Travelling With Small Children

Travelling with kids can be somewhat like taking a herd of wild goats on holiday. Whether they're your own or somebody else's, factoring a child's needs into your travels involves a lot more than adhering on a CD filled with pop songs and making bathroom stops. Here two Rough Guides writers share their hard-won wisdom. First up, mum of 2 Hayley Spurway offers guidance on traveling with toddlers, subsequently Ross McGovern reveals the way he handles to travel with older kids. Hayley Spurway's hints for traveling with toddlers

Check your passports

Children's passports just last five decades and they have a habit of exercising once you're not searching. Allow at least four weeks to rekindle one. The expense of a last-minute passport is astronomical, and especially galling if you only realise it's necessary when already in the ferry queue at Calais. Don't ask us how we know this. We just do.

Keep bugs at bay

If you're travelling to Paignton or Peru, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer are handbag essentials. A wipe of this cutlery in restaurants where you're unsure of hygiene, or even a squirt of hand sanitizer if there's no washing facilities, can zap a few germs and prevent toddlers catching some bugs that are common.

Ross McGovern's travel tips for older children

Don't let the kids pack their own rucksacks We went to a excursion with our eight-year-old, who complained incessantly her backpack was too thick. The main reason ? She'd brought along her whole group of fossils "just if ". Do allow the kids have entered but remember to edit that heavily before departure.

Be app-y

As a result of toddler-friendly apps, there's no need to cram a toy box in your hand luggage when travelling by plane. By all means take a book and a magical scribbler (crayons only get dropped down the side of seats), however, the most compact form of entertainment is a device loaded with programs and games.

Book ahead

Whether you're camping or staying in hotels, it pays to book ahead. Attempting to retain the spontaneity of traveling BC (Before Children) doesn't pay off in the event that you arrive at your destination to find you can't bag a bed or pitch and have to hit the road again with tired, hungry toddlers melting down at the backseat.

Give them a camera

Giving toddlers their own (robust, child-friendly) camera motivates them to observe their surroundings and concentrate on what interests them. You could be amazed by the results in their knee-high opinion. Amongst images of wheels and feet, my three-year-old has taken flowers, critters, helicopters, boats, stones and bunny poo.