10 stay-safe tips for traveling and flying with kids

Whether you are driving, flying with kids, or traveling by sea, here are 10 ways you can ensure your family's safety when you travel.

Tips for traveling safely with children

Traveling with kids can be a lot of fun. However, it can also be quite stressful, especially if you aren’t properly prepared.

Needless to say, when you're planning for a trip, your family’s safety and security should be of utmost importance.

That's why we're sharing these 10 ways you can stay safe when traveling and flying with kids.

1. Update vaccinations before traveling abroad

Safety preparations should begin way before your travel date. Before heading abroad, make sure that your children’s vaccinations are updated.

In fact, you may even need to get certain travel vaccines yourself when traveling to particular cities or countries with specifically identified health risks.

To be on the safe side, consult your and your child's doctors, and let them know about your travel plans.

2. Pack smart

On the plane, make sure that you have all your necessities on hand with a properly packed carry-on bag.

Have Baby Will Travel shares a detailed list of things to bring. The basic "must-haves" include baby wipes, diapers, formula, snacks, toys, a change of clothes, jackets and blankets.

Don’t forget to include insect repellent, sunscreen and hats, too, so that you can easily put these onto your kids before deplaning.

3. Carry clean drinking water

According to CNN, diarrhea is one of the biggest health risks when traveling with kids. Often, this stomach problem is caused by the drinking water in the area.

To be on the safe side, always have a bottle of clean drinking water with you when you travel. You can refill it later on at your hotel or at a restaurant.

Don't forget, though, that airport security may ask you to leave bottles of water and other liquids behind when you're traveling by plane, depending on the amount of liquid in the container.

4. Bring a first aid kit and your health card

Make sure that your health card is in your travel wallet in case of emergencies (if you have one). Also, keep first aid basics like band aids and important medicines in your purse.

For example, working mom Gina Abenoja always carries her son’s nebulizer in her bag during their trips, so that they are prepared in case of sudden asthma attacks.

5. Keep hands clean

It’s hard to prevent your kids from touching everything in sight when they are excited over a new place. That's why you need to take extra care in keeping their hands clean.

Be sure to have alcohol, baby wipes or hand sanitizer in your purse to get rid of germs before they rub their eyes or put their hands in their mouths.

Don’t forget to wash their (and your!) hands properly with soap and water each chance you get.

6. Choose kid-friendly accommodations and destinations

When a hotel, resort or theme park has been branded as kid-friendly, it most likely means that they have child safety precautions in place, according to Tots to Travel, a family-oriented Europe-based travel company.

It also means that there will be activities and amenities available to keep your children occupied during your stay.

7. Make your kids wear something bright and easy to spot

When you're in a vacation spot filled with tourists or a packed airport, it can be easy for your child to get lost in the crowd. That's why it's important to keep dibs on your kid's whereabouts at all times.

Marge Aberasturi, a virtual assistant and mom of 3, says that she makes her kids wear orange shirts whenever they have to go to a crowded place, or are traveling by sea.

She shares, "I want to be able to identify them right away in a crowd, in case we get separated.”

8. Work out a game plan in case your child gets lost

If your kids are old enough to communicate, devise an 'In case you get lost’ plan with them.

Set a safe meeting place like a security post in an amusement park, a lost and found counter, or a shopping mall customer service area.

For detailed tips on what to do in case your child does get lost, you may want to read this article on NetMums.com.

Also, make sure that your children know important information like their full name, your full name, and your telephone number, if they're old enough to memorize them.

9. Have a photo of them on hand

Mom blogger SJ Valdes takes photos of her children before they leave the house so that she has their latest photos to show authorities in case they get lost.

This is a good idea because it also gives you something to refer to when you need to make sure of what your child is wearing on that particular day.

10. Give them an ID with your contact information

Have your kids carry an identification card in their pocket with ‘In case of emergency’ information written clearly on it.

For smaller kids, try using Safetytat, a waterproof and sweat-proof sticker tattoo on which you can write your contact information. Mompreneur Jenny Ong included Safetytat as one of her travel must-haves on a recent family trip.

10 stay-safe tips for traveling and flying with kids

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

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Written by

Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan

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