Sharing travel hacks from savvy parents travelling with young kids so you don’t have to make the same mistakes!
Photo credit: @rawpixel.com via Freepik
As someone who does all the travel planning for my family trips, I get how stressful it can be. But nothing beats travelling with young kids in tow — on top of the usual trip logistics, you’ll also need to think about things like whether the destination is child-friendly or what’s the best way to get around with a child etc 🥲
So I asked a few friends with kids for some travel hacks and here’s what they shared!
1) Fly with your kids before they turn two
Photo credit: Singapore Airlines
Did you know that kids under 2 years old can fly for free or at a discounted price? Most airlines consider these children as infants who don’t require a seat — they’ll sit on an adult’s lap instead! #lifehack
The free fares usually only apply to domestic flights on certain airlines like Air New Zealand, American Airlines and Qantas. For international flights, some airlines such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines charge a small percentage of the adult fare for infants (usually around 10%).
It’s still a pretty good deal, if you ask me! Just remember to check with the airline before you book.
*Pro-tip: To save even more money, plan your flights at least three to six months ahead and set up price alerts on platforms like Skyscanner.com, Trip.com and Expedia!
2) Get travel insurance with child coverage
When travelling with a young kid, you need to be prepared for anything like (*touch wood*) them falling sick or getting injured while doing certain activities on the trip. So it’s best if your insurance includes the basic travel essentials, overseas medical expenses, and additional coverage for your children!
Photo credit: Yulianto Poitier via Pexels
One such option is the Family Plan offered by Seedly Travel Insurance! It includes complimentary coverage for up to four children between the ages of 3 months and 18 years old (or till age 25 if studying full-time in a recognised institution of higher learning).
This is one of the more affordable options for families as some insurers only offer coverage for kids as an add-on (at an extra cost), or you’d need to purchase a separate plan for your children.
Similarly, Covid-19 coverage is included automatically with Seedly’s travel insurance — something we look out for when comparing insurance plans to avoid paying a higher premium unnecessarily.
Here’s a short breakdown of what’s covered:
– Baggage loss
– Personal belongings and money
– Trip cancellation
– Overseas medical expenses (incl. Covid-19 coverage)
– Personal accident (accidental death & permanent disablement)
– Child support grant for each dependent child
– Personal accident benefit per child
– Credit card protection
– Adventurous activities
*Note: This list is non-exhaustive, check out the full policy for more details!
And yes, certain adventurous activities and sports equipment are covered too:
1) Hiking or mountaineering — up to 3,500m and doesn’t require the use of specific climbing equipment or ropes
2) Scuba diving — no deeper than 30m deep with a qualified diving instructor; or diving with a buddy (both must be PADI certified)
PSA: Read till the end to find out how to get 50% off insurance plans, free eSIMs, and a chance to win Samsonite luggage and S$600 worth of travel vouchers from now till 31 Dec 2023!
3) Choose family-friendly destinations
While travelling with kids, you gotta be mindful of the destination! Some factors to consider include safety, accessibility, short flight duration, child-friendly facilities/attractions etc.
Not sure where to start? Here are some family-friendly destinations for inspiration!
Australia: Cities are all quite child-friendly — there’s always supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, and Kmart nearby to get necessities. Australia is also really big, making it great for road trips! We previously did a campervan road trip in the Gold Coast where we visited nature parks and animal sanctuaries, and even got up close to animals like koalas and alpacas (which kids are sure to love 😍)
Taiwan: Public transportation is well-developed here so it’s easy to get around many places in Taiwan. Beyond Taipei, there are attractions like scenic mountains, animal farms and amusement parks to keep your kids entertained!
Thailand: It’s super near Singapore, less than a 3-hour direct flight away! The locals are also really friendly (it ain’t called the Land of Smiles for nothing), and private transport is pretty affordable too (from ~S$35/day for a car rental). So you can plan your own itinerary and even explore places out of Bangkok without worrying about transportation 😉
Read also: 8D Thailand Itinerary — Road Trip from Bangkok to Hua Hin Under S$900
4) Look out for family packages/bundles
Photo credit: Hong Kong Disneyland via Facebook
Before your kids get any older, take advantage of family packages/bundles at certain attractions! For example, the Australia Zoo in Queensland has a Family 4 Admission bundle for two adults and two children (3 to 14 years old) priced at AU$191.95 (U.P. AU$209.80)!
