Family Travel Safety Tips

How many times have you been on vacation with your kids, whether its driving, or on a cruise, and the unexpected occurs. The first words out of you mouth are,” I have that at home in the first aid kit”! This has happen to everyone I know that travels with kids. We stress to our kids to be aware of their surroundings, you would be surprised the details they capture that you missed. We follow a few personal traveling tips when we travel with our kids.

Driving…

If we are driving, take a few a hours to check the car overall. While driving, first and forth-more, seat belts at all times, regardless if we are parked or moving. This will take some getting used to as they will remain bucked up for a few hours. Then, bring a cooler with enough water, juice and snacks, bring a little extra just in case. Most importantly, do not leave the electronics at home. Not only the electronics, but  entertainment overall. This includes tablets, computer, ipod, ipad, coloring books, playing cards, board games, plush toys. Include a small blanket and a full size pillow for each child.

Cruising…

Cruising is my wife’s favorite way to vacation. The moment we embark, we stress to the kids to sanitize their hands. This is the statement that we will be repeated over, and over, and over every time its time to eat, bathroom, elevators, stairs, all areas that require physical touch. Then we check out the stateroom. I usually run the stateroom down ceiling to carpet with an alcohol wipes to every place a three year old child my stick their little fingers in, child proofing the stateroom. I also double check for any outlets that are obvious and put in a plastic current block. I usually take a few minutes to speak to the stateroom attendant on embarkation day, hand over a generous gratuity, advising we are traveling with small children and kindly request extra sanitation where he or she sees relevant. We pack heavy for cruises, especially for medicines.

We usually bring and pack what the children usually use at home, to give them a sense of a comfort zone in an strange place. We traveled and cruised quit a bit, more than most I would say. We implement the above safety tips on every vacation whether we are traveling by car or by cruise, makes things easier and smoother for the parents and kids. I would love to hear from you, how do you take precautions when traveling and if you apply any of the above safety tips.