Fodor's has a great interview packed with tips from parents who long-hauled it to Italy with their 15-month old daughter… and managed to return home both still married and with the child, which is a remarkable accomplishment.
There really is a ton of good information and ideas about traveling with small children, but my favourite was this bit:
It's easy to forget that children do live in most vacation destinations. Keeping this in mind, we did not overpack diapers, diaper wipes, or baby food, opting instead to buy the basics as they were needed.
That's a fantastic difference in mindset from most parents I see checking in with small children at the airport, who tend to look as though they're going to need a sherpa just to get their imported nappy stash up the hotel steps.
September 10th, 2007 on 1:02 pm
True enough, except the quality isn’t always the same. The diapers in China did not hold up half as well, I’d really suggest packing some of your child’s own if you travel there, esp. for nighttime.
September 18th, 2007 on 2:07 pm
Travelling with kids is certainly an art. I think the more you travel the easier it becomes. The temptation is to take everything “just in case” but this is not always necessary as you suggest.
One of the best things about travelling with kids is that they are a great way of meeting people because they are often a talking point.