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Family | Holidays

What to take and pack when holidaying with children

Travel light? Yeah, right!

It’s a wonderful concept isn’t it? Pack everything you think you’re going to need for your holiday, then reduce it by half. The ‘travel light’ mantra of globetrotting gurus might suit backpackers with their handkerchief-sized super-absorbent towels and erratic rotation of underwear, but it’s not always an easy, or necessarily desirable, option for families.

Obviously, excessive luggage is a stress you can do without. However, depending on whether you skimp on things or take enough in the way of clothes, equipment, toys and supplies can be the difference between making travel with kids enjoyable or just bearable. See pages 20-21 for 30 best buys.

Documents

Many countries, including the UK, USA and Australia, require children to have their own passport (for the UK Passport Service visit ukpa.gov.uk). Apply for these at least two months in advance of your departure date – longer if you also need visas. Brace yourself for some fun and games when trying to get a legal passport photograph of your fidgety baby or toddler.

Babies under one are allowed to have their eyes closed, children under five do not need to have a neutral expression or look directly at the camera, and photos of children under 11 can show a head size of between 21 and 34 mm instead of the adult minimum requirement of 29 mm.

Otherwise, it must be a sharp, shadowless photograph – no grins, no dummies, no fingers up noses and no evidence that mum is supporting baby’s head. Forget photo booths – you’ll spend a fortune trying to get an acceptable image and the experience might put you off family travel for life.

A professional photographer at a studio, on the other hand, will have lots of tricks for getting the perfect shot.

In addition to passports and visas, make sure you have adequate family travel insurance, certificates of any medical prescriptions or vaccinations (like yellow fever) that may need to be shown at immigration or customs controls, a print-out of your itinerary and e-tickets (more likely nowadays than flight, rail or ferry tickets) and contact details while away.

Take two copies of everything, stash one set in your hand luggage and leave the other with a friend or relative at home.

Packing

What you take will depend on several factors, such as the age of your children, the type of trip (city break, trek, beach holiday etc), the likely climate (hot, cold or wet) and whether you’re going to fly somewhere or pile everything into the car and drive.

The amount of gear you take is adversely proportional to the size of your child.
Essentials for travelling with babies can include nappies, umpteen changes of clothes, feeding equipment, stroller, favourite toys, travel cot, bedding, portable highchair and car seat.

For toddlers you’ll still need a stroller, car seat, toys and travel potty. Once kids reach four or five, they will probably want to pack their own small daypack with a few games, some activity pads and colouring pencils, a soft toy and some sweets.

Teenagers meanwhile are often content with a book or magazine, an MP3 player or games console, a supply of spare batteries and a ‘do not disturb’ sign.
When children (especially girls) reach a certain age, they take a determined – though not always realistic – interest in what clothes to pack.

Diplomacy and supreme negotiating skills are required by parents to ensure that half your luggage isn’t filled with a dozen varieties of sandals and a summer dress for each day you’re away. Generally, though, clothes need to be lightweight, casual, durable, compatible with each other and easy to wash and dry. See opposite for a suggested clothing checklist.

Once you’ve finished deliberating over what to take you need to decide how you’re going to carry it. A suitcase or holdall is fine – you can find things quickly and easily – but make sure it has wheels for those inevitable airport situations when you need to simultaneously carry a tired child and shift heavy luggage.

A medium-sized case for each member of the family can be more practical than one or two colossal ones. It gives children independence, they can find their own things without turning out everyone else’s and, if you’re not sharing the same room in a hotel, it saves a lot of running back and forth along the corridors.

Hand luggage

Pack spare clothes and other essentials (such as wet wipes, nappies and favourite toys) in your hand luggage in case your suitcases get lost, the flight is delayed or cancelled, or you discover that your child is airsick.

Following increased security measures at airports there are now restrictions on the quantities of liquids (including all drinks, syrups, creams, lotions, oils, sprays and pastes) that can be carried in cabin baggage.

You can carry small quantities of liquids, but only in separate containers that must not exceed 100 ml and are clearly visible in a single, transparent, re-sealable plastic bag (about the size of a small freezer bag) ready for inspection by airport security staff.

Medical equipment, such as inhalers for asthma sufferers, are permitted. Prescribed medicines, accompanied by relevant documentation, may also be allowed in quantities over the 100 ml limit, but you should check with your airline beforehand.

Although liquid baby food and sterilised water, sufficient for the journey, can be taken through airport security, the accompanying adult will be required to verify by tasting.