Family Holidays - tips for travelling with children

Flight Centre consultants can help you choose the right airlines, arrange special requirements while onboard, organise airport transfers and special accommodation requests etc. They will help you and your family every step of the way with planning your perfect family holiday.

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Before departure

• Update any immunisations which may be needed – check with public health authorities


• Check if your family members require visas for the destination


• Passports – now that passports are only valid for 5 years, check the expiry date. Also, generally passports need to be valid 6 months prior to travel


• Remember any medications your children may need – pain relievers, insect repellents, antihistamines, bandages, sunscreen etc


• Insurance, never leave home without it – especially when travelling with children!  Always compare policies and ensure the policy covers you from the day you purchased it until the day you get back. Not all policies cover that

• Create anticipation for the family by starting a countdown calendar with photos of the destination!

• If travelling with teenagers, engage your teens with the planning and researching stages of the holiday to make them feel more involved

Flying with children

• Book direct flights when possible as the less time spent travelling, the better


• Try to choose evening flights when travelling long-haul, this will help everyone sleep on the flight and adapt to the new time zones easier


• Check with the airline if they have in-flight entertainment. If not, perhaps put together an activity kit– books, pens, stickers etc


• Pack a carry bag  - bottled water for hydration, hand wipes, drink bottle, pacifiers, tissues, medications, gum to relieve air pressure etc


• The best seats when flying with children are generally the front row in economy class where there is a lot of legroom. Try and place young children between two responsible adults


• At check-in, ask for all seats to be together so that your children are not separated


• Remember to get up and stretch and walk around with the children but do not let littlies walk around the plane unsupervised

• Pre-order childrens’ meals from the airlines as they are more likely to enjoy their meals if they are served first


• If you are travelling with an infant, request a bassinet seat

• Teens may want to take their own computer games, i-pods, laptops etc onboard. Check with your Flight Centre consultant with airline regulations.

Accommodation with children

• Book a centrally located hotel, so you can easily return to your room for naptimes / rest


• Consider apartment style accommodation with a kitchen so you can easily prepare your children’s favourite meals. Plus it saves costs!

• Check with your Flight Centre consultant if the accommodation has baby-sitting and kids club facilities


• Familiaries yourself and your family with the hotel’s emergency procedures


• Check out if there are any accommodation deals like kids eat free or kids stay free

• When you first arrive, scan the accommodation for any hazards e.g. balconies, plugs etc.

• For those families with teens, choose accommodation which is full of variety, freedom and plenty of activities with the chance to meet other teenagers

Sight-seeing with children

• Pre-pay all sight-seeing where possible. By pre-purchasing you avoid the queues and you know exactly what you are doing each day


• Don’t plan anything too long during your travels; keep things short, light & fun to prevent children getting overtired


• Car hire gives you the flexibility & independence you need when travelling with children. Ensure there is a safe car-seat available & room to take the pram. Taking tapes/CDs of favourite music is a good idea.


• Save everything on holiday and have the children paste all their mementos (brochures, napkins, ticket stubs etc) in a scrapbook

• Routine is key – try and stick as closely as you can to your home routines. Keep bedtimes & naptimes the same and let your children bring their favourite toys

• Give teenagers the opportunity to take responsibility as they are approaching adulthood. Give them local currency so that they can take responsibility for their own spending and “free” time

NZ School Terms 2010

See www.minedu.govt.nz for details on 2010 Public Holidays & Anniversary Day Holidays