3 Essential Tips for Travelling with Young Kids

My husband and I LOVE to travel. After several years of enjoying adventure-filled trips as a couple, we decided to "settle" down and start raising a family. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even after having kids, we could continue to travel with them. To many people, travelling with young kids can seem daunting. I remember how our friends' looks of excitement turned to looks of confusion when we told them we were taking the kids with us on our next trip, Paris. Our two kids were two and five years old at the time. People wanted to know: What would you do with the kids in Paris? How would they handle the narrow streets, small hotel rooms and small restaurants? Nevertheless, we wanted the adventure, and we wanted to see Paris through the eyes of our children. How did we do it? Keep reading! (These tips can apply to any city you visit!)

1. Get excited about your destination.
By showing your kids how excited you are, they will pick up on the positivity and look forward to the holiday, as well. For example, we exposed our children to various aspects of Paris before the trip.
a) Watched a movie set in Paris (Ratatouille).
b) Listened to French music.
c) Took our children to a patisserie in our neighbourhood and introduced them to "pain au chocolat" and "crèpes."
d) Showed them pictures of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Mona Lisa.

2. Read, research and plan.
You don't have to go overboard on the planning, but some research will definitely help make the trip more fun for both kids and parents. For big-city destinations, it is wise to:
a) Get a travel book and/or check out websites on accommodations, tourist attractions and restaurants.
b) Choose a family-friendly hotel. My husband and I spent a lot of time finding the perfect hotel for our 10-day vacation. We were looking for places that had two separate rooms so the kids could go to sleep early, a kitchenette with a microwave and fridge and a good location. We wanted proximity to nice restaurants, parks, shops, major attractions, and of course, the metro (subway).

c) Book your transportation from airport to downtown weeks in advance so that car seats are installed and ready to go when you arrive at the airport.
d) Make an itinerary. Keep it simple and flexible! Limit to one tourist attraction per day and always include at least one fun activity per day (e.g., parks). Wherever possible, purchase tickets online to avoid crowds.

e) Find out about food.
Scout out some restaurants for dinner, especially ones near your hotel - the internet and travel books are great resources. We also asked friends who had lived in Paris for their feedback. My husband and I wanted our children to experience some great food. Our kids' North American dinnertime of 6 p.m. was really early by Parisian standards, so getting reservations was easy and there weren't a lot of other patrons around for the kids to annoy. We opted to stick mostly with cafés and family-friendly restaurants so that the kids would be comfortable. However, we wanted to go to at least one fancy restaurant, and I made a reservation online and warned the maître d' that I was bringing two young children.

3. Pack your bags. I have a general checklist of items that need to be packed for all trips. For Paris, we tried to pack lightly; elevators can be small, and some accommodations only have staircases.
By preparing yourself ahead of time, you can make the experience fun for the whole family. 

Divya Chandra is a mother of two young children. Her hobbies include reading, yoga and travel. Her children also love to travel with their parents, and frequently like to share their interesting travel experiences with friends and relatives. Divya balances her family life with her part-time job as a paediatric dentist, and teaches at the University of Toronto.