Travelling with Kids

People often say that you can’t travel with kids. On the contrary, I think travelling with kids can actually be a good thing. My kids have now been to London, Paris, Dublin, Rome, Florence and Venice, and I dare say that they’ve actually enjoyed most of it. However, you have to be prepared. So, without further ado, I introduce 30 tips for travelling with kids, gleaned from hard experience.

1. Don’t underestimate them. My kids have been to the Louvre, the National Gallery (London), the National Gallery of Ireland, the Uffizi and the Galleria dell’Accademia. All art museums, and yet we’ve found that while they don’t appreciate them in the same way that Mich and I do, they have still been able to enjoy them, although admittedly going to a gallery is still not their favourite activity.
2. Don’t overestimate them. The above being said, kids won’t be able to tolerate endless museums, art galleries, and walking. You’re going to have to work in some more kid-friendly activities into your schedule.
3. Let them have the headsets. Museums, art galleries, and castles frequently have free or cheap audio guides. My kids will tune into these things and listen intently, although I could give them the same spill and they would totally ignore me.
4. Stop and smell the roses. With kids, you’ll have to, sooner or later. Plan for breaks in the parks, gardens and playgrounds. If you think ahead, you can stop in a garden or park that you wanted to go to anyway and let the kids run around a bit. Paris is great in this regard.
5. A little history goes a long way. Who said history is boring? If you try to impress your kids with a long list of names and dates, however, you can count on them tuning out after about two words. On the other hand, bringing some of the history into your visits can make it that much more interesting for your kids. For example, pointing out the damage caused by German bombs in downtown London, or the bullet holes from the Easter Revolution still in the façade of the Dublin post office.
6. Talk to them. This is particularly important in the museums and galleries. Stop and admire the paintings and sculptures, but tell them why you’re interested. Show them that Monet looks different across the room than it does up close. Describe the lifelikeness of the still paintings. Ask them why they think someone painted a particular object, or why the person in the painting or sculpture is doing what they’re doing.
7. Plan ahead. This is absolutely huge. Some itinerary is good, anyway, just to give you some structure, but with kids, it is a necessity. Look at what you want to do, and find some time for your kids in your schedule. That way, you can come to a happy medium.
8. Feed them. This might seem to be readily apparent, but while you may be able to get by without breakfast, or cope with a late lunch, your kids are much less likely to be happy campers without food on a regular basis. Make sure you pack snacks and plan on stopping at around their normal lunch time. If they’re hungry, they’re going to be unhappy, which ultimately means that you probably will be unhappy too.
9. Know their schedules. If, on a normal day, your kids wake up at 6 AM, eat lunch at noon, dinner at 6 PM, and go to bed at 8 PM, don’t expect anything different on your travels. I’ve already addressed the feeding point, but especially don’t expect that they will sleep in later or stay up later, just because you’re not at home.
10. Tour buses are not a bad thing. I have to admit, on my own, I would shy away from the bus tours, but they do provide several benefits – you get to see a lot of the place in a very short time, you can stop when you like to explore, and perhaps most importantly, you get to just sit there, saving your feet (and theirs). The kids have really enjoyed these. Don’t forget to let them have the headsets.
11. Look for things that interest them anyway. When we went to Paris, we hunted down the Road of the Dragon for Dalton, and had a hunt in the park for cool statues. We’ve pointed out paintings of ballerinas to Maggie, and made sure we showed her the royal treasuries when we could.
12. Let them pick out their own souvenirs. If they know they’re going to get a souvenir, places suddenly become a bit more interesting. Find somewhere appropriate, and let them pick something out. I’d recommend avoiding the typical souvenir tourist traps, and taking them to a local store. In Venice, Maggie got a mask, and Dalton got a glass frog. (I’m sensing a trend here.)
13. Teach them the language. If you’re going somewhere where they do speak something other than your native tongue, teach them a few words – please, thank you, etc. I guarantee they will get more smiles from the locals than you will when they say the same thing in the local language.
