Tips for travelling with toddlers and babies

​​Are you planning a trip to Australia or New Zealand together with your baby or toddler? Travelling to the other side of the world with young children may seem scary at first, but it doesn’t need to be. Start your dream family holiday with a relaxing flight and enjoy a well-organised holiday. At TravelEssence, we offer specialised advice and arrange a relaxed travel schedule. And be sure to ask us about our exciting stopover locations for families.

What is your dream family holiday to Australia and New Zealand?

Experience these awe-inspiring countries together with your family. Explore bountiful nature, and have close encounters with unique and rare wildlife. Marvel at endless coastlines and beaches, and discover fascinating cultures. A well-organised family holiday, soaking up the Aussie and Kiwi ‘no worries’ lifestyle.

Australia and New Zealand are both family-friendly destinations with many new and unforgettable experiences on offer. With a galore of outdoor activities to indulge in, it is perfect for the whole family. With countless beaches, a huge assortment of playgrounds, and so much nature, there is plenty of entertainment for your little one to enjoy.

A journey to Australia and New Zealand which is as unique as you and your family

Whether you require a pram, car seats, or easy access to cooking facilities, we will ensure you have everything you need. We can advise you on the best regions, scenic drives, and climates and match you up with the most suitable hosts.

With a little planning and preparation, a holiday with your young child to the other side of the world will be smooth and successful. You don't need to be afraid of the long flight with a baby or toddler either. To save you hours searching for the right information, we have put together some tips based on our own experience for you here.

Enjoy the moment

The days of boarding your plane relaxed and enjoying the onboard entertainment may feel like a thing of the past, now that you have an infant. However, you can still enjoy a trip to Australia and New Zealand even while you are on holiday with a baby or toddler. You may no longer be able to have a candlelit dinner or take a romantic sailing cruise over the Great Barrier Reef, but there are still plenty of wonderful things to discover with your loved ones.

Advantages of travelling with young children

Travelling with young children may be a different travel experience but it often brings new advantages. Waking up earlier with your kids means you can beat the crowds at many attractions. Meeting the locals by the beach while your kids happily dig in the world’s greatest sand pit. Keeping calm and going with the flow means you are more relaxed, the kids are happy and the expectations are not too high.

Plan enough time for everything

If you are travelling to Australia or New Zealand, you have a long flight ahead of you. Your sleeping rhythm may change completely once you board your flight. Your child will sleep, laugh, cry, and wake up happy on the flight but may also be dissatisfied and whinge. The best thing to do is to take all these phases calmly. You won't be able to change anything anyway. And your child will be able to feel your stress.

If you are flying with your baby or toddler, we will reserve seats for you in advance and book the cot for the long-haul flight in advance. For a long flight, a stopover of one or two days is recommended for parents with young children. This is a great way to relax a little in between each flight and enjoy a new change of scenery.

There are extra changing rooms and play areas at the airport for mothers with babies and families. Be sure to take advantage of these facilities! Also, if you check in online the evening before, you only have to drop off your luggage at the airport.

Should you fly during the day or only in the evening?

Choose the right accommodations

No matter where you stay together with your little ones, we highly recommend a separate bedroom. Whether it's an apartment or holiday home, this will be highly appreciated during your stay.

Our TravelEssence hosts often provide a homemade breakfast or breakfast basket as well. Wake up each morning and enjoy a full breakfast without having to shop or cook for it yourself. For the breakfast basket, you can decide what time you would like it to be. Whether you’d prefer it at 5 am or at 11 am, it’s entirely up to you!

The ideal packing list

For every trip with a baby or a toddler, it is worth making a packing list, especially for a longer trip to Australia or New Zealand. This will ensure that you have everything you need and don't make the mistake of packing too much. The following things are really useful for a trip with a young child.

Our personal packing list for babies

Keeping calm

No matter how well prepared you are, or how strong your nerves are, there will come a point during your trip where one of you will lose your composure. If everyone is feeling tired and stressed from the long journey, even a missing wet wipe can cause a total freakout. Try to prepare yourself mentally for such situations in advance, take a deep breath and remain as relaxed as possible.

A long-haul flight with a baby can definitely be mastered with a little preparation and the right attitude! And after your arrival in Australia or New Zealand, you will always be compensated for the stressful moments during the journey - We promise!

​​How to master stressful situations well

"Our flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong was a day flight. We travelled with our two children - two and three years old at the time. The two spent the first ten hours of flight time watching TV and eating and were actually quite satisfied.

Shortly before landing in Hong Kong, the little one had to vomit. But of course not properly in the bag, but directly on mummy! Unfortunately, the seat belt signs were already on and we were no longer allowed to go to the toilets. So the scent stayed with us for another 30 minutes until we landed.

In Hong Kong, I took my child straight to the bathroom and changed us both. While waiting for the next flight, the pretzel sticks ran out, which led to a nervous breakdown and screaming fits from our older child. Thank goodness our flight was called! While we were getting ready to board and already feeling pretty annoyed by now, my eldest child told me that he had a weird feeling in his stomach too.

As soon as he said this, he vomited. Not on the floor - but once again on mummy! That was the point where I wanted to have a screaming fit too. Instead, I sent my husband to the washrooms to freshen up our son, and I went to the souvenir shop to buy an "I Love Hong Kong" t-shirt. With that, I started the next 12-hour flight."

Travel Specialist, Veronika

Our TIPS for you

Benefits of travelling with babies and toddlers

As a specialist in travel to Australia and New Zealand, we can offer you the best route options, airlines, seats onboard, connections and time to travel for young families.

Take advantage of our first-hand experience and airline connections

• Comfortable chairs, sitting together

• Endless movies, games and music

• The best flight schedule

• The most spacious seats in each class

• Guaranteed seats next to each other

• A good assortment of food and drinks for the journey

• The best price

Start your dream holiday here

Take advantage of our local knowledge, and together we will create your unique, personalised holiday that is significantly yours. Get in touch with us here.