A Guide to your Child’s First Holiday…
Hi, I’m Thomas. I am the owner of Little Escapes Travel Company and proud father to an amazing little boy, whom I wish to show the world.
As first time parents, we know how daunting it can feel to take your little bundle of joy on their first trip away from home. Whether it be a staycation or an exotic vacation, we hope this blog helps put your minds at ease and makes you confident enough to book that holiday today!
1. Book it – Don’t overthink it
You have likely been on plenty of holidays yourself. Whilst the idea of travelling with children for the first time can feel overwhelming,trust yourself. You know the score, you know how it goes and everything will be fine.
2. Give yourself plenty of time
You’d quite like to avoid re-enacting the airport scene from Home Alone when taking your little one on their very first holiday. So plan ahead, give yourself more time than normal, let everyone rush around you and just go along with it. It’s still YOUR holiday, so just relax.
3. Look close to home
If you’re travelling with a very young child (0-2 yrs), you’ll want to make the most of the free air travel. However, you may be anxious of how your baby may be on the plane. So don’t put yourself under too much pressure.
Travel to a destination that’s no longer than 4-5 hours away. It may also help to find somewhere with little to no time difference, to help avoid jet lag and to keep your little one in their routine.
If you’re travelling from the UK, your best options may be Spain (incl. Canary & Belaeric Islands), Portugal, Italy, Croatia or Greece.
4. Don’t overpack
Remember, almost anything can be purchased abroad. You might not get the same brand, but it’ll be okay. If you’re worried about eco-friendly brands of nappies, try using a different brand before you leave or think about purchasing some re-usable or washable nappies.
Pack some washing detergent that you’re comfortable using so you can wash your baby’s clothes safe in the knowledge it won’t cause a reaction.
5. All Inclusive vs Self Catering
Each come with their own pro’s and con’s. We always travel all inclusive as it affords us a lot of freedom and it’s generally less stressful.
All inclusive gives you the assurance that you always have a good meal at all hours of the day at no additional cost to you. It affords you the opportunity to try some new foods without the fear of wasting money. However, you may be anxious of the quality of the food, although you can give yourself assurances by making sure you book a hotel with a good reputation.
Self catering holidays are often cheaper than all inclusive. You can then choose to dine at any restaurant of your choice, perhaps keeping to what you know i.e. fast food. However, you may find yourself spending more than usual, perhaps buying meals for your child which may or may not be wasted.
6. Pushchairs & Slings
You don’t want to have to worry about lugging a very heavy and expensive pushchair on and off or planes, coaches and cars whilst on holiday.
It is common for airports to allow you to take a pushchair to the gate, where you can hand it to a friendly member of staff who will stow it away in the plane for you.
Our advice is that before you travel, purchase a cheap and light pushchair that is easy to fold and transport, which you can get for around £30-£50 online.
A sling is a really useful tool to take with you when travelling with a baby or toddler. It free’s up your hands, they feel nice and safe on your back or chest and they take up little to no room in your suitcases or handluggage.
7. Babyfood
Many airports allow baby milk (incl. breast milk) and baby food to be taken through security in 100ml containers. They may screen the containers or milk for illegal substances but this only takes a moment or two and does not contaminate your food in any way.
Some great advice we were given was to place a ‘click and collect’ order at a Boots inside the Terminal with all of the baby food you need for you to pick up once you get through security.
8. Scrap your itinerary
When taking your children on holiday for the first time you won’t know what to expect, so don’t put yourself under unecessary pressure by planning each day to the n’th degree.
Go with the flow and be prepared for a sudden change in plan for several reasons; you’re little one may be having a grumpy day or may not feel themselves due to a change in climate or food etc.
Keep your holiday as stress free as possible, otherwise you may find yourself needing a holiday from your holiday.
9. Tell them about it
If your child is new to travel, involve them in it. Tell them stories about going on a big airplane, boat or car and travelling to a far known land. Start pointing our airplane’s in the sky and saying “we’re going on one of them soon”.
Let them know what’s going to happen, like when to put their seatbelt on and why the need to wear one. Make it sound fun, children pick up on your emotions. If you’re nervouse, they’ll be nervous. Offer encouragement, it is an adventure after all!
10. Bring a camera
Trust me when I say this, you will never get a better chance to get some gorgeous holiday photo’s of you and your little family than in their first two years. They can’t move very far and will no doubt look adorable in their many holiday outfits you’ve picked out for them.
We took a couple hundred pictures of our little boy on his first holiday, which we still treasure to this very day. You won’t want to forget a second of it, so snap away!!!
Little Escapes Travel Guide 