One of the biggest challenges of travelling with children is deciding what to bring and how to bring it. Travelling with just some cotton and cashmere may be a globetrotting mantra but it is simply not practical when travelling with your children. Be realistic; consider carefully where you are going, the age of your children and above all make lists (and check them twice).
What you take and how you take them will depend on several factors such as the type of trip, the age of your children and whether you are flying or packing everything into a car. Keeping children occupied while travelling is also a big challenge and getting this right can make a big difference between making the journey enjoyable or just bearable. We have provided a series of packing lists for different type of family holidays and different ages and how to keep them busy guide. Hopefully, you will find these helpful. Here are our top tips for hand luggage and check out our checklists too.
Travel documents when travelling with kids
Make sure you organise documents and keep them in a secure and waterproof folder when you travel. Documents include passports, visas, travel insurance papers, your itinerary, medical and vaccination records, medical certificates, authorisation to carry medicines where relevant, adoption papers, your driving licence, reservation records and receipts and your contact details while you are away. Also take some photos of your children in case they get separated from you in a crowd.
We would recommend that you take two copies of everything with one set in your hand luggage and the other with a friend or relative at home.
Make sure you also have adequate family travel insurance and our partner can let you have a family travel insurance quote which provides cover for kids free online if you have not already arranged insurance.
In some cases you may need extra legal documentation for your children to travel and if you have an adopted child you should also make sure you take their adoption papers. If you are the only parent travelling (regardless of marital status) you may be required to prove you have the consent from the other parent to let your child travel. This is quite rare but it is a possibility if you are going to countries where overseas adoption and/or child trafficking are common.
Hand luggage/carry on when travelling with kids
Whether you are travelling or going on day trip you will need a good solid bag to carry all of the things you will need on hand including extra clothing, medicines and toiletries, snacks and drinks, toys to keep the children occupied and nappies/diapers. It should be a good roomy bag with a simple open and close option mechanism. Backpacks are a great choice as they allow you to keep your hands free. Look for good stretchy pockets and make sure it is easy to clean. Choose the lightest bag you can find as it can get very heavy once you start to pack all the family travel gear in.
Carry on limits vary from airline to airline with charter airlines sometimes as low as 4kgs. Aer Lingus allow 6kgs and Ryanair allows 10kgs. Always check their websites before you go.
If your children are old enough to carry a bag themselves you can let the carry their own backpack. It can often be a delicate negotiation as to how much can be put into these backpacks which should be limited on weight to no more than 10% of their body weight. Smaller kids will love the Trunki which children can pack with toys and spare clothes, sit on and ride while parents tow them along.
Security regulations on what you are allowed to carry in your hand luggage keep changing so it's very important to check the rules before you travel. There is usually a list of prohibited items in airport and airline websites. It is important not only to check your own hand luggage but also the hand luggage of children who may have packed it themselves as it is not unheard of for children with the best will in the world to pack toy replica guns, scissors for arts and craft, knitting needles and such other items that are likely to get you into trouble at airport security.
Recently more stringent regulations have been introduced to carrying liquids, creams and gels which of course include baby foods, nappy creams and drinks. We've even seen this apply to expressed breast milk. Standard instructions are that you are not permitted to carry over 100ml of any single item although security can make exceptions for supplies for children under two and essential medical supplies. Generally the rule is that liquid baby food and milk and drinks sufficient for the journey can be taken through airport security although the accompanying adults will be required to verify by tasting. These are however discretionary limits and generally it is what the security staff deems to be a reasonable amount for the flight.
Our best recommendation would be to decant creams and liquids into small clear bottles of less than 100ml and just bring powdered milk if your children are still taking bottles. You should remember that you can buy bottled water and other drinks when you pass through security but watch out if you are transferring through another airport. One advantage of doing this is that you may be able to avoid the delay of having all of your carefully packed and baby friendly hand luggage unpacked and potentially confiscated at security check points which can be stressful enough at times.
See also our checklist for what to pack in your main luggage and for particular types of holidays.
You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.
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