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Tips for on the go > On a holiday > General tips

For International travel tips click here

When Booking a Holiday

• Holidays are for parents and kids. A great place to go is a holiday resort that has a kids club and lots of kids activities suitable to your kids age group. A lot of these places offer kids stay and eat for free (at certain times), and really welcome young travellers.

• When you are booking ask about room facilities - eg for safety (balcony type, courtyards that are closed off), kitchen, microwave.  It's also handy to ask about room configurations to ensure they will suit you and your children and whether bedrooms have balconies or unsafe windows.

• We recommend booking at least a one bedroom apartment (seperate bedroom to living area) with a baby and two bedroom if you have two or more children. remember babies and small children still need to sleep in the day and go to bed around 7pm, so if they are sleeping where you are living you won't have a holiday at all.

• Also check if you are booking adjoining rooms that it is guaranteed 100% they will be adjoining.

• If booking a rental car, ensure you book a car seat to suit the ages of your children. Most rental companies offer this service or you could use a baby equipment rental company.

• Baby equipment rental companies operate in a lot of major and regional areas, and offer portcots, prams, car seats and toys for hire.

Before you Travel

• Pack some plastic bottles or jars and fill them up with enough dishwashing liquid, napisan, washing powder for your holiday.

• If you are bottle feeding, take your bottle brush, bottles, steriliser, formula container and formula tins.

• A great tip is pack the long life milk in 200 or 250 ml cartons. You can put these in your carry-on drawstring bag so your child can have milk on the trip.

• Order some groceries online and have them delivered to your hotel or holiday accomodation the day you arrive. This will save you having to go to the supermarket to buy supplies the minute you arrive.

• If travelling overseas or to a remote location, check medical facilities available, whether that is at the hotel, or local hospital or medical centre. You do not want to be looking for this information when your child is sick. Always pack a comprehensive medical kit appropriate to your destination.

• Leave details of your holiday with a family member or close friend at home and also keep a copy in your luggage/hotel safe. Details include flights, hotel details, insurance policy details, copy of passport and birth certificates and lost/stolen credit card phone numbers. Here's an easy to complete form to hold all of these details.

• When travelling overseas or to remote areas, check that your mobile has coverage.

• If you will be relying on taxis for transport, check with a taxi company at your destination whether you can order a taxi with a child seat or whether you will need to take yours with you.

• For older children, a child safety harness is a great alternative for travel, as it still bolts into the vehicle but is compact to take with you.

On your Holiday

• Do not try and do too much, gone are the days of seeing 7 countries in 15 days! Kids function better with some stability so try and stay in one location for at least 3 nights. (also makes unpacking and repacking kids stuff easier)

• Plan your days to allow for rest, food and play stops - babies and young children still need to sleep in the day and older children will get restless if there is no play time allocated.

• Water and food hygiene is critical to ensure nasty bugs to not ruin your holiday. Always take care, drink bottled water if you are unsure and use common sense with foods you buy.

• Also use an antibacterial spray or wipes to kill germs in toilets, on table tops, in public transport, anywhere.

• When at the beach always swim between the flags - make sure you know what different flags stand for.

• Always put ID bands on your children, especially in a crowded place, like a theme park, the beach or in a city. These record your child's name and your contact details in case they get lost.

• Relax and enjoy time as a family.

Safety whilst on Holidays

• If you have toddlers and small children that love to open cupboards and doors, going to a holiday apartment can be stressful. Just think like you do when you are home. Put all knives and sharp objects in the kitchen up in the high cupboards and take some kids locks that you can put on the outside of the doors/cupboards in the kitchen.

• With the front door of the apartment, if you can't lock it with a key on the inside, you can put a chair up against it so it makes it harder for the little ones to open. If it has a round knob, buy a child door lock for round knobs. They are also useful for putting on a baby's room door so the older child cannot open the door.

• Balconies can be very dangerous - remove any chairs or furniture away from the edge. A good tip also is to make sure you and all the adults in the apartment are not outside on the balcony and your child is inside and decides to be clever and lock you out. Have your wits about you as this can happen.

General Advice Disclaimer - the tips described above are to be used as a general guide only. It does not take into account your special circumstances. Haggus & Stookles Pty Ltd is not  liable for any actions taken from our advice or tips.