The Ultimate To-Do List Before You Travel With Your Family
Traveling in itself demands a lot of organization. Traveling with kids adds this extra bit of stress! Because travel should be relaxing and not a stressful marathon, here’s a to-do list to help you get organized before you travel with your family.
First steps
Get A Doctor’s Appointment For You and Your Little Ones. It is important to get checked out before you leave on a trip, to make sure everyone is in their best shape. Getting sick when you’re not home is never fun…
Get A Travel Insurance. Speaking of getting sick, did you get a travel insurance? It is extremely important to protect your and your child’s health as well as all your belongings.
Look Up Your Destination With Your Kids. Go online or get books and look up your destination with your little ones. That way, they’ll get super excited about certain things, you’ll get to decide together what activities you’ll do, etc.
Paper Works and Documents
Make Sure Your Child’s Passport Is Up To Date. It is easier to forget then you might think!
Make Photocopies Of Important Documents. It is very important to make several photocopies of all your passports, of your visas if you have one, of your insurance policies’ details, etc. Keep copies hidden in all your bags, and also, leave some to a person you trust and who won’t travel along with you.
Your House
Make Sure Someone Will Come Check On Your House Once In A While. Make arrangements with a friend or a relative for him or her to come and check on your house once in a while when you’re gone. Picking up the mail, watering the plants, mowing the lawn, opening the windows, etc. This will help keep your house tidy, but also give the impression that it is not empty – a great burglar deterrent!
Stop Newspaper Delivery. If you get the newspaper delivered at home, make sure to stop its delivery for the duration of your trip. Untaken newspaper piling up at your door step screams “we’re not home!”
Empty Your Fridge. You could have nasty, smelly surprises if you forget to empty your fridge before you leave. Stuff such as milk, eggs, vegetables, anything that can go bad should be either thrown out or, even better, given to one of your neighbors!
Last Minute Verifications
Confirm Your Hotel Reservation. Call your hotel to confirm the reservation, especially if you are in the high season.
If Driving, Check Your Itinerary Carefully. Do not rely solely on your GPS. These things have their way to be unreliable sometimes and it is best if you know where you’re going the slightest bit. So go online, on websites such as Google Maps or Map Quest, and check your itinerary out.
Things To Bring Along
It is very important to be thorough when packing your bags before a trip with kids. Many items will be necessary in different steps of your expedition! There are many great lists on various websites.
Caroline Simpson is a writer, a translator and a travel addict who’s always looking for ways to make life easier. She works as a freelance blogger for Tourism Montreal, an organization that helps travelers find the finest restaurants in Montreal and book the affordable hotels in downtown Montreal.
collaborative post