Whereas some attractions have free entry for children below 3 years old, like all Disneylands around the world 💫
5) Book activities as late as possible
Photo credit: Disney On Ice via Facebook
Contrary to the usual “book your activities in advance” travel hack (which we’d normally recommend), it’s the opposite when travelling with young kids!
You should book your activities as late as possible to avoid getting into situations with sudden changes to the itinerary. For example, your kids might get tired or hungry and in the end, you’ll have to cancel your plans and miss the booking.
*Pro-tip: There are also perks to booking late — some musicals in London have last-minute ticket sales the night before a show!
Take note of exceptions for popular attractions though, like the Pokémon Cafe in Japan (where entry is by reservation only) or Harry Potter Studio Tours (where slots get booked out months in advance)!
6) Find accommodations with a kitchen
Photo credit: Jason Briscoe via Unsplash
Having studied in Australia before, I know how expensive food can be. For instance, a meal in Singapore can cost as little as S$3 to S$4, while it can be around S$10 there. So I often resorted to cooking at home and portioning my food to save money!
For those travelling to more expensive destinations like Australia and Europe, consider staying in serviced apartments or Airbnbs with a kitchen so you can cook instead of dining out all the time. It’s also better and easier to accommodate kids with special dietary needs rather than searching for a suitable restaurant.
7) Consider tours or rent a car for day trips
For me, one of the biggest headaches when planning a trip is figuring out how to get around. Places out of the city (ahem Fuji area in Japan) can be inaccessible or inconvenient by public transport, not to mention the long duration needed to get there.
So make travelling with your kids a little easier by opting for a tour or renting a car for day trips instead!
Usually, tour operators will pick up and drop you off directly at your hotel so you won’t need to worry about the “how to get there”. Plus, you can also let them know of any special requests for your kids and they would probably try to accommodate you.
Alternatively, renting a car gives you more flexibility for your itinerary. You can change plans according to the situation or spend as much time as you need at one destination (unlike tours which run on fixed schedules)!
It’ll also give you the freedom to explore more remote areas and hidden gems along the way! We previously rented a car to explore the Fuji area and found a secret spot with a gorgeous backdrop of Mount Fuji without the crowds 😎
Read also: Driving in Japan — 15 Things First Timers Should Know Before Planning that Road Trip
For those who don’t drive, there are also options for private car charters — some even provide child seats (like this car charter for exploring Bangkok and its surrounds)!
8) Maximise your cards for the trip
Here’s a money-saving travel hack for planning your trip — know when to use a credit card vs a multi-currency card when making bookings!
Credit card: Use this for big purchases in Singapore dollars (e.g. flights, accommodations, tours). Certain credit cards have travel promos and partnerships which’ll snag you some pretty cool rewards if you book with specific merchants! For instance, with the Citi PremierMiles card, you can earn up to 7 miles per S$1 spent on hotel bookings worldwide via Agoda 🤯 These accumulated miles could then be used to offset your next flight ticket to a new destination!
Multi-currency card: Most credit cards don’t have the best exchange rates and some even charge an extra fee per transaction. This is where multi-currency cards will come in handy for overseas spending! But take note that some may impose an ATM withdrawal fee for certain amounts of cash.
Check our comparison table for which multi-currency card suits you best 😉
*Pro-tip: Look out for insurers which provide coverage for fraudulent charges incurred if you lose your credit card overseas. For example, Seedly Travel Insurance offers up to S$2,000 reimbursement for lost cards due to robbery, burglary or theft while travelling!
9) Invest in a white noise machine to help your kids sleep
Photo credit: Love Nightshift
This travel hack has been tried and tested by a friend — use a white noise machine at a regular time every night. The machine will produce a soothing sound which’ll block out other background noises like traffic, making it easier for your kids to fall asleep.