14. Get them excited before you go. Talk to them about what you’re going to see and do. Give them a little history, and tell them why you’re excited about going. Show them pictures and point it out on a map. Eyewitness Guides are great for this.
15. Feeding, part II. Make sure that when you do stop off for lunch and dinner, you stop someplace that they’ll actually eat – sometimes easier said than done, especially if you’ve got picky eaters. Still, most everywhere has something that kids will eat – spaghetti seems to be particularly easy to find. McDonald’s or an equivalent is also fairly easily found.
16. Play games. Let them guess how big buildings are, or how old something is, before you tell them. See if they can figure out who is in the painting (if it’s someone they’ve heard of). Ask if they know why the castle walls were so thick, or why there were holes in them.
17. Stop when they’re enjoying something. If you’ve managed to find somewhere that they are enjoying, and you are too, stop and hang out for a while. You’ll find that these moments turn out to be the ones that you’ll remember, even more than the monuments.
18. As a corollary, experiences are better than buildings. Take a gondola ride in Venice, and stop to feed the pigeons. Watch the buskers perform. Your kids will really enjoy this stuff – and so will you.
19. Be flexible. This one kind of goes with 17 above, but really cannot be overemphasized. Once your kids get miserable, you will be too. You’ve got to have enough room in your schedule to be able to change plans when things just aren’t going your way.
20. Treats all ‘round. Plan on a mid-afternoon break for ice cream or some other local snack. It’ll stave off the hunger, give everyone a break from non-stop sight seeing, and revive you for a few more hours.
21. Let them help you pack. If possible, give them their own bags, and give them their clothes to pack. You may have to go back and repack, but it will help get them involved and excited.
22. Toys, trinkets, and teddy bears…you’ve got to bring something other than just their clothes and necessities. Let them bring along something small, and don’t forget the important stuff – for Dalton it’s his “orange” blankie, which isn’t orange at all. Caveat below.
23. Electronics are generally a no no. I still remember when Michelle and I went to Ireland several years back, and at one particular location (the Rock of Cashel), there was a boy who was locked into his GameBoy while he wandered through a magnificent set of ruins. I’m not sure that he got anything out of it at all. If you must bring electronica (GameBoy, iPod, what have you), lock it away when you’re off the plane, or at least limit the use to the hotel/apartment.
24. Bring something for them to do on the plane/car ride. ‘Nuff said.
25. Sometimes the best souvenirs can’t be found in the stores. Especially if you’re exploring somewhere more natural – we’ve got seashells from Venice, stones from the beach in Dublin, and (dare I say it) barley from the Guinness Storehouse. These will have more meaning than any little plastic thing we could have bought.
26. Clothing. This may seem a bit basic, but just as you don’t want to wander around wearing something uncomfortable, neither do they. If at all possible, plan for the weather, and pack the most comfortable clothes you can find accordingly.
27. Patience is a virtue. Sometimes, it will seem that no matter what you do, the kids are just trying to make your life miserable. First, realise that these times will come no matter what you do. Second, times like these can make or break your trip – you can either get aggravated and things can rapidly accelerate to the point where everyone is unhappy, or you can slow down/stop for a moment and get everyone happy again. These are good times for treats and snacks or parks and playgrounds – or both.
28. Bedtime. I’ve already mentioned kids’ schedules, but realise that (1) they probably need more sleep than you, and (2) they need to stay as close to their normal schedule as possible. Put them to bed at their bed time, and use the down time to relax, look at your pictures, think about and prepare for the next day. They’ll be better off the next day, and so will you.
29. Get them to give you a daily recap. Ask them what they enjoyed that day, and why. Ask them what they’ve enjoyed the most so far (and don’t be disappointed if the answer is McDonald’s). Remind them of what they’ve seen, heard, and learned. And finally…
30. Enjoy your kids. Kids are naturally inquisitive and interested in the things going on around them. If you spend the time talking to them and trying to enjoy the trip with them, rather than trying to enjoy the trip despite them, then they may very well end up pointing things out to you.