Travelling With Children

It always puzzled me how friends with children would rave about package holidays with children's entertainment laid on. This was my idea of hell, perky people in uniform drilling your kids on quad bikes and trampolines from dawn until dusk. And then my husband and I took our first non-package 'Dream Holiday', with our three month old daughter and two year old son. In Tuscany, in a stunning converted Monastry surrounded by the green and peaceful Tuscan countryside. Peaceful, that is until we arrived.

The flight over should have been enough to make us turn back. A small, active child and a cranky baby contained in an enormous queue that moved slower than paint drying. Trying to explain, when we finally found our tiny seats, why you couldn't run up and down the aisles or meet all the other passengers. The realisation on landing that I was in pain and my foot had a sinister looking blister that had not been there when we left...

Oh well, I thought, things will be fine once we get there. I'll be able to rest then. Famous last words. Here's a test, how relaxing would you find the following:

Sleeping in the same room as a two year old, who wakes ready to go at 5 am and a three month old baby who needs feeding through the night?

Coaxing a small, unwilling child to try the green pasta that the kind Italian chef has lovingly prepared for him whilst all the grown up diners watch?

Realising that the bite on your foot now has a life of it's own and that you are going to need medical attention in a rural area where you only know how to say 'hello' and 'thank you'?

Realising that there is actually nothing for the two year old to do at the gorgeous converted monastery except to go for country walks or, having exhausted both parents, to try and get the other elegant, childless couples to play with him?

Finally lying on a sun lounger by the swimming pool and almost immediately rescuing said two year old who has slipped on the shiny terracotta tiles into the deep end. A feat that causes you to leave the three month old stranded abruptly on the sun lounger and causes tears all round?

So what did I learn from that trip? Well, I now know all the possible Italian words for insect bite. I know that small children think the world is a playground and everybody is their friend. That you are unlikely to find time for romance or even a half decent conversation with your husband when there is nothing for the kids to do. That my friends were right and we have since booked holidays where we enjoy time as a family and then wave the little darlings off to their pre-scheduled activities so they can be with people like them. All's well that ends well. Although, I would still like to know what bit me and if it is still lurking at an airport ready for its next unsuspecting holiday maker...

Here are some tips for travelling with children:

Being ill abroad - It can happen. Make sure you have the correct travel insurance before travelling. Do some research on the country you are visiting to see if you need specific injections before you go. Talk to your doctor. Google 'Travel Abroad' and look for Government websites that will cover all the basics. If you do fall ill and you don't speak the language, try to find someone who can interpret for you so that both you and the Doctor can communicate more effectively.

Travelling with kids - Think about what it's going to be like for you and them before you book. Is a two week mountain trekking holiday really going to work with a 3 month old baby? Look for holidays where you can all get the kind of rest and fun that you need! Make sure that you have snacks and pocket activities for time waiting at airports or for the car.

Go with another family - Do you know a family that you could holiday with? Do you all get on? Do your kids get on? If you do, this can be a great way of keeping the kids happy and having shared child care and adult time.

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