This is really useful for sticking to your kids’ bedtime routine even while they are overseas, as they’ll be accustomed to sleeping at the same time!
10) Download a travel checklist app to prepare for your trip
If you’re travelling with babies or younger kids, you’d probably need to keep track of even more items (on top of the usual essentials), like kids’ passports, prams, diapers, baby formula, etc.
Instead of fumbling with a pen and paper, we recommend downloading an app like PackPoint (iOS/Android) to stay organised (and sane)! Just key in your trip destination, the length of stay, the type of trip and what activities you’ll be doing. The app will generate a packing list based on the information given, and even show the forecasted weather for the trip.
Basic features are free to use — upgrade to the premium version (S$3.99/year) to unlock extras like ad removal, customising activities, and integration with apps like TripIt and Evernote.
You can also use this checklist to track your items when moving from place to place, so you’ll know if something’s missing. But in the unfortunate case of theft, burglary or robbery, Seedly Travel Insurance covers the loss of personal items (up to S$10,000) and money (up to S$300)!
Get 50% off travel insurance for your next family trip and stand a chance to win a S$600 travel voucher
Photo credit: Alberto Casetta via Unsplash
As someone who’s been on multiple family trips, I can assure you that they’re not always smooth sailing. No matter how much you plan, you can’t control circumstances like flight delays, lost baggage and even falling sick 😭
That’s why it’s important to pick a travel insurance plan with comprehensive coverage (especially for your young ones)!
Photo credit: Pixabay via Pexels
And here’s the good news — Seedly Travel Insurance is currently having a promotion till 31 Dec 2023! Sign up now to get 50% off all insurance plans, plus you’ll also receive a free 3GB travel eSIM from Airalo 🥳
If you’re a Seedly Community member, use the code SeedlyCommunity to get an additional 5% off your plan!
To top it off, every sign-up during this promo period gives you a chance to win S$600 worth of Klook vouchers (equivalent to a return flight to Bali for two) and a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP (worth S$480)!
T&Cs apply. Learn more and get a quote here.
There are two tiers to choose from, Seedly Travel Safe and Seedly Travel Secure — both available under the Individual and Family plans. Here’s a brief summary of what’s covered:
| Coverage | Seedly Travel Safe | Seedly Travel Secure |
| Personal Accident | – | – |
| Accidental Death & Permanent Disablement Adult (up to 70 years old) Adult (above 70 years old) *Child | S$150,000 S$50,000 S$10,000 | S$300,000 S$100,000 S$10,000 |
| Double Public Transport Coverage Adult (up to 70 years old) Adult (above 70 years old) *Child | S$300,000 S$100,000 S$20,000 | S$600,000 S$200,000 S$20,000 |
| *Child Support Grant *Benefit per Child | S$15,000 S$3,000 | S$30,000 S$6,000 |
| Medical Benefits | – | – |
| Overseas Medical Expenses (incl. Covid-19) Adult (up to 70 years old) Adult (above 70 years old) *Child | S$200,000 S$50,000 S$2,000 | S$500,000 S$100,000 S$2,000 |
| Medical Expenses in SG Adult (up to 70 years old) Adult (above 70 years old) *Child | S$20,000 S$2,000 S$1,000 | S$40,000 S$4,000 S$1,000 |
| *Child Companion Benefit | S$5,000 | S$10,000 |
| Travel Inconveniences | – | – |
| Baggage Loss | S$5,000 | S$10,000 |
| Personal Money and Personal Documents Maximum limit for Money | S$2,500 S$200 | S$5,000 S$300 |
| Trip Cancellation | S$5,000 | S$10,000 |
| Credit Card Protection | S$1,000 | S$2,000 |
| Adventurous Activities | – | – |
| Adventurous Activities Cover (certain conditions apply) | Covered | Covered |
*Only applicable to the Family Plan
Read more for the full policy benefits and T&Cs.
What other travel hacks do you know that’ll be useful for people travelling with young kids? Share with us in the comments!
This post is brought to you by Seedly.
