Legoland Deutschland
Whilst the mere thought of flying to the other side of the world with children would put many people off, there are ways to make the journey quite bearable.
The flight
Your choice of airline can certainly make your child’s flight an enjoyable experience.
Many airlines flying long-haul sectors nowadays provide personal entertainment systems in every seat, and these include on-demand movies and music, sports and news, and the ever-popular Super Nintendo consoles. With over 30 games to choose from, your kids will never be bored, and may even take a little persuasion to have a sleep! You can also pre-book children’s meals with the airline before your departure so you know your children will actually eat something on the flight. It’s also a good idea pack some lollies and snacks, such as muesli bars, in your carry on luggage to deal with those mid-meal munchies.
Stopover
Breaking the journey with an overnight stopover is also a good idea. A direct flight from Australia’s east coast to Asia takes between 7 and 10 hours, by which time both you and the children will be ready for a change of scenery. Most of the international airlines have special stopover packages that can be pre-booked and pre-paid and include return airport to hotel transfers and your accommodation. Some packages also include other options such as sightseeing tours. Whilst most hotels in Asia will only accommodate a maximum of three people per room, meaning you may require two rooms, the additional cost could save your sanity. After a break, you may even find your children are keen to get back on the plane for the next leg of the journey, as the memories of the Nintendo are still fresh in their minds!!
Fun at Gardaland amusement park in Italy
Self-drive holiday
If you are planning a self-drive holiday around Europe, it’s a good idea to take a couple of CDs from home to play in the car, especially a couple of the kids’ favourites. On long trips, having some familiar music can keep them happily entertained. Whilst most radio stations play plenty of English-language songs, of course the announcers speak the local language.
Sightseeing for kids and adults
To make your holiday an enjoyable experience for everyone, alternate your sightseeing so that there are plenty of activities for the kids to enjoy. One museum or church might impress them, but, depending on their ages, they are likely to tire of historic sights fairly quickly. Why not alternate a ‘parents day’ with a ‘kids day’? Europe is full of fun things for kids to do – whether it be an amusement park, a bike ride, the local playground or swimming pool, or just some chill out time where they can do the things kids like to do such as kicking a ball around or colouring in.
If you are staying where there are other families, particularly in a camping ground, you may find your kids are keen to stay and play with other children. Despite language barriers, it’s amazing how kids can play together happily for hours without really understanding each other!
Accommodation can make a big difference as to whether your European holiday is enjoyable or just bearable. Staying in an apartment, cottage, villa or countryhouse can make all the difference as they give both parents and children much needed space. The benefits of being able to cook or prepare meals for the family go without saying – not only can you save money by self-catering (see our self-catering guide), you can also cook some of the children’s favourites which may not be on the menu of the local restaurants. This is particularly useful if you have a fussy eater or a child with food allergies.
Riding 'trotti bikes' in Switzerland
Keep a journal
Encouraging your children to keep a journal or travel diary about their holiday is also a great way to keep them interested in some of the more ‘cultural’ aspects of the holiday. Collecting entrance tickets and brochures which they can then stick into their journal, is fun for kids, and whilst they probably don’t realise it, they are learning at the same time! Learning simple facts about the countries they visit, such as population, size, capital city, etc. is very educational.
Kids are often fascinated with discovering the different flags for each country, the different country codes that many vehicles bear, and spotting number plates from different countries makes a good game on a long car journey.
TIP: Whilst a Gameboy may not be the most educational item to give your child, they are invaluable when travelling. They will keep your kids amused during those long waits at airports and on long car trips.
The above post is courtesy of Carolyn Schonafinger from Holidays to Europe. Carolyn has travelled extensively in Europe with her husband and children and is passionate about helping other families to experience, and get the most out of, their European travels.
Please visit the Haggus and Stookles E-store. You will find lovely luggage tags there. Visit now and feel free to browse our high quality products that you may find useful when travelling with kids!
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These are great tips in traveling with kids. Making sure that they don’t get bored is a challenge especially inside the plane.