Traveling especially with the family can be a rewarding experience. However there are also risks associated with it and they get magnified when you have small kids in your group. But postponing this immense travel experience due to the concerns of safety and staying at home is also not a good idea.
Well, no matter how many times I say- sit back, relax and enjoy by the pool, I know it’s not going that easy. As a parent, you have the responsibility of your little kids hence you very well know the fear I am talking about. The thought of traveling around the world with your kids and family might scare you but the fun and memories you will make is uncomparable. So get your bags packed, take snacks and books for your and check this big list of all the safety measures before you set out for your promised trip.
Before you set out for travel, keep reminding your child the basic details such as your name and phone number, your identity and address. When you are travelling let your children know the address of your hotel and if he is too young to remember all these, point at the logos and try to describe them the identity of the place. And for more safety put an emergency travel card in his clothes having all the necessary details like name, your name, phone number and hotel address. And if your travelling internationally make sure you translated all the details in both the languages (your native language and the language of the country where you are travelling) .
Swimming in a river infested with crocodiles or hiking in the middle of the day is just not smart, ever. You should keep your child’s limits and capabilities up front and don’t step on the things which are quite risky for your family. Don’t make a plan for the countries that have high risk potential due to political situations. Well, you are already smart enough to know what is good but if have any doubt, just research and ask.
It is always good to be ready for any situation in advance. Anything can happen on a trip. Hence make sure you have adequate travel insurance for any kind of misfortune. If you are travelling with a private minibus hire service, ask for their insurance policies before and check all their legal documents before booking one for your travel trip. There might be some activities which are not fully covered in your travel insurance plan but with a little extra expense you can buy that extra coverage also for your family. I recently heard a story of a woman who was feeding a fish out of the boat and a shark bit top of her finger. EEK! There goes your savings also with your finger.
It is always advised that you scan all your travel documents and save the copies in multiple digital locations like your email, cloud storage, memory stick and other digital devices. Moreover, always have two printed copies of all the pertinent documents that includes your passports, visas, driver’s license, airlines tickets and many more. The accommodation where you are staying during your vacations most probably have a safe box for you to keep all your essential things. Leave the originals there and keep copies with you all the time.
At a completely unknown location it is very easy to take your eyes off from a child. And we don’t know what could happen in a blink of an eye. So as an adult always scan ahead and around your location for potential danger and always keep your child nearby. Decide the safe boundaries of where you are and ensure that your child understand where he should go and where not.
The most important thing to know when you are travelling with kids is to know that you are adult and you are the parent. So you need to control your child. It’s not up to any flight attendent or anyone else to take care of your kid. It is really a tough job and don’t leave it undone.
