Word Search: Planning to travel with children? Book the back row, and other tips...

Whether you’re holidaying across the world this summer, or just hopping to the next city for a staycation, travelling with children is no joke. Even the best planned vacation can derail pretty quickly with diaper blowouts, teething fits and stroller tantrums.

Click start to play today’s Word Search, where we learn how to make the experience with ‘wee’ ones a whole lot easier.

If you’ve been browsing videos on Instagram or TikTok, you’ve likely seen families who can only be called super travellers. They bounce around from one destination to the next, posting photos of their happy babies who stare dreamily out of aeroplane windows and splash around infinity pools at luxury hotels. What’s their secret?

According to a May 2023 report in US-based travel news and features magazine Condé Nast Traveller, here’s what seasoned travellers do when vacationing with their young family:

1. Start them young

Most people assume that their travelling days are over when they have their first child. But having your little one adjust to your lifestyle, just as much as you adjust to theirs, is a great way to help them become seasoned travellers from a young age. Take your children on short trips, even if they’re mere months old – they learn to get used to moving around and adapting to breaks in their routine. As they grow, they become more confident and self-reliant; some parents said their six- and seven-year-olds could order their own food at restaurants, and learn how to count and use foreign money.

2. Travel to destinations that love children

Many countries around the world – especially in South America and Europe – have a mindset geared towards convenience for families with children. You’ll likely experience reduced lines at customs or at the airport, and never feel shunned for bringing your noisy child to a restaurant. It’s a mind frame that puts parents at ease on their vacation, and allows them to stop being self-conscious on behalf of their kids, so that they can truly enjoy their time.

3. Brace for impact on flights

Most parents have horror stories they can share from travelling on aeroplanes with their children. Even if you’ve packed a minimart worth of snacks, along with games, books and toys for your toddler, they can plough through it all within an hour, leaving you struggling for the remainder of the long flight. Some tips to handle stressful flights with kids include packing a tablet full of educational games and children’s shows, and sneaking in one or two toys or books your child has never played with or seen before. Crucially, and contrary to popular belief, choose seats at the back of the plane rather than the front – this way, you’ll avoid the glares of hundreds of strangers when you’re pacing the aisles with a cranky baby. Also, since airlines offer early boarding to families, it’s far more prudent to send your partner with all your bags in first, and bring in your baby at the last minute, than force your child to spend more time stuck in a seat than they have to.

Do you have travel tips for parents flying with young children? Play today’s Word Search and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.