Where have you travelled and how many kids do you have?
International travels with 2 toddlers. I have two little girls – one turning 4 in February and the other turning 2 in January. I was stressed about how they would take to travelling during 8 flights, 3 different hotels, lots of change.
How was your travelling experience with your toddlers?
Honestly it was not as bad as I expected. They loved the flights and didn’t have any issues with their ears. I put a little bit of warm olive oil in all our ears for two nights before we flew. We had to accept when planning that we won’t be able to do everything and we were okay with this. We limited it to the ‘must dos’.
What tips would you give parents based on your experience?
These are my tips based on some suggestions by others and what we found worked well for us:
- Carry lots of snacks EVERYWHERE. Preferably eat before embarking, because they slept through for many flights.
- Downloading their faves on YouTube kids didn’t work for us. On 3 devices it didn’t give us the option to watch the downloaded videos (putting mobile off or in flight mode made no difference). Most of the flights had the inflight entertainment screens (series/movies/games). However, 4 flights didn’t have screens and required you to follow the link to watch on your own device – this didn’t work on our devices either. So definitely carry other things for them to do. Play dough was definitely a hit. We bought them cheap little packs of toys from Osmans to play with. A small colouring book with their own crayons. Although, they were given activity books on 2/8 flights which included crayons too. Put all of this into a little backpack that the bigger child can carry around.
- Their travel prams were definitely a necessity and we could not have managed without them. Be warned – you need to close them before boarding and carry them inside – if you’re alone this will be a bit difficult. Some flights they took the prams away at the door and put them into the normal luggage. You will only get it off the carousel or at the luggage kiosk, one pram was damaged this way. Cairo streets/traffic is chaotic so please don’t let little kids walk.
- Don’t forget to pack a hand luggage with an extra change of clothing and warmer clothing. Leaking nappies, messes with food/water, be prepared for everything.
- Try to think of all the meds you may need and have it in flight – allergies, painful ears, stuffy noses, coughs, running tummy, nausea, pain. Remember, in bottles 100 ml or less.
- Carry a separate pack of wet wipes for the flights, car rides etc – you will need this EVERYWHERE.
- Kids won’t necessarily like all the touristy things, museums, etc. so try not to do too many of these. Make sure to include something for them in the day, a park, some type of kid’s entertainment, swimming/beach. Something that will keep them from nagging or troubling you for the rest of the day and also tire them out a bit so you can have a break.
Any tips on what to expect at the airport?
You will get priority for boarding on some flights but not everywhere. They will let you skip passport control lines in some airports, but not all, because you have small kids. They only require the children’s birth certificates when leaving and entering SA (for the older passports).
Flight tips
Some saline spray in the nose before a flight works wonders to avoid ear issues and also because of the terrible dryness on the flight. Bubblegum or just keep them snacking, talking or drinking in the 15 minutes before landing also avoids ear issues. Remember that 2/3 days before the flight you can request KID meals for your little ones.
Hotel Tips
Don’t forget to carry their bottles/favourite sippy cups with you for hotel breakfast. Be sure when checking in and booking hotels to check if they have lifts. If they don’t, do request a ground floor room – walking up and down stairs with prams and other things isn’t fun.
What else should parents consider?
For us we cannot imagine enjoying a holiday without the little ones. They form a major part in the choice of destination and the planning. For example, my hubby really wanted to visit Ferrari world, but I know from a previous visit that we wouldn’t want to visit again. Considering their age group it doesn’t have a lot for them to do, so we went to Warner Bros in Abu Dhabi as a family. While he went to Ferrari World, we had a lovely afternoon at Yas Beach. It does take a little more planning, but the memories are so worth it.
About the author
Basheera (modestybybash) is a content creator who loves sharing what she is passionate about as well as her travel adventures. You can follow her content here on Instagram.
