6 Tips To Travel Abroad With A Baby Stress-Free
Travelling alone can be stressful enough. When you add a baby to the mix, things can get even more hectic. However, there are things that you can do in order to better prepare yourself for a trip abroad with a baby. Below, we will discuss a number of the different tips that you should implement to really have a stress-free trip abroad with your baby.
1. Adhere To Your Baby's Schedule.
One of the most important things that you will want to do when planning a trip abroad with a baby is to factor their sleep schedule into the equation when you are booking flights. Your travel plans should revolve around your baby's sleeping schedule. That way, you will be able to ensure that the schedule doesn't conflict with their normal napping or sleeping times. Otherwise, you could be in for a real headache. To do this, you should aim to book your flights around their sleeping schedule whether it's their nap time or typical bedtime. This will allow you to maximise the chances that your baby sleeps for a majority of the flight and doesn't end up in a bad mood due to being too tired or wired.
2. New Toys.
When prepping for a trip abroad with your baby, you should be equipping yourself with various new toys that you will be able to show your baby during the trip. A new toy will not only help distract your baby, but it can keep them preoccupied during take-off, while in flight, and even during landing periods. This can be very helpful to keep your baby from getting too emotional and avoid outbursts throughout the long flight.
3. Pack A Full Diaper Bag But Don't Overpack In General.
Nothing is worse than under-prepping your diaper bag for a long trip abroad. You don't want to run out of clean clothes, diapers, or any of the essentials while travelling. This means that you should be creating a checklist prior to your trip to ensure that you are packing your diaper bag full of everything that you could possibly need. While you do want to limit the amount of luggage that you are carrying on with you to a certain extent, always over prep when you are dealing with your diaper bag. It is always better to have more than you need than to run out of something like diapers, clean clothes, or wipes while travelling.
With that being said, one of the mistakes that a lot of new parents make is overpacking. No matter where you are travelling, you should be able to find all of your baby's essentials while there. Thus, you only want to go overboard when it comes to your travelling diaper bag. You shouldn't have to overpack your actual checked luggage and instead, you should rely on shopping once you arrive.
4. Your Destination Country Will Have Items Your Baby Needs
There is no need to fill your luggage, your carry on, and your pockets with everything your little one owns. Knowing what to pack, especially when your destinations have different weather, can be stressful and too often we tend to overpack due to this uncertainty. But remember you can get diapers, toiletries, clothing and other items abroad so pack what you and your baby needs then you can always purchase more at your holiday destination if you so need.
5. Take Your Time.
While you are abroad, it is important to understand how having a baby is going to influence your entire trip. While you might be packing your schedule full of things that you are planning on doing, it is important to understand how your baby is likely to impact your trip. Your baby is going to slow you down during your trip. Therefore, you should avoid rushing things and instead try to enjoy a slower pace of travel. That way, you are able to take it all in and avoid encountering heightened stress levels by trying to rush everything.
6. Ensure Your Baby Is Ready For Travel.
If you are planning on travelling abroad, one of the more important things that you are going to want to do is ensure that your baby is up to date on the latest vaccinations. Along with this, you will want to look into getting your baby a flu shot. While flying, you will be more susceptible to contracting the flu virus. No matter how much you wash your hands or carry around antibacterial sanitiser, you cannot prevent the flu virus when sharing air in a plane with many other people. Because of this, you want your baby to be as protected as possible with an up to date flu vaccine.
Overall, there is a lot that you can do to minimise the stress-levels that you are faced with throughout your trip abroad. By following the tips above, you should be able to properly prepare yourself, your family, and your baby for the trip.
Two additional tips for you to keep in mind;
Organise travel documents for your baby
Before leaving to go on your overseas trip, do not forget to organise official travel documents for your child. You'd be amazed how many people do not consider this important issue before travelling. Delays, rush fees, or issues with paperwork can cause stress, so it is recommended that you organise these documents as early as possible.
Be sure to check passports, visas, ID and any other paperwork before setting out on that much needed holiday. Do your research, or if you still do not know what to do, ask your travel agent for help. This will ensure you are not caught out on your travels.
Don't be afraid to ask for and accept help!
If travelling as a family, but especially if you are travelling alone with your baby its ok to ask for help. When on the plane, it's ok to ask the flight attendant to look after your little one if you need to go to the loo. When waiting at the baggage claim, it is ok to ask someone to help with getting your bag. People are more willing to help than we think.
Finally, if you have any questions regarding the do's and don'ts of travelling with a baby, feel free to ask and I will happily respond. I can also help with travel itineraries, hotels, tickets, tours, flight arrangements and more.
Drop me an email or give me a call on 1300 365 688 ext 502 if you want an awesome travel agent looking after your travel plans.
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