Top child destinations
Health and safety
Healthy and safe family holidays and breaks
Accommodation
Always ask questions and look at the reviews online. What you need obviously depends on the age of your children. So check if the place you are considering staying is suitable for your child. For example, The place could be on a top of a cliff, with little fencing or the family suites may be on two levels with open stairs. All our accommodation is suitable for children, but check that it is suitable for yours.
Insurance
Travel insurance to cover the family for cost of accommodation and ticket re-issue should you be unable to fly due to common disease, such as measles or an ear infection etc. Consider saving money ordering annual travel insurance should you travel more than twice a year.
Here are a few travel insurance companies to make your life easier
Columbus travel insurance
Flexicover - Offer the cheapest holiday insurance online, with instant quotes for single-trip, gap year, winter sports and annual policies
1Stop Travel Insurance - 1Stop Travel Insurance is a leading online provider of travel insurance to residents of the UK. 1Stop is consistently best on price and offers competitive cover for single trip, annual, winter sports and backpacker insurance. 1Stop offers discounts for couples and kids go free with single trip policies.
If you are travelling within
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus (not including Northern Cyprus), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Vaccinations:
Visit your family GP to discuss any medical needs and get any prescriptions , if required. Its especially important to ask your GP for advise about immunisations for you and your children, at least eight weeks prior to your travel date. If you do need any vaccinations for your destination, they may need to be given well in advance so that they can work properly. Also make sure your existing vaccinations are up-to-date, such as polio and tetanus. If they’re not, you can arrange booster jabs.
• Always apply sunscreen, even on a cloudy day and the kids should always wear a hat.
• Be particularly vigilant about the potential dangers when in unfamiliar places, such as unfenced swimming pools. Toddlers who swim normally can tend to panic if they accidentally fall into the water, so ensure they have flotation devices when in and around the pool.
• Always accompany children when in the sea.
• Take your own sterilising equipment with you if your child is bottle-fed.
• Pack a travel medical kit with items such as baby paracetamol (pain), ibruprofen (fever) and a thermometer, along with the usual plasters, sun block, insect repellent and savlon (or similar).
• Talk to your children about basic safety rules, like staying close to parents and not going off with strangers. Discuss a place to meet if you show get separated and it is worth packing a recent photo of your children just in case of any emergencies.
Child proof your accommodation
• Call or email the hotel ahead of your arrival to ask about baby-proofing, some hotels offer this service or can allocate baby proof rooms and request a cot, if required.
• On arrival, remove anything dangerous that is within baby's reach. Look for floor lamps, lamps with dangling electrical cords, anything that can be pulled off a table or desk. Once you’ve collected everything that you feel is unsafe, call housekeeping to remove these items from your room or you could place them high up in a wardrobe.
• Secure any loose cords or wires.
• Cover any plug sockets that are easily reached by your baby/toddler.
• Water in hotels can be very hot. If this is the case, ensure that your child cannot reach the bathroom tap or keep the door to the bathroom closed. If there's a bidet in the room, it likely has a faucet handle that is very low to the ground, turn the hot water off to prevent them scoulding themselves.. younger kids love bidets!
• Hotels tend to make your cots very comfortable for your little ones, with cosy pillows, sheets and blankets. Remove any loose bedding and make sure that the mattress fits snugly... just as if you were at home. Better still, take one of your own baby sleeping bags. ( link to purchase baby sleeping bag)
• If you are concerned about little fingers in the doors, throw a hand towel over the top of the door to prevent pinched fingers in the door and tape over the lock to prevent a toddler from locking themselves in the bathroom!
• Close and lock windows that can be easily reached by your child and move furniture away from windows and balconies.
• Remember : You need to keep an eye on your child, as you'll never be as aware of the dangers in a strange place as you are when at home.
Safety suggestions when travelling
• Car – Use the appropriate car seats/ booster seats when traveling and check with the country that your visiting of the rules in regards to traveling with children in cars. i.e. some European countries do not allow children in the front seats.
• Bear in mind when loading the car that you do not pile items to high in the boot of estates or on the back shelf as these items could come flying off should you suddenly break.
• Use window shades/covers to keep the sun from shining in your child's face.
• Stop regularly for toilet stops and to stretch legs, which also helps reduce motion sickness. ( LINK )
• Bus or train – Try to keep young children seated on your lap and don’t let them crawl or walk around while the vehicle is moving because they may fall
• Airports / Flights – If traveling alone, it is advisable to keep toddlers on a rein if possible. If two or more adults are traveling, allocate an adult to keep an eye on the young children, whilst the other attends to baggage and check in.
• Purchase bottled water from the departure lounge ( you cannot take liquids over 200ml through security) to take on flight for children to drink particularly on take off, and landing to ease the pain in ears, and throughout flight to prevent dehydration.
Motion sickness
Place car seats so that children can see out the windows. Keep the car cool and well ventilated and avoid strong odors. It is best that children prone to sickness do not read, or draw whilst car in motion and that you encourage older children to focus on distant scenery. Providing light snacks before and during the journey, with frequent small drinks of cold water, and juice can help reduce sickness. If possible. try to drive during the hours when children are usually asleep.
