It’s about this time of year that many of us start planning a break away to sunnier shores. With those thoughts, however, come the questions surrounding where to go, what to see and how to travel with young children.
 
Add to that the most common question asked by many parents….is it even possible to have a happy family holiday with toddlers in tow?

Children have an amazing capacity to soak everything up, to see richness even in the poorest of conditions and to bridge both language and socio-economic divides. There is a sense of understanding, of innocence and of acceptance – things that we tend to lose along the way to adulthood – and it is refreshing to see it first hand in our children and be motivated to reach out and find those qualities within ourselves again.

Best of all, travelling with young kids makes you slow down and really take in the whole experience. Jumping out of the car at every scenic viewpoint and snapping a quick selfie just doesn’t cut it when you have children in tow. They want to build that giant sand castle on the beach, pick those wild flowers on the hillside and join in with the football game being played by the local kids in the park. This makes you stop too, adding in a deeper appreciation of your surroundings along with facilitating more genuine interactions with other travellers and local people.

​And never underestimate the power of food - ‘hangry’ kids are never nice to be around! As adults, we tend to push ourselves and keep going even when we’re running on empty. However, kids are not as resilient as we are and when we travel, our daily schedule tends to be a lot looser than at home. It is therefore important to make sure that regardless of what your day holds, you plan to sit down and eat regular meals. It’s also a good idea to have plenty of snacks for in between times – you never know when that train is going to be delayed or the traffic stops you from getting to your destination as scheduled.

Overall, you will find that travelling with young children not only changes the local’s perspective about you as tourists in their country, providing opportunities for interaction not found when travelling solo, but will also change the way you see the place you are visiting. It’s not always easy, but can’t the same be said for any part of parenting?  The pay back is an intensely rewarding experience that will grow strong family bonds and provide memories that will last a lifetime.
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Happy holidaying! 

As they grow older we are seeing these encounters contributing to their personalities; how they have literally and figuratively widened their view of the world. In our opinion (though we are almost certainly biased!) these experiences have given them a great foundation for being compassionate, empathetic and basically, nice human beings.
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And we’re not the only ones who feel travelling with kids can be beneficial to their development.

​Not that just visiting a country and staring at the locals is going to be like waving a magic wand over your kids and, hey-presto, a golden future for them is guaranteed.

​You have to teach them to engage with the local culture they are travelling in, see not only the good but also the bad about each culture so they can start forming opinions about how they want to be in this world and help keep life in perspective for them when you get back to the ‘normality’ of home.

​We’ve found that items like nappies, baby food and even changes of clothes are readily available almost everywhere in the world – often at a cheaper price than you’d pay for them at home. Our first ‘big trip’ with a young one in tow was to Sri Lanka with our son, then 20 months old. My husband, loaded up like a pack horse with enough nappies for the entire trip (plus more besides - well, you never know…!) was dismayed to find Huggies in every corner store. Familiar foodstuffs (for those days when only tinned spaghetti will hit the spot) are usually also readily accessible.
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We’ve given up on packing toys too – they can be bought really cheaply at your destination and have high novelty value for your kids. And should they tire of them, they make great gifts to local children and you can then repeat the process. This makes for a cost-effective way of keeping your family entertained whilst also spreading a bit of joy on your travels. 

​There are a few items, however, that you will want to make room for. Making sure your kids have something to entertain themselves on long journeys, and also for the much needed ‘down time’ both you and they will want along the way, is essential. With the proliferation of electronic devices it is now very easy to load books to read and games to play, but for those of you who want your holiday to be a screen-free experience, then a stack of paper and coloured pencils is a must. A pack of cards is also a handy thing to have, as are a few hard copy books for those bed-time reads.

