Top 3 Essential Tips For Traveling with an Infant

The best time of the year to go on holiday is between January and March. During this time, hotels are empty, which means accommodation costs less. Airlines are desperate for passengers hence they offer amazing deals. There’s generally no holiday travel rush, which otherwise comes with a whole lot of setbacks, especially for those who are traveling with kids. Speaking of which, this post lets you in on the top three essential tips you want to consider when planning to go on vacation with your little one.

1. Bring Along a Medicine Box

A medicine box, which is commonly referred to as “a first aid kit” is one of the most important things you want to bring with you when traveling with an infant. That’s because kids are very prone to falling ill or getting injured, thanks to their weak immune system and playful behaviors.

A quality kit contains nearly all the emergency medical supplies that may be extremely helpful should your child get injured or fall ill. These include a range of medications such as an anti-allergic agent, antiseptic agent, anti-diarrheal, decongestant, and pain reliever. Besides drugs, it is also equipped with very crucial medical items like a bandage, thermometer, pair of medical gloves, and scalpel, all of which can help during emergency health situations.

2. Be Careful Where You Eat

Food poisoning is one of the worst nightmares you can go through as a tourist, especially if traveling with a child. According to the CDC, travelers’ diarrhea (TD) is the most prevalent food-poisoning-related illness that affects travelers. The statistics from the US diseases control and prevention agency suggest that between 30% and 70% of travelers are affected by this TD, depending on the destination and season of travel. Now, that’s a huge percentage, taking the upper range into account.

The biggest culprits of this nightmare are unhygienic restaurants, which are very common in many destinations around the globe.

Knowing how to spot a dirty restaurant and avoiding one is the easiest way to protect yourself and your kid from food poisoning when traveling. That begs the question; how do you detect an unhygienic eatery? It’s simple, just lookout for the following signs;

i. Garbage isn’t properly managed. If the outside of the restaurant is characterized by trash strewn all over the place or dumpsters overflowing with trash, it’s probably not a hygienic eatery.

ii. And if garbage isn’t properly handled, a bad smell will automatically kick in. That indicates poor hygiene, which poses a high risk for food poisoning

iii. A dirty floor and walls caked with grease, dirt, and all other substances. Or dirty tables with leftover food particles and spilled drinks that constantly attract flies are all perfect signs of an unhygienic restaurant.

In that case, it’s worth asking yourself this question; if the front area of the eatery is that dirty, how about the back area hidden away from your eyes where the food is prepared? It probably might be worse than that.

iv. A poor health score. In some cities, restaurants are rated for hygiene standards by the public health authorities. The entities must display their scores so that the public can easily see them and judge their hygiene standards, to avoid unhygienic eateries and the health hazards they pose.

If you don’t trust the local restaurants, cook your food if you can. By the way, many hotels allow visitors to cook in their rooms, of course with certain terms and conditions. Here’s where having a subscription to a reputable meal kit delivery service comes in handy. The service will deliver meal kits of your choice so you can cook your meals without bothering yourself with going to the local grocery stores to shop for ingredients.

Since many meal kit delivery services allow you to cancel your subscription anytime, it doesn’t hurt to subscribe to one for the temporary duration for which you’ll stay in a particular place. For those who are visiting the US, Sun Basket, Hello Fresh, and Home Chef remain the best choices.

Now, this comparison post shares the similarities and differences between SB and HF. It gives a quick summary overview of each meal kit delivery service. These include meal variety, dietary preferences, packaging, delivery, and how easy it is to order a meal kit.

3. Have the Appropriate Medical Cover

Before you book an air ticket, make sure that you have the appropriate health insurance cover. That’s because a health insurance package covers the costs of treatment of all or certain health conditions the holder and/or their listed kin may suffer from, depending on the package.

While a premium cover may cater for the treatment expenses that may arise when you or your child falls ill on vacation abroad, a regular cover only caters for the cost of treatment sought nationally. It doesn’t cover overseas medical expenses. Speaking of which this post highlights the top ten best travel medical cover companies from which you can seek the appropriate cover from.

4. Book An Early Morning Flight If You Can

Though it may mean waking up earlier than usual on the day of travel, booking an early morning flight comes with several amazing benefits. For example, the flight will less likely experience delays at takeoff or landing compared to a normal flight. What’s more, early morning flights are generally less crowded compared to regular flights, providing enough empty seats and space for extra comfort. Finally, these flights are less characterized by long layovers compared to normal flights.

Final Thoughts

Having a toddler who still needs to be looked after and hence wants you around doesn’t mean that you can’t go to your favorite destination on holiday. With the right knowledge and tips, which are explained above, you can safely and comfortably travel with your little one without having to worry about an eventuality. Do you have a tip in mind that you think is worth sharing regarding this topic? If yes, feel free to share it in the comment section below.