Travelling with kids: How to make it a stress-free experience

Travelling with your family, whether it is abroad or within the UK, is a great way to make lifelong memories. As with all outings with kids, planning is key to minimise stress as much as possible. 

Flying can be a challenging experience for little ones, which can translate into stress for the adults in the group. These tips will help to keep the stress levels down and keep everyone happy whilst travelling the skies. 

Organise documents

Before you even think about booking a holiday, you will need to organise everyone’s passports. For young kids, you may need to apply for their first passport. Make sure you get this done well in advance as processing times can be long, especially around school holidays.

On the day of your flight, keep all the important travel documents together in one bag to be looked after by an adult. This reduces the risk of losing anything which would be a costly mistake. 

Communicate with your kids

Kids can find surprises and new situations scary, so communicating before you go away will help them deal with the changes.

You could create a social story that you and your little ones can read together in the days and weeks before the holiday. This will help them to visualise the process of going through the airport and landing in a new country. 

Pack for the flight 

Flying for the first time can be a bit scary for kids. The feeling of lifting off combined with the noise of the engine can overwhelm kids and lead to meltdowns and tears. 

Being on a plane is one of the times when the rules around screen time and snacks can be left behind. You should pack things to keep your kids entertained, whether that is tablets, colouring, games or even stickers. Snacks are important too, especially sweets you can suck to counteract the popping in their ears which may make them uncomfortable. 

Book parking and hotels

If you want to make your life even easier, you could book a hotel near the airport for the night before you fly. This is especially helpful if your flight is in the early morning. Getting a good night’s sleep will benefit the whole family and mean you can sleep longer as you don’t have to drive to the airport. 

Some families prefer to drive to the airport. If you are one of those people, then you should consider booking parking in advance. Parking at airports can be a bit of a nightmare so booking a guaranteed spot whilst you are away means you can hop into your car and head home as soon as you land back in the UK. Not only is it convenient, but you will save some money by booking Manchester airport parking, for example. 

Preparing as much as possible beforehand can save you on a lot of stress and time. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.