Tips on Traveling with Kids Abroad

I've been traveling with my kids abroad since my daughter was 3 years old and my son at around 9 months old. Our first travel was in Hong Kong, and since then we already went to a couple other countries like Japan and Australia. Through the times there are some things that I wish I already knew about traveling with kids abroad. I hope that what I share with my experience will also help you out soon on your next out of the country adventures!

• How to Pack Light When Traveling with Kids
  

When traveling with your kids or babies, we can't help but over pack everything. Before you do that- Stop and think!

Reflect on how many days you are traveling, check the weather forecast on google or accuweather and plan your kid's wardrobe from there. If you have friends who are in that country you are visiting, chat them up and confirm the weather.

For example, we had a trip to Japan last February 2019 and it was a 5 day trip. We were expecting a bit of snowfall and we had plans to go to Fujiten Ski Resort on our third day of stay. So I packed up six leggings for each kid, six turtle necks or inner warmers, three thick jackets, three normal denim pants , a couple of sleepwear and a lot of underwear and socks. I folded the jeans and top in pairs and made sure that I can mix and match or reuse them all as these are all gonna be layered up.



Also, they will be hidden anyways because of the two winter jackets that we had for their outer layer wear. So in the end, with their jackets, our jackets, their clothes and our clothes we got our luggage to total less than 15 kilos- and our baggage allowance is 30 kilos.

• Picking out Your Place to Stay Abroad

When picking a place to stay in the city or country of your choice, try to make it as near as possible to your destination in case of emergencies or sleeping kids. You should always take note of your child's stamina, your stamina and your patience. 

The first time we were in Japan, we had plans to visit Universal Studios in Osaka. We had a wonderful time but at the last part, my child got too dizzy on the last ride and puked, it was cold and raining outside hence she was slippery when we were carrying her back to our Air Bnb. It was tough and we got a bit lost with the trains because we kind of panicked and just wanted to go home. 

In the end, I think things would have been a bit easier if our place to stay was just one train ride away. Or if I knew beforehand that 4D virtual reality Despicable Me rides are my Jenae's kryptonite. LOL.

• How to Survive Your Kids being Dizzy and Vomiting in the Plane (or on roadtrips)

Make sure that you have an emergency plastic bag or puke bag for these cases. Also have your kids drink Bonamine a couple of hours before the flight. DO NOT give bonamine 30 minutes before or just before you take off as it may worsen the dizziness.

It would be better if your kids can sleep through the flight, but we all know that sometimes it is next to impossible. For those cases all you can do is to talk to your child, calm them down and be perceptive if they are going to puke or not. Some kids become calm with ointments like white flower, but mine are too sensitive to smells. So for me, I go for the former approach.

Go ahead and grab the puke bags in the plane seat's pockets. You never know when you will need them.

• Bring a reusable tumbler and ipad, tablet or books especially if you have connecting flights 

  The thing is, while we are not allowed any sort of liquid on the plane itself, it is a different case if you have connecting flights. To save up on water, have an empty tumbler ready and on hand, and just fill it up once you are past the x rays and is just waiting for your flight. There are drinking fountains in most airports' "gates" so you get to save on a bit of water.
  
  Ipads and Tablets are also a handy little magic tool for these times because you usually have to wait for 3 or more hours to board your next flight. The tablet saves you patience and your voice and gives a couple of peaceful minutes.

• 50% OFF on Travel Taxes for your Kid 

When buying your plane tickets- be it in a piso fare sale or just your usual plane tickets, opt to pay for travel taxes on the airport itself. 

You will find that instead of 1650Php for an economy ticket you will only be paying for 810 Php if your child is two years old up to twelve years old. Unfortunately, you cannot get the discount online which is why it is better to go to the airport at an earlier time and pay for your travel tax there directly.

• Do an ONLINE CHECK IN if you can

Double check the terms and conditions to see if you can check in 48 hours or more before your flight. This saves you the headache of being separated from your group. It also saves time because you're just dropping in baggage. Believe me, we've been on both sides of the situation and it always sucks to be rows away from your husband just cause you didn't do an online check in.

• Ask for Discounts on Activities with the hotel that you're staying or use online travel apps like Klook (PS Not Sponsored)

  

When we went to Japan for a Universal Studios Tour and a Disneyland Tour, we paid for the regular price of the tickets. But when we went in Hong Kong, I finally convinced my family to book our tickets via a travel app called Klook.

Our first booking was not a success as we were having problems with confirmation of purchase with the bank, but we asked the hotel that we stayed at if they had any tours with Ocean Adventure that we can avail. Fortunately, while their savings was at a 10% off, unlike Klook's which is at 17%, the tickets that we got from Hotel Imperial is included with a bus ride to Ocean Adventure itself.

And for our Disneyland tour, we got to buy the tickets via Klook, and the discount we got was at 12%, which translates to at least 500 Pesos in savings. It was sulit cause we were 7 adults and 5 kids, so that's like a total savings of 3500 pesos for the trip.

So always ask your hotel if they might have some discounted tickets for the attractions that you want to go to. You never know if you might be able to save up on a lot.

 

I know traveling abroad with kids, especially 3 or more may sound like a task as crazy as the joker here. But with this guide I hope that getting to see the Philippines, or the world rather, may be a more enjoyable and relaxing time for you and your family.