​You'll probably want to stick pretty close to home for the first few months after your baby's born. Between feedings and diaper changes, a new baby requires almost nonstop attention.
In addition, the risk of a newborn catching something while traveling is quite high as their immune system is not well developed.
Once they hit that 3 month mark though, as long as they are healthy overall, there is nothing stopping you whisking them away to those exotic destinations on your bucket list.
Firstly, make sure your baby has had the relevant vaccinations needed for the destination and, of course, good travel insurance is a must!
I found that carrying your baby in a front or back pack was the easiest way to transport them. Strollers are cumbersome and often difficult to pack down quickly when you want to pop on to buses and in to tuk tuks etc. and having them close to you is also easier when negotiating busy pavements and market places.
The main rule to packing is not to take half the stuff you think you might need as you almost certainly won’t!
Babies really don’t need much apart from food, a clean nappy and sleep. If you are breast feeding then the food part is sorted. If you are bottle feeding then baby formula can be found easily all over the world and usually using NZ milk powder! Nappies are also easily found as are baby wipes, powder and Vaseline. And one thing you can be guaranteed, babies will sleep anywhere when they are really tired so nothing special is needed to help with this aspect of things.

​Every child under the age of 16 must have their own passport if they are travelling from NZ. Even new born babies are subject to this requirement and although the form isn’t difficult to fill out, you will want to allow enough time to get the passport photo done.
There are clear guidelines stating that the baby’s eyes must be open and they must be facing the camera with nothing obstructing their face – not so easy to do when newborns spend so much time either sleeping, crying or putting their fists in their mouths! You may well need to make several trips until you get a successful shot, so plan ahead.

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​Christmas is fast approaching, and with it, the stress of coming up with a great, original idea of what to give your offspring for their Christmas present is rising. A lot of kids nowadays are lucky enough to already have a bike, a wardrobe full of clothes and multiple electronic devices strewn around the bedroom floor – so what are we meant to give them now?

The best present that I can think of isn’t a tangible, physical one, but the awesome experience of travelling to a new country. And there is no way your child should get to go on their own, so you as their parent will just have to tag along too and make it a whole family affair!

That’s what we have decided to do this Christmas - the whole family is off to Myanmar in early December, forgoing the traditional presents under the tree and stuffed turkey for lunch, for 4 weeks of backpacking around this recently opened country. Christmas Day will be spent hot air ballooning over the ancient temples of Bagan and the New Year will be welcomed in on the shores of Inle Lake.

Vietnam - The energy of Vietnam is invigorating and infectious. Whether navigating the hustling Ho Chi Minh City by moped or the spectacular Halong Bay by boat, cruising the backwaters of the Mekong Delta or strolling the backalleys of Hoi An, you will find the people, scenery, sights and tastes of Vietnam an experience to treasure.​

​Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka remains one of our favourite destinations to travel as a family. The country features landscapes, nature, beaches, history and culture all within a relatively small area, eliminating the necessity for any long journeys which makes it suitable for even the youngest of families.

Borneo - home to amazing wildlife, stunning scenery, indigenous tribes and tranquil islands surrounded by clear seas teeming with life - this is a slice of paradise on earth that really has it all! The extensive regional airline network enables you to easily explore the likes of Kota Kinabalu, Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, the renowned snorkelling and diving of Sipadan, the bat swarms of Miri and the headhunter villages in the remote rainforests of Sarawak.

​So, dare to be different this Christmas and give your kids the gift of travel - a present that will keep on giving amazing memories for a lifetime and not just end up discarded on the bedroom floor.  Best of all, you won’t have to endure the nightmare that is Christmas shopping, bumping shoulders with other weary parents, trudging from shop to shop trying to find inspiration for that prefect gift. 
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​When our second child was born a year or so later we decided to head off again. With our daughter only 8 months and our son 3 years old, our friends’ eyebrows went up even higher than last time. Now we had one in a backpack and an energetic toddler racing around…were we crazy?

But, once again, having the kids with us put a totally different perspective on our travels. This time, we did actually head off to Fiji but not to a resort – we backpacked around the outer islands staying in guesthouses and sleeping in open burees on the beach. With the Fijian people being so family orientated, we slotted into village life easily and were never short of a ready babysitter to look after the kids when we wanted one. In fact, we often found that the kids were whisked away from us for a cuddle and a play whether we asked them to be or not!