Ten safety tips for travelling with kids.

Before you leave and while en route.

• Keep safety rules consistent. It’s important to remember, what you do at home to stay safe is what you should do during vacation. It’s crucial to keep the same safety rules for kids especially if you have regular rules and expectations for them. We all know sometimes it take a while to get use to new rules, so introducing them during your 5-day trip, might not be easy for everyone to get adjusted to. If you don’t allow your kids to go off on their own in the neighbourhood, why let them do it on a resort. Being consistent with rules prevents injury and keeps everyone safe.
• Get travel insurance. With travel insurance, you’re protecting your family should someone suffer from an emergency or unforeseen illness or injury while out the country. Emergencies are never part of the plan, so getting travel insurance is the best way to be prepared and ensure you get the help you need without it costing you an arm and a leg.
• Pack a medical kit. You never know what can go wrong and you don’t need to go to the doctor for every little scratch and bruise. Make sure to keep bandages, sunscreen, tubes of aloe vera, hand sanitizer, stomach and diarrhea relief medication, motion-sickness remedies and allergy medicine close by.
• Get vaccines for children, if travelling internationally. It’s a good idea to get an up-to-date record of your child’s immunizations before a trip, just in case you are travelling to a country with illnesses. It’s the easiest way to prevent contracting a virus or diseases. Some countries even have immunization entry requirements to protect their own citizens from imported diseases brought in by travellers.
• Pack strategically. On a family vacation there are so many things to pack, so make sure you have a strategic plan in place to cover all the essentials you’ll need. Make sure to pack snacks, diapers, medicine, and other items to help you if there are any delays while travelling. It’s important to carry any essentials like medicines in your carry-on just in case.

Tip: Don’t know what to pack for your family trip? Check out our travel packing tips. 

While on vacation.

• Stay protected from the elements. Use insect repellents and sunscreen to stay safe from Mother Nature. In some countries there are travel-related diseases that spread through infected insects like ticks, mosquitoes and fleas. Make sure to grab an insect spray with use repellent with Icaridin or DEET on exposed skin to keep the critters away. It’s also a great idea to use an insect net over playpens, strollers or beds for smaller children. You should keep hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes handy as well.
• Bring a portable crib or playpen for small children. Some hotels and resorts offer cribs, but they may not be up-to-date when it comes to North American safety standards. If you don’t want your baby or toddler sleeping in the bed with you, it’s best to bring your own from home.
• Childproof the room. No matter where they are, small children love to explore. When you first arrive in your hotel room or vacation home, do a quick sweep and move harmful items out of your child’s reach like ashtrays, coffeemakers, matches and more. Plus you can also bring some items from home like toilet locks, outlet covers and doorknob covers for extra protection.
• Keep a photo handy at all times. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. If you do lose your child on vacation, you’ll be too worried and in panic mode to describe what he or she looks like. So if you have an image on-hand, it takes away that stress during that intense situation. A good idea is to take a picture of your child every morning, so you have the exact idea of what they are wearing and their hairstyle on the day as well.
• Assign a meeting place. When you arrive to your destination, it’s important to have a meeting place just in case someone gets lost or separated from the bunch. It should be a common area that’s easily accessible and visible, like a lobby or specific pool or ride if you are in an amusement park. It’s a great idea to also give every member in the family a map with the meeting place marked off, so they can easily locate it, especially for kids.

These are all great tips to keep you and your loved ones safe for the entire trip. But the most important thing you can do to ensure you all travel safe is being covered with CAA Travel Insurance. Plan ahead and spend your vacation building memories, not costly medical bills.

CAA Travel Insurance offers a variety of travel insurance plans to suit your travel needs, and all of our plans come with great benefits:

• Kids coverage included in family plans¹
• Emergency Dental²
• Emergency medical coverage up to $5 million CAD³

Get a quote for your family today. Plus, CAA Members save up to 10% off their insurance purchase.