Easy Peasy! Tips for Traveling Abroad with Little Explorers
This summer, we traveled abroad with our three young children. After much consideration, we decided on travel to three cities (Nice, Paris, and London) in two countries (France and England), which not only involved air travel but train rides between cities as well. When first planning the trip, I must admit, we were a bit worried about how potentially stressful this experience could be, particularly how our extremely active 2 year old would handle everything. Our 7 and 9 year olds have traveled a fair amount so I wasn’t worried about them too much but still wanted to ensure everything was organized well enough for everyone to have a positive and memorable experience. Here are useful tips we followed for traveling abroad with little explorers to have a smooth and wonderful summer vacation!
Check Passport Status
This point cannot be stressed enough. As soon as you’re thinking about traveling abroad, check your passport expiration date. For our family of five, two of us needed to renew our passports and our two year old didn’t have one yet. Depending on the passport processing facilities near you, passport renewals and getting a new passport can be two entirely different processes. Both can have extensive delivery timeline, regardless of expediting. The official U.S. Passport site is currently showing routine processing at 10-13 weeks and expedite service at 7-9 weeks. This does not include mail time, which can add up to 4 weeks (2 weeks for applications to arrive at a passport center and 2 weeks to receive passport once mailed) so check your passport status as early as possible!
Pick Dates
Picking dates that work for you are important for a few reasons. First, it can help you save money on transportation and lodging. Second, if school attendance is important, you want to pick dates the minimizes or avoids kids missing class. Third, there may be events happening in your destination that you would want to plan to attend or avoid!
Pick a child friendly location(s)
Yes, this vacation isn’t just for the kids, there are plenty of destinations that have something for everyone. We certainly ate good food at quaint cafes and trendy pubs, drank good wine and local beer, and enjoyed the sites but if you bring the kids along, you certainly want to ensure they are entertained as well. Nice, Paris, and London had things we all could enjoy including a great mix of food and culture along with kid friendly attractions!
Research your best flight options
This goes hand in hand with picking your dates (and of course location). Airline schedules can change seasonally so picking the optimal dates can impact when you can travel and certainly if you’re looking to save a few dollars. Traveling with kids, we like to arrive at a time of day that aligns with our accommodation’s check in time. You’re already tired from a long flight so the last thing you want to be doing is dragging suitcases and most likely hungry/cranky kids around town until you can settle into your place. More and more accommodations offer drop off service for luggage but it’s still more preferable to check in right away.
As for saving money, even during the busiest seasons such as summer or around holidays, taking the time to explore different date options almost always pays off and your wallet will thank you.
Determine and Book Lodging
Research best locations within your destination (i.e., close to landmarks, kid friendly attractions, easy transport) as well as type of lodging, such as a hotel or AirBnB. Ensure you know what amenities are available in your lodging and order items if needed. For example, we stayed in AirBnBs in all three cities which provided plenty of space but there were no bathtubs in any of the places, which wouldn’t be convenient for bathing our two year old. Fortunately we knew this ahead of time so we ordered an inflatable bathtub that was very easy to pack and was perfect for a little one.
Determine and Book logistics between cities if needed
Since we planned to visit three cities, figuring out transportation was key. If you plan to do the same, you can usually buy tickets at stations but I highly recommend booking tickets ahead of time.
Plan Transportation to/from the Airport
You may be able to book transportation with your accommodation. If possible, I suggest doing this to mitigate the stress of finding transportation once you get there and to lessen the chance of pricing and schedule surprises. Whether you hire a car/driver or take public transportation, there’s comfort in having a plan ahead of time.
Plan how you will get around to points of interests
To get the most out of experiencing your destination as a local, I suggest familiarizing yourself with the subway and/or bus system. This includes knowing who needs to pay and who rides for free. For example, when we were in London, we made the mistake of paying for our two older kids to ride the tube. It was only after a few times that an employee at one of the stations let us know kids under 12 ride for free. With no one to tell us that, it was hard to know since the ticket machines had an option to purchase tickets so make sure you understand all of the exceptions or discounts available.
Download and familiarize yourself with useful apps
More and more hosts, accommodations, and services are communicating through apps like What’s App and similar. If you need to reach out to a contact at your destination, make sure that you have downloaded and are familiar with how to use the app. It’s a pain trying to do all of this on the fly so plan to do it ahead of your trip. Other useful apps can include Google Maps, digital guide books, and apps for your mode of transportation if needed (i.e., Train apps, Uber)
Language and local culture
Take time to learn basic phrases, if traveling to a location where the common language is different from yours. Also, familiarize yourself with the local customs, traditions, and cultural norms of your destination country. This will help you show respect and adapt to the local way of life.
Following these tips for traveling abroad with little explorers will ensure a fun and low stress vacation. Here are a few other things you may want to consider to get the most out of your trip once you arrive.
- Get cash in local currency if needed
- Unpack – simple but really helps with settling in
- Locate local grocery store and pharmacy
- Determine what meals you’ll have out versus in – we tend to cook breakfast and eat out for other meals
- Talk to your kids about what they would like to do/see
- Try to stick to a familiar sleep schedule/routine
- Be Flexible and have fun!
