Travel Tips Overview

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Healthy and safe family holidays and breaks

• Allergies
• General health
• Safety

Allergies

Parents whose children have severe allergic reaction to food like peanuts should consult the site of the Anaphylaxis Campaign for the most up to date guidance on travelling.

• Learn the words for food that is dangerous for your family member(s) in the local language prior to travel
• Do not take it for granted that familiar food is prepared with the same ingredients that you are used to at home

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General health

take out travel insurance

the E111 form is no longer valid, and has been replace by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which will enable a family member to receive certain kinds of care from many European Union doctors / hospitals, although travel insurance is strongly advised. And if you are travelling to the United States travel insurance is a must have item.

Take the Family can help you arrange travel insurance for your family. Regardless of where you obtain insurance for the family consider taking out an annual family travel policy - these offer the best value if you plan to take more than one or two trips abroad each year.

take a first aid kit

Take the Family recommends bringing a first aid kit that minimally contains:

• plasters
• sun lotion and after-sun cream, lip balm
• scissors
• diarrhoea remedy
• insect repellent
• calomine lotion
• antiseptic cream
• travel sickness pills (if required)

know where the doctor is

On arrival at your destination it's worth checking who and where the 'local' doctor is, as well as the hospital - just in case. If this proves difficult to find out then bear in mind that larger hotels or tourist offices will share this information, as will embassies.

manage the heat

Assuming you are travelling to a warmer country bear in mind that children can be far more sensitive to heat. A few tips:

• wear cotton clothing
• keep out of the sun from mid-morning to mid-afternoon
• use creams with high SPF's and consider buying approved SPF protective clothing
• consider buying your children wetsuits that cover from the neck down to the knee and/or UV protective swimwear
• encourage regular water drinking and always have a bottle of water to hand

other resources

There are several travel health related resources on the Internet - TravelHealth offers advice on a range of issues plus books and further links.

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Safety

your accommodation

On arrival take precautions by checking that your accommodation is child proof and secure. You can assume that hotels, villas and apartments will all require your scrutiny and some preventative measures. In particular:

• If your child is very young crawl around to seek out potential hazards
• Bring tape to cover electrical sockets
• Wedge open heavy doors that might otherwise trap small fingers
• Note that hot water taps have a C on them in Italy and check everywhere for scalding hot water
• Check for fragile glassware and put other breakable furniture truly out of reach
• Check all windows to ensure they are secure, especially if you are not at ground level. Balconies can also pose a danger and require examination.
• Understand fire regulations and emergency evacuation procedures. Share these with your child(ren) if possible

getting lost

Losing children is every parent's worst nightmare. Needless to say it's best to try and do everything you can to prevent the possibility. City centres and crowded attractions are the most likely venues for families to be at risk. Here are some tips:

• Explain, if possible, to your child that they should stand still if they get lost
• Dress them in at least one bright article of clothing
• Put a piece of paper in one of their pockets with their name, your name and your mobile phone number (and include your country code e.g. 00 44 (0) ).
• Consider a range of ideas, tools and products to help safely reunite lost children with parents, guardians or teachers from an initiative called Child Safe Zones.
• Check out a highly acclaimed company called IdentiKids
• Encourage them to call loudly for you by name rather than 'mummy or daddy'
• Regularly establish close 'meeting places'
• Carry an up-to-date photograph(s) of your child(ren)