12 Tips on Traveling with a Kid

So, you’re parents. And it’s your major occupation. Who says now you can only sit at home at the weekends? Why not changing something in your daily routine just for a day? Being parents doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in some new things in your life, such as visiting new places. When traveling with a toddler, the most important thing is to stick your trip to your child’s needs. Here are 12 useful tips on how to plan a one day trip if you’re parents of a little child.

1. Plan your trip (where to park, what to visit, at what time to have lunch etc.) in advance. And do have Plan B just for the case. Be ready to change the plan however. You never know what happens, when traveling with children!
2. Choose places which would interest both you and your kid. Example: if you have a boy, a car museum would be great.
3. Adjust your whole trip to your child’s timing. Before the trip, think over, what’s the very time you wouldn’t want to be distracted at. So, from there plan the most attractive parts of your trip. Make sure you have a comfy stroller and a blanket for your child’s possibly most comfortable sleep, so that you have enough time to enjoy the Mona Lisa, for example.
4. Pack enough clothes for your kid, napkins, wet towels, diapers (if still necessary), still water. Take an extra complete outfit for the kid with you for the case of nausea or inaccurate eating. And don’t forget to pack a few plastic bags to put the dirty clothes in.
5. Pack enough stuff your child finds exciting. When sitting in a restaurant, instead of having some rest and enjoying the food, parents are often annoyed by the slow way the waiters react to their wishes, because such long waiting has already made the kid go nuts. Here’s where your child’s favorite toys, cars, books etc. would come to the rescue!
6. Take a few really cool breaks just for your child. It can be a carousel next to the Christmas market or a slide in a shop, but this will make your child happy, remember the trip and, which is important, want to travel again and again. Because “it’s not just the boring Louvre with lots of stupid paintings and statues, but also lots of fun on the carousel!”
7. Take your kid’s favorite snacks with you. Sometimes delicious cookies or some chocolate work wonders and provide you with 10 more minutes to visit another museum room. Anyway, don’t use this trick often, as it’s quite unhealthy, as you surely know.
8. Download several apps for children or some cartoons to your smartphone (or iPad). It also makes both children and parents happier, since, while the kid is watching or playing, parents can do other things they like or just relax for some time and get breath.
9. Be ready to buy a small souvenir for your child as a memento of spending such a great day with parents.
10. Don’t stay too long on the road. 1.5 hours to your destination are the maximum, if you don’t plan to stay for the night. Otherwise you’d spend pretty much more time on the way than the sightseeing itself.
11. Don’t let your sightseeing last too long. Spending there the whole day from morning till night would be too exhausting for a toddler.
12. And the most important thing – don’t forget the good mood!

Enjoy your trip!