12 Tips For A Successful Multi-Stop Trip With Children

Last year, we embarked on a six-stop trip from London to South East Asia and back with our 19 month old daughter. Many looked at us a little aghast when we told them our plans. But honestly, it really wasn’t that bad. So don’t be put off. As with any trip, a bit of planning goes a long way.

Now, I’ll be honest with you. Wander dad takes on a lot of the organising. He likes doing it. so who am I to stand in his way? There have been a couple of occasions when I had to intervene – like a four hour wait for a connecting flight – that had to go. But, he usually gets it spot on (and he’ll be feeling very smug that I have publicly said so)!

Here are 12 tips for planning and executing a successful multi-stop trip.

1. Booking – As you would do with any trip, always shop around to get the best deal. Make sure you check out my top tips for booking a holiday. In our experience, when flying east, the middle-eastern airlines tend to have the most competitive prices for multi-leg trips (we flew Emirates).

2. Research – Make sure you are clued up and know what to expect in each country. We ended up going to countries we had already been to before (post kids) so we knew they were good for children with no vaccinations or anything required. But if you haven’t, check out all those brilliant travel blogs out there and find out their experiences. Someone is bound to have gone!  

3. If you don’t have children of school age –  go off peak and avoid busy periods which are more expensive.

4. If you follow tip number 3 and go out of OUR peak season, make sure you aren’t travelling into monsoon or hurricane season or a particularly hot period at your destination. To get better deals we usually book just before the destination comes into its peak season (when prices go up). You do take a punt with the weather, and the west coast of Malaysia was pretty humid when we went in March, but it does pay off.

5. Book hotels in advance and check they are child friendly, for example if they have a cot provided (so you don’t have to take one) and high chairs. Staying places that have a children’s menu is also a bonus.

6. Flight times – Avoid flights which see you getting in at ridiculous hours as much as possible. We had one leaving Singapore which was unavoidable – getting us into Dubai in the early hours of the morning – it was a bit tough on us, let alone our daughter.

7. Stop offs can be great – especially if you are staying a night or two but avoid if you are simply waiting around the airport for four or five hours. Children, particularly toddlers, are not known for their patience (neither is my husband)!

10. Before you book your flight, check for any big sporting events or festivals at the places you are staying and unless you are going yourself, avoid. On our return leg, we landed in Dubai during Gold Cup weekend. Hotel rates has been hiked up and the place was extremely busy (and not very relaxing).

11. Tie in a short visit to see friends/relatives if possible. What better way to see a place than getting a personal tour guide and when you are travelling from place to place can be a relief to see a familiar face. We didn’t stay with our friend in Singapore but she wasn’t far away. We also cheekily used the opportunity to get some much needed laundry done. Thanks Gen and family!

12. On the subject of laundry – Take a travel wash with you to hand wash delicates and smaller items. Consider using a laundry service. When I was in Chicago I discovered a great valet laundry company. I set it up all up online and it had a same day service. They picked it up and dropped it back, all neatly folded. If you aren’t in the city for long, research and book in advance. It cost around £30 for two weeks of washing. Far cheaper than using hotel laundry service and buying loads of new clothes (although it’s a good excuse to go shopping).

Those are just a few of my tips if you are travelling to several different places with children. I hope you have found then helpful. Here are some other posts you may also find useful.

11 Tips For Booking Holidays
23 Tips For Flying With Young Children
Summer Holiday Packing Check List
5 Tips For Travelling Long Haul With Children

As ever, I love getting comments. Please tell me about your experiences or reservations about travel. Have you got any other tips for travelling long-haul or to multi-stop destinations which you’d like to share?