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Travelling with kids – 7 essential lifesaver tips

travelling with kids – 7 essential lifesaver tips

Travelling with kids… It’s the best thing to spend undisturbed family time and go on an adventure with your kids, but it can be a challenge. So we gathered all our parental reviews and expert tips on travelling with kids… To make it more fun for everyone!

Invest in an EASY portable travel crib
If you only read one tip, let it be this one. With little kids, you will use a portable baby crib during lots of travels but also during many sleep overs for the first 3-4 years of your child’s life, so please invest in a light and EASILY foldable one. They’re a little more expensive but SO worth it. The frustration parents have here at the Amstel with folding the cheap ones when in a hurry to pack is unparalleled.  There are many options so please investigate, but we hear great stories about the Baby Bjorn Crib Light being the best portable crib for travelling families. It’s light, easy to carry and folds and unfolds in seconds. Not sponsored 😉

Reduce waiting time
Try to minimise time spent in line! Kids hate waiting, and who doesn’t? So do yourself a favour, check in online for that flight. If you’re travelling with small kids, customs often let you pass first so be blunt and ask the customs employees. At your destination, visit the tourist attractions early in the morning and book tickets online. That way, you don’t spend half your day in line with a crying toddler.

Don’t overpack
Experience travelling families cannot stress this ‘travelling with kids’ tip enough. You can buy almost everything can abroad and most locations offer laundry service so pack only the very essentials. You will love yourself for it when you are dragging only one light suitcase for the whole family up that narrow street to you hostel or hostel!

But pack wisely
That said, DO pack some essentials that will make your travels easier. Some puzzles, a colouring book, a charged device with their favourite TV shows on it, a head set (because Peppa Pig might not be everyone’s favourite), some healthy snacks, a change of clothes, and plenty of baby wipes! Ow and pack one extra t-shirt for yourself if you have small kids…

Book a hotel hostel
Ok, so we might be biased. But the feedback we get from all kids and families staying at our hostel, is that kids prefer the vibrant and low key vibe of a hostel. Even families that can easily afford a hotel prefer a neat hostel when travelling with the kids. There’s often a game room with table tennis, billiards, and other fun stuff. There’s a lobby where they can meet and play with other kids, and a kitchen if you want to prepare a quick meal. And the staff is often much younger and less uptight. At the Amstel we have private family rooms that are just as nice as any Berlin hotel. But these Berlin family rooms are cheaper and the environment is so much more laid back for the kids.

Brand them
Not literally off course, but when you go out with the little kids, it’s wise to write your mobile phone number on their arm. That way, if they get lost, at least you find them back soon!

Stroller // sling // baby carriage?
Off course, it depends on your child’s age. And where you’re going but most frequent travelling parents we spoke to definitely recommend the light foldable stroller. Because it’s small, easy to travel with and you can even used it for a little nap up to the age of 5.