As we mentioned yesterday, we started today with this post a Special about traveling with children that will help you plan and enjoy the trips with your children. In the coming weeks we will talk in detail about everything you should keep in mind when traveling with babies and children.
In this first part, we will talk about one of the most complicated things about traveling with babies and children: displacement. They can become eternal, between waiting, discomfort and inconvenience that may arise. But the transfer is still part of the trip, therefore we must try to enjoy it from the moment we left home.
To make the trips with children as enjoyable as possible, it is important to take into account some tips that we will mention below to travel with children by car, by train, and in the next post, to travel with children by boat and plane.
Travel with children by car
Is the most used means of transport for relatively short distances. Many families prefer to use the car to travel with children for the convenience of avoiding waiting at airports, queues at boarding and being able to go more in their own way.
Planning
Good planning It is the first step if we want traveling with children to be a beautiful experience and we repeat it in the future.
It is one thing to leave a couple alone and another very different to do it with one or more children, especially if we talk about babies. In the latter case, planning the trip is very necessary to provide maximum comfort so that both they and parents enjoy the trip.
Therefore, the route must be planned before launching on the road. Today you have the necessary tools to organize the itinerary by car, calculate the time, distance and stops that will be made along the way.
Regarding the stops, you can make a small preliminary study of the places through which you will pass and match a stopover to visit a park or get to know a new city.
Car safety with children
We must take into account some basic safety measures to travel by car with children. The most important, without a doubt, is to choose a child restraint system suitable for the size and weight of the child, according to current regulations.
All children under 12 have to use a restraint system. There are several groups of retention systems depending on the child's weight.
Besides, it is essential to use them properly. Secure the seat well with its corresponding anchoring system and check frequently that the harnesses are well fastened.
Tips to make the car trip more enjoyable
Keep in mind that children remain tied and virtually motionless for the entire duration of the car trip, which we know is too much to ask for a child, especially for those in high demand.
It is in your hand to make the trip as enjoyable as possible by following these recommendations:
- Dress them with comfortable clothes to travel.
- Equip the car so that the child has as much comfort as possible (car seat, sun visor, pillow, etc)
- Anticipate possible dizziness
- Try to keep them entertained with games and activities (riddles, word games, songs, telling stories, etc,)
- Stop every two or three hours at most to stretch your legs and children get distracted before resuming the trip.
- Bring everything you might need during the hours of the trip: toiletries, a change of clothes just in case, enough water, food, books and toys.
- Make the children participate in the trip, tell them what the trip will be like, how much is left to arrive, what is the next destination ...
- With older children the entertainment options are extended (including the DVD aid), but with younger children they are more limited. You can turn to objects such as mirrors, dolls, rattles, bites and soft toys with sounds and colors that attract your attention.
Travel by train with children
For many families, the train is the most comfortable means of transport for traveling with children. It has the advantage that it is relatively inexpensive, the child does not have to go almost immobilized as in the car, and at the same time allows the parents to be more aware of them.
They can move through the car, and if you are sitting next to a window you can enjoy beautiful panoramic views of the landscapes you are going through, which is a good way to distract the little ones during the trip.
Many trains offer the most complete services, such as a restaurant, cafeteria, where we can ask to warm the baby's food, and of course toilets, some even with a changing table if you need to change the diaper.
Discounts for traveling with children by train
Children under 4 do not pay a ticket unless they occupy a seat. It has to go over a parent, unless you prefer to pay to ensure the right to the seat.
Children between 4 and 11 years have a 40% discount in Renfe, which in case of large family is extended to 52% discount. In the High Speed lines a discount of 40% is applied for children between 4 and 13 years old.
Trains with cabins are ideal for long-distance trips with children. You can make the trip while the children sleep and take advantage of the services offered by the train that resemble those of a hotel.
The train is a good option to travel if you plan to travel with children to some theme parks such as Isla Mágica, Terra Mítica or Port Aventura, which even has its own train station.
Luggage when traveling by train with children
Unlike the car trip, it is not necessary to plan the route or the breaks on the trip to stretch the legs. But one of the things that must be taken into account is luggage.
There are no baggage restrictions when traveling by train, but you have to carry it with him and get it into the car, so you also have to try to be cautious about the weight of your luggage carrying only what is necessary. We will dedicate a post later exclusively to what to take when we travel with children.
You can reach the doors of the wagons with the baby carriage, which is very comfortable, but they are usually quite narrow, so it is advisable to fold it before getting on the train and deposit it at the ends of the wagons together with the luggage general.
Returning to the suitcases, there are specifications on the allowed measures for luggage when traveling by train: 70 × 50 × 25 centimeters.
Children on the train
The trains have ideal spaces for families traveling with children. Many have wagons where there are four seats facing each other and even a small table, being a larger area for children to move, play, read or paint.
If you travel at night, it is best to book a cabin with bunk beds, which gives privacy to the family and children will feel at home, in addition to enjoying the experience that will be very entertaining.
We hope these recommendations for travel with children by car and train serve you to plan the next trip you will take as a family. In the next post we will talk about other means of transportation to travel with children: the ship and the plane.
