Travelling with children is so easy, said no parent ever! Even the simplest travel-related tasks such as onboarding the train can become overwhelming with children involved. As parents, you take the utmost care while packing for children and ensure that they are carrying everything that their child would need during the trip. You make elaborate checklists, ensure everything is in the right place and easily accessible and are all geared up for everything the road has to throw your way! But did you know that are some seemingly common objects that you can use to make travelling with children smoother and worry-free?
In this article, we will cover seemingly unusual (but essential) things to carry while travelling with children. These are everyday things that are readily available at home and come to your rescue at the most unexpected times while travelling with children. Here are six uncommon things to carry while travelling with children to make your travel as smooth as possible:
Stick notes are one of the most versatile things available in the market. While travelling, you can get children to draw on it to pass time. They can make cards or do origami on the go. You can also create brag tags and reward good behaviour by using these notes. Of course, you can also jot down information.
Cellophane tape can temporarily fix almost every travel-related damage be it broken luggage, seal bottles, fix shoes, or the hem of your childs skirt. It can securely hold most of the things so that you can focus on your children. You can get the easy tear version of the cellophane tape or the painters tape which leaves no residue after removal to minimize the hassle.
Clothespins can be used to fasten all sorts of things. Half-eaten snacks bags are common while travelling with children. The mess these unsealed bags create and the annoying bits they leave in the luggage make travel particularly unpleasant. They can also be used to secure a child’s blanket while travelling and seal the trash bag. A couple of them in the bag would definitely help you in some way or the other.
Garbage bags are cheaper and hardly take any space in the bag. They can be used as containers and of course, like trash bags. If you are travelling with infants, these can also be used to separate dirty clothes from the rest. Garbage bags also come to your rescue if your child comes down with motion sickness.
Carrying an extra pair of shoelaces can help you out a great deal while travelling with children. Shoelaces are thicker and tend to tangle less. Shoelaces can help you tie lots of things together. They can make a belt that holds your childs pants, a necklace that holds the house key, or just attach random belongings from the bag.
Travelling smoothly with children comes down to one thing Planning. With children, it is easier to travel overnight since they tend to sleep through most of it. Know your itinerary inside-out like the mode of transportation and travel time. Pre-book meals whenever possible to avoid the last-minute chaos. During the current pandemic, remember to pack multiple masks and a few bottles of hand sanitizer.
What are some unusual things you carry while travelling with children that come in handy? Do let us know in the comments below.
?Me-kha-la!? That happens at least once when she introduces herself to new people. She?s the only ?Mekhala? she knows, and she takes a bit of pride in that. She is a quintessential introvert. Mekhala loves tea but cannot make a good cup of tea and often ends up having coffee. She claims that she takes all adjectives as compliments unless specified otherwise. Mekhala is an organizational psychologist and psychometrician. She was a class teacher of 36 adorable girls for two years, grade 2 & 3, as a part of Teach For India Fellowship. And has worked as an independent consultant for a couple of years.