Adventurous holiday with kids: tips & tricks!

Thinking of an adventurous holiday with kids gave me a headache… For years the two of us made the most adventures amazing trips to far, far away counties. We booked our tickets, packed our stuff, jumped on the plain and off we went. Until our daughter was born….how do we that, adventurous holidays with kids?

An adventurous family holiday; which destination is child friendly for a 2 year old? How on earth will we get all our luggage in a suitcase? What can and can’t I take with me, for the little one, on the flight? Do they have special seats for little kids on board and can I get my brand diapers abroad? These and about 100 other questions popped into my mind. Wow, travelling with a young child is definitely different from travelling without a child. To be fully prepared I searched the web for the best tips & tricks!

1. Choosing your destination 

First thing to do: choose your destination. It shouldn’t be too hot, not too cold, not too far and free of malaria. My huge travell experience helps me choose: Mauritius and Reunion are a perfect match! I image our daughter running and playing at the pristine beaches. First thing: done! I am afraid this was the easy part 😉

2. Booking your tickets

There are several airlines who offer flights to Mauritius: Emirates, Air France and Air Mauritius. I prefer an evening flight, hoping our daughter will sleep most of the time. Till the age of 2 kids are allowed to travel on your lap. Plus side: you don’t have to buy them a ticket, down side: they will sit on your lap all flight. I choose Air Mauritius. After booking our tickets we can reserve our seats (ask for a baby basket when travelling with a baby) and don’t forget to pre-order a children’s meal.

3. Survive your flight

Main reason for most parents to skip an adventurous holiday is the long flight. Let me reassure you: we are happily surprised! You can request a “baby basket” with almost all airlines. Your baby can enjoy a good night sleep, while you can enjoy a glass of champagne while watching the inflight enteratinment. Aren’t there any baby baskets available? The FlyLegsUp might do the job as well.

You are allowed to bring food for the baby onboard. Check with your airline what you can and can’t take. We took bottles of milk, water and baby food with us, which wasn’t a problem at all. You will probably have some extra safety checks, make sure you have plenty of time. It might be wise to give your baby a bottle right before takeoff and landing to make sure they don’t experience earache. Do you want more tips on flying with kids? Check out this blog.

4. Choosing your hotel

After hours of research and some stress for our long haul flight, choosing our hotels was easy. Luckily we made good choices. When we arrive we find a baby cot in every hotel room, plenty activities for kids, plenty activities for us and I can find everything we need for our little girl in the local grocery shop. The inhabitants of Mauritius and Reunion are super friendly and love kids. Our baby has never gotten so many cuddles.

Although I was a little stressed during the preparations of our first adventurous holiday with kids, it was amazing to travel with our little girl. She turns out to be an amazing travel buddy. When you prepare your trip carefully, you already made the first step by reading this blog, an adventurous holiday with kids is for sure something we highly recommend.

This is a guest blog of Jennifer, a travel expert at Thika Travel and mum of Feline (3). Do you want advice on an adventurous holiday with kids? Give Jennifer a call!

This article was published in dutch on Thika Travel.