Guest post - Things to Consider When Traveling with a Young Family
Traveling — especially on vacation — with a young family can be expensive. Of course, there are ways to reduce expenses, but the last thing you want is to incur unnecessary costs during your vacation. Being ill-prepared can be a financial disaster, so it’s important to cover all bases before you depart on your holiday. Things to consider: Research and preparation are crucial to avoid unexpected expenses and to ensure you’re not caught off guard.
Research is the key to efficient and stress-free travel — examining all possibilities and intricacies can help you plan for most expenses. Organizing things to consider helps you make sure you have your bases covered, and can remind you to purchase things you might eed — such as policies that will safeguard your wellbeing while in a foreign country.n
But, what are the essentials to consider when preparing for a vacation out of the country with your young family? Here are a few recommendations:
Always check the fine print on airline tickets
Depending on whether you are traveling with young children or teenagers, it’s imperative to always check out the airline in question before booking your ticket. Budget airlines tend to impose added taxes and charges on travelers to make money on their “cost-friendly” ticket prices. Things to be wary of when booking an airline ticket varying from infant charges, seat reservations, booking fees, quoting prices without tax, name change fees and carry-on luggage charges.
Purchase an evening flight
It’s important to start the holiday positively and sometimes that means not interrupting your children’s regular schedule. One way to do that is by booking an evening flight so they can sleep on the plane, especially if you are flying long haul. This can act as ample downtime for you, as parents, as there won’t be a need to entertain them on the plane due to them being sleepy.
Know the airline’s baggage allowance
Baggage allowances vary between airlines, so it’s important that you don’t exceed the allowance that they set -- if you do, this can be very expensive! The typical allowance for short haul flights is around 20kg and 30kg for long haul. Additionally, most airlines allow handheld luggage on planes with passengers, however some airlines have been known to charge for this, so always double check on their website. Five airlines in the United States hit the headlines in 2014 when they made $3.35 billion from excess baggage charges in a single year.
Travel insurance
Typical travel insurance policies will cover things such as lost baggage, canceled flights and minor injuries while in another country. The latter however, will be explained in the next paragraph, as this isn’t as straightforward as you might think.
Purchasing travel insurance should be of paramount importance for any family traveling abroad. Losing baggage can be a nightmare. Imagine being in a foreign country for two weeks with no clothes or valuables. It has the potential to ruin a holiday, so make sure that you at least cover yourself financially in the long run by obtaining a policy that is relevant to your family’s needs.
Medical insurance
Probably the most important policy when traveling with a young family, medical insurance will help cover hospital fees while you’re away. We’ve all read the horror stories about people abroad not being able to afford hospital treatment because they weren’t covered. It can also have fatal implications.
In the United States alone, hospital fees can reach up to $10,000 in a single day. Foreign travelers (especially those coming from countries such as New Zealand where health care is nationalised) are strongly advised to have a travel insurance plan in place before entering the country. Treatment in the USA and many other countries will depend on the individual paying up front before health professionals administer any help, and this obviously comes with a long list of problems. With full health insurance, you will be covered for any eventualities and an extensive policy will cover the black holes that basic travel insurance doesn’t.
Things to consider before you depart on your family vacation can make all the difference between a smooth trip and a stressful, costly one. Ensure you have thoroughly researched the essentials and organized everything in advance.
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