HOW TO TRAVEL WITH KIDS

Juliet Kinsman - 24 Nov 13

Juliet Kinsman, Editor-in-Chief of Mr & Mrs Smith and Smith and Family, shares her dos and don’ts of travelling with kids

I can certainly try and offer advice since my Kitty, 6, has been to Australia, America, Asia and Africa, but it depends on lots of factors, such as the individual personality of your child, and where and when you’re travelling. I would have signed over the deeds of my house to have not had to deal with her aged 18 months on that overnight flight to Cape Town when she wouldn’t sleep a wink; and it took me a while to recover from the red-eye from NYC when she went crazy at me for saying no more TV and threw her headphones at me and it hit a sleeping man. Wow. Then you have the dilemma of not knowing whether to discipline the child firmly and risk an even bigger meltdown, or try and stay calm while childless people curse you for being a pushover parent. One thing is for certain: whatever you do, someone will be tutting you for breeding such a brat. So you just have to get through, know that you will eventually get there, and your little whippersnapper will grow up and you can all laugh about the time they hid under the chair and wouldn’t come out even when the pilot came out to beg you to get in your seat so they could take off (my Smith & Family co-editor, Lucy Fennings actually did this when she was small.)

DO…
Pack sugar-free snacks. In the absence of Baby Valium for flying, an obvious top tip is to minimise stimulants. So many supposedly healthy fruit bars and organic snacks are still loaded in sugar. If your child will actually drink some watered-down juice mixed with cold camomile tea, praise be. Popcorn is a great snack that fills them up and is fun to eat without giving a turbo energy boost. Some consider a few drops of Rescue Remedy a decent natural alternative to Xanax. And that’s just for you the mum.

DON’T…
Rush getting from A to B, especially when it involves planes. Allow for lots of extra time. And then leave even earlier than that. Starting off stressed will make the whole journey feel crazy.

DO…
Pack an arsenal of entertainment. I love My Travel Surprise who’ll mail you a present wrapped (in a security-friendly way) and you can use it as the reward for good no-shouting all buckling-up behaviour.

DON’T…
Assume the hotel has what you need: phone ahead to check. Ditto picking up the likes of nappies on arrival. I remember them costing a fortune in the supermarkets in the Caribbean.

DO…
Downloading TV shows or films onto an iPad which are related to the destination assuages the guilt about relying on electrical goods — Pippi Longstocking was a great hit for Sweden this year.

DON’T…
Give yourselves too much to lug around. If you really need all that stuff, First Luggage is a great service when it comes to couriering suitcases to and from your destination.

DO…
Let kids take responsibility for some of their own things and feel independent: let them pack their own Trunki. Obviously they can’t carry their own passport but if they’re small you can buy toy ones. If they’re a bit older print off an extra copy of their boarding pass for them to carry.

DO…
Take a Travelwrap: their supersoft extra-large cashmere shawls will keep you all warm on the flight and if anyone wants a little shuteye in the buggy or on a beachside restaurant one evening.

Juliet Kinsman

View profile for posts, events and more info