few tips we’ve embraced as we raised our kids to be fairly efficient globe-trotters, and if we can help make your journey with your own kids a little smoother, than that’s a win! Embrace the challenge, make the memories, and get out there and enjoy this big, beautiful world!
– Travel Designer Mindi Spencer
