holidays and travelling with children FAQs
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We will be adding to this list so please come back to read up on more great ideas on making your holiday with kids even more fun! The information on this page has been kindly collated by family travel experts Holidays with Kids.
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Q. Do I need a passport for my baby?
A. Children need a passport from birth, and the passport is usually valid for 5 years. For more information visit this government website.
Q. What is the minimum age I can fly with my baby?
A. Most airlines say 7 days is the minimum age, but they may allow you to fly with medical approval earlier. Best to check with the airline you are flying with.
Q. Which is better – a hotel room or an apartment?
A. These days, a hotel, depending on the star rating, will offer you services such as cable TV, a hair dryer and toiletries, room service and at least one restaurant on-site, dry-cleaning and daily housekeeping - ideal if your holiday is designed for total relaxation. But this can be costly and unless it is a suite hotel, you will need to get rooms with an adjoining door if the family doesn't fit in the one room. Hotels are usually found close to or in the CBD, making them very central and close to public transport.
An apartment can offer you more space, often with up to 3 bedrooms available, a kitchen area for self catering with a dining space, even full laundry facilities in your unit, while still giving you homely comforts such as TV, CD players and often audio equipment (DVD/video players and games). A great benefit of apartments for families is that at bedtime, children can be put to bed in their room enabling the remainder of the family to still be active. Apartments are usually a little out of the CBD area.
Q. Any suggestions on things to take on a plane to keep the kids happy?
A. Most airlines will have kids' activity packs available for you to purchase, and this can be a nice treat for the children, but you will usually have to pay a fee. For a little spend and a little effort, you can still give your kids a whole lot of fun. Try packing some of the following:
- Colouring/activity book
- Stickers
- Crayons or washable textas
- A few favourite story books
- A favourite small soft toy
- An Etcha-sketch type toy
- Finger puppets
- Balloons – keep these in your hand luggage – fantastic to play with when in transit lounges.
- Make use of the headsets. If you child isn't comfortable with them on their ears, try them with the headset around the neck, with the volume turned up a little (not so loud that it annoys other passengers though).
A great idea is to put all the toys in a separate bag – perhaps the child's own backpack as a bit of fun – and bring things out only one at a time. You could also try wrapping each activity up individually and playing a guessing game as to what it is before you open it.
A good rule of thumb is to not pack anything that you would like to lose. So whilst it's good to pack things that are familiar to your child, you really want to avoid a melt-down from your 2 year old if, for example, their most favourite teddy gets left behind somewhere.
If your child is sitting on you and it is about to be their sleep time, remember to go to the toilet before they nod off.
Q. How can I make sure my child eats properly on the flight?
A. Try taking things familiar to your child – child-sized cutlery, their favourite cup, snacks that you know they will enjoy. If you know your child is a little fussy, try packs of single-serve cereal for them to munch on or jars of baby food. Airlines will supply a meal (if an option) for your child, but you do need to order this at the time of booking and confirm it 24 hours before flying, but bear in mind that your child may not like what is offered. Take some small pre-packed serves of jam, vegemite or honey so that you can at least get the bread roll into them.
Q. Can I take my pram on the plane?
A. This is an interesting question. Unfortunately, each airport and airline seems to have different rules on this. Some will let you take a small umbrella stroller right through to the gate, even letting you store it in-flight but won't allow the same with a bulky pram; some will not let you have a stroller at all past the security check point so you need to check it in with your luggage; some will offer you a stroller to use until you board once through the security check point. The best thing to do here is check with the airline when you book, and give the airport management a quick call to confirm. Depending on your holiday itinerary, you could look at a couple of options:
- hire a stroller/pram at your destination
- see if you can borrow a stroller/pram from friends or family at your destination
- purchase a cheap one at your destination that will do the job fine. You could always donate it to a women's shelter or charity organisation before you go if you don't wish to bring it home.
Q. Can I use my baby sling on the plane?
A. A sling is one of the best things you can use to carry your baby at the airport, as it still allows you to use your hands. Whilst you may think that your baby in a sling is the safest way for you both to travel in the plane, Australian regulations stipulate that your baby must have an airline supplied safety belt of her own on when you are seated. You can still use your sling to move around the plane with your child, if you wish.
Q. Any suggestions for keeping the kids happy in the car on long drives?
A. The list above for things to pack for flights all apply, but, with the freedom of having more room, there are a few more things you could consider, such as:
- A portable DVD player
- Travelling trays that act as a table top on your child's lap
- Children's laptops are common these days and a offer many activities for children to wile away the hours on
- A variety of their favourite CDs to listen to
- Try to leave just before the children are due to have a sleep or try travelling early in the morning on in the evening, if you are comfortable doing so.
- Playing games such as I Spy, Memory Game, Chinese Whisper and Spotto are all goodies that seem to last through the generations. Try putting your own touch to them by making things run through the alphabet or be a certain colour.
Remember to stop every two hours to have a stretch and to give the kids a quick run around. Good for you and good for the kids.
Q. What to take for kids when camping?
A. This depends on the size of your vehicle. Of course, the usuals apply – books, colouring in, etc, as above in the in-flight activity suggestions, but also remember that you are going to a wonderful, big open space and that, weather permitting, the kids will be quite busy exploring and making new friends. Here's a few ideas for you:
- Buckets and spades are great whether you're heading to the beach or the bush
- Take a small container (take-away container or ice cream tub) with a lid for your intrepid explorer to store their treasures in
- Board games that the whole family can have fun with
- A torch for each child – great for spotlighting at night
- Balls and a cricket set
- Bikes for exploring on (if your vehicle is set up for this)
- Pack raincoats and gumboots if you expect rain. Kids love to splash about in the puddles - a great activity to do just before bath time.
Depending on the age of the children, you might like to set up a small play area beside your tent. Pack some wooden stakes or star pickets and some cheap fabric or hessian to make a perimeter around their play area. This will help to contain not only the little children, but also any balls or toys that might go wayward and into the path of vehicles.
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