Travelling With Young Children

Tots to Travel,the child friendly travel company offering properties vetted by parents for parents,has put together some fab family travel tips for us.

Wendy Shand, founder of Tots, set up the business in 2005 after her son fell into an unenclosed pool whilst on holiday in France. She realised traditional self catering properties did not cater for the very specific needs of parents with young children and Tots to Travel was born.

Here are Wendy’s top tips for successful travelling with tots in tow!

Choose carefully
Choose a holiday that won’t give you a headache!  Keep it simple, reduce your journey times, the number of transfers that you will need to make and keep transfer times to a minimum.  The last thing that you need once you get off the plane is a 3 hour drive!

Insist on family friendly…
Do ask your operator plenty of questions about what is available. 
Do use a holiday firm that is used to dealing with families so they can answer your questions accurately.

Car Hire
Do think ahead about a car seat.  Phone the hire car company and insist that an appropriate car is waiting for you at the other end (do state the age and weight of your baby).   You may wish to take your own car seat.
Do bear in mind that you will have to fit in your luggage and a pram so make sure that you hire a big enough car.

Packing up
Do start a pile early on and make a list.  There are plenty of printable packing lists available the internet.  Add your own items to a printable list so that you can print it out each you go away.  As your children get older they might even do their own packing!

Handluggage:  This is your key to a smooth journey!
Do pack some small surprises for along the way.  They need not be expensive. 
Do pack plenty of healthy snacks and drinks.
Do pack a change of clothes for you and for your baby. 
Do work out what meals you will need to provide for.  Even babies love a picnic and being organized in advance will save you time and money.

En-route: 
Do allow plenty of time.  Running behind schedule adds an unnecessary anxiety which in turn will rub off on your child. 
Do take your pram!  The pram is the fastest and most efficient way to transport your baby all your clobber through the airport.  Most airlines will allow you to take it straight to the plane and then you will have it at the other end.  
Do have some tricks up your sleeve such as crayons, small toys or a sticker book.  Don’t pack things with lots of small pieces.
Do use your imagination.  A sick bag can make a great puppet especially with crayons and stickers at hand.

On Arrival
Do split the team!  Car hire queues can be very long so it is worth sending one adult through passport control to sort out the car.

PS. Holidays are made up of lots of lovely memories so don’t forget to take a camera!

To browse Tots to Travel’s gorgeous range of properties or to find out more about what makes Tots different, check out the Tots to Travel website or contact them on 0845 26 941 26 or enquiries@totstotravel.co.uk, for help with shortlisting the best properties for you and your family.