Thank you, FNB Botswana, for supporting us in sharing our stories here in Botswana. Enabling us to bring you articles like the one below.
Woohoo! After many months, a lot of international travel has opened up once more. Giving people the opportunity to travel over the long weekend. Family holidays are a special time. They allow your family to bond, escape the norm, slow down and create new experiences to be remembered for years to come.
Yet, travelling with kids isn’t always a smooth experience. Here’s the experience of one “Wonder Mum”, who recently travelled with her three-year-old daughter and 6 months old son. We interviewed her to find out how she lived to tell the tale. Hehe. Hopefully, it’ll help your travel experience too.
Looking back, how was your travel experience? Any tips from it?
When travelling with kids, there’s a lot of planning that can overwhelm you in the days leading up to the journey. Especially when you have more than one child.
TOP HACK: You can make it manageable by having a checklist of everything you’ll need while travelling and throughout your stay.
Break down the checklist item by item with things you’ll need. Stuff like…
- exactly what clothes
- passports, vaccination certificates
- electronics
- chargers
- adaptors
- toys
- medical supplies if you’re travelling long-distance on a flight. You’re looking for supplies like eardrops, paracetamol, a thermometer. Anything that you can have easy access to without needing to stop by a pharmacy.
Make the list a few days before travelling, so that if you forget anything you can add to it. Remember anything that comes to mind that should be easily accessible.
BONUS HACK. Start packing a few days before, so that you can keep adding and removing luggage as you go.
These hacks will make the whole travel experience easier and more manageable.
What emotions did you feel leading up to the trip?
I was very anxious. It’s nerve-wracking because you don’t want to forget anything, especially when travelling with little kids. It’s good to remember that if you do forget something you can generally buy it wherever you go.
You can expect some tantrums leading up to and during the trip if you’re travelling with toddlers and babies. Keep breathing and remember it will all be worth it when you get to your destination. Well, that’s what I did.
Good news, coming back from holiday is more relaxed and is always the easiest part. You throw everything back in your bag and zip it up without looking back.
How was it Travelling with a toddler AND a baby? Any tips?
It’s a whole different ball game with double the work, more stuff to pack and two humans to look after.
You’ll always have a child in hand and will be constantly busy. In some moments it doesn’t feel like you’re going on holiday since you’re on duty 24/7. But these are the joys of parenting and it gets easier.
TOP TIP: Don’t be afraid to use electronics with your toddler. This isn’t a time to be worried about screen time. In fact, download some extra apps on your phone or iPad before you go. It makes for an easier journey.
Anything to look out for when choosing hotels?
When you’re looking at hotels, look for places that are kid-friendly. Look out for stuff like Kids Clubs in the hotel. These will be a huge help especially when you have kids old enough to be dropped off and kept busy with activities.
We travelled over Halloween and the Kids Club took the kids trick or treating across different restaurants in the resort. My daughter loved the adventure and dressing up.
Also look for nearby excursions such as zoos, nature reserves, water parks and so on, to keep the kids entertained.
After a few days at the resort, my toddler was bored and wanted to go out. Be mindful of what they enjoy to help you plan activities for them.
The airline also gave us nice travel packs for the kids, which helped keep them busy on the long flight. Find out if yours does too.
What are your thoughts on travel insurance?
Travel insurance is a huge weight off your shoulders, especially as a travelling family with young kids. Especially now that we’re learning to live with COVID-19 where things change all the time.
Also, with travel insurance, should you lose your baggage in transit, which happens, your luggage will be covered and reimbursed if lost. FNB offers multi-travel insurance for the family.
Were there any moments that made the trip extra special?
For my daughter, this was her first trip where she was old enough to appreciate and recognise where she was. To enjoy the beach, the swimming and the holiday. That was a great experience to watch as a mum.
Plus sharing the experience with the new addition to the family was extra special. We enjoyed having fun as a family, especially after lockdowns and movement restrictions that kept us stuck at home for such a long time.
Essentially travelling together was a breath of fresh air and fond memories were made. Even if it seems a lot to manage I recommend you book that holiday now.
** This article is proudly sponsored by FNB Botswana**
