If you’re thinking of traveling Europe with kids, go for it! It really isn’t that difficult and the life experiences you learn from traveling as a family will remain forever. We went to Spain and France over the summer and embarked on a beautiful road trip to make things more exciting. A lot of pre-planning, and many moments later, I must say I have a couple of tips to share with you all. Hopefully you have a seamless trip too!
What to pack in your hand carry luggage.
I travel with a purse while my two kids have their own back packs. However, for long flights I always pack one hand carry luggage with essentials for me and my two kids. Here is a list of what i put in this luggage.
- Complete set of extra clothes for me and my two kids.
- Medication and first aid kit. Include ear drops, decongestant and saline nose spray for dry air in the plane.
- healthy snacks and gum
- Ipads and head phones for lay overs
- books, activity books for each kid.
- chargers
- tooth brushes, tooth paste, wipes, small bottle of soap, small towel
- paper towels for any accidental spills.
- neck pillows
- my makeup kit
I’ll be posting a video tutorial on the Marilen Styles You Tube page soon so subscribe!
Planning and Preparation
One of the things I also do before a long trip is to make several copies of travel documents like our tickets, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies and important contact numbers so that in case we lose somethings, we still have copies of valuable information. I also make sure that the important papers left at home such as original identifications, property papers, bank information and more are kept in a safe or given to a trusted loved on for safe-keeping. As for the travel plans, make sure all details of your bookings and accommodations are in place and that you have the contact information of people involved. Double check the amenities of each apartment if you use Air Bnb to make sure they are up to your standards and read the reviews to make sure you get what you expect. I made the mistake of booking an apartment with no air condition. As for traveling, I must say it is an absolute must for you to have data connection. You will be using lots of apps like Google maps, My taxi, Uber and more so you need wifi when you are on the go. I highly recommend The Big Sky Nation pocket wifi! Service was excellent so that we were able to use it to navigate on Waze as we drove from Spain to France!
Our Big Sky Nation Pocket Wifi
Rest and Recover
I really think it is important to give your kids time to rest and recover from the long flight. Ok… ok I guess I need the rest more than they do! I never like to pack our days with activities or tours as soon as we land so we have time to sleep, rest and simply get to enjoy the neighborhood.
Santiago enjoying some rest while listening to his audio guide in Palacio Real
Enjoying the San Sebastian Donostia sunset
Traveling with Kids
We always try to emphasize how fortunate the kids are to be able to see new places, discover new food and meet different people. We talk to them about this before and during our trip so that they understand. I researched before hand planning things we can do with kids and printed pictures of tourist spots that we would see in our trip and pasted them on a notebook which later became known as their “travel journal” They wrote some information about the place after we visited it and noted what they liked most about it. Because we had good wifi signal from Big Sky Nation I was able to research on “things to do with kids” when we landed in a specific city. You will be surprised at the activities you might find such as music festivals, art workshops, live reading or puppet theaters and more. We got to tour museums and cathedrals and the kids appreciated it because we always got audio guides which they loved! At the Louvre, we did a family hunt which allowed us to see important art work in that massive fort of a museum. We got tickets for this family hunt with That Lou
The Kids inside The Louvre in Paris
I found a medieval period fortress in Tours France where the kids got learn archery and more.
Sabie learning how to weave just like in the Medieval Ages.
We really loved our vacation apart from the usual expected incidents. Did I mention that we were in Paris when France won the world cup? That was an amazing experience and we kept telling the kids they now have a story to tell. Hoping this post gives you lots of ideas and travel tips, most of all, enjoy your family vacation!
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