Are you ready to slow down and savour the benefits of slow travel with your children? Here's a checklist to help you pack light, travel easy, and make the most of your time together. We’ve sprinkled in some bonus ‘Boundless Hacks’ to make the path as smooth as possible.
- Go with the flow. Allow yourself to slow down. Don’t feel under pressure to see and do everything if the family is feeling a little worn out. Allow yourself to sleep in. Spend that extra hour at the beach and go with the flow.
- Let the kids help pack and assign them their own bag. This will help them feel more involved in the trip and make them more excited to go. Plus, it's a great way to teach them about packing light. Don’t worry, you can repack again later and covertly reduce the cuddly toy count down from two gazillion.
If the gazillion teddies somehow snuck back into the case, and your luggage trolley now resembles the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you can just roll with it. Return transfers from the closest airport/port to your Boundless Home are included (with plenty of room for all the shoes that’ll travel home having not seen the light of day).
- Bring a fully-charged portable charger. This is a must-have for any family that's always on the go. It will keep your devices charged, so you can stay connected and entertained if that’s your thing. Go for one with at least 10,000 mAh capacity. A battery pack saved our sanity on a long-haul flight where we were sat in the only seats with non-functioning entertainment systems😮.
- Bring a first-aid kit. This is especially important if you're travelling with young children. Travel sickness medication and/or ‘Sea Bands’ are sensible if you have kids prone to motion sickness.
- Pack your patience. Slow travel is all about taking your time and enjoying the journey as well as the destination. So pack your patience, along with all your kids’ favourite snacks. Got to avoid those “hangry” moments! Think you have too many snacks? Not possible.
- Bring your sense of humour. Things will go wrong on your trip. Kids will get over-tired, luggage can be lost, and you might even get lost yourself. But if you can laugh at yourself, you'll have a much better time.
- Adapt your mindset. Holidays and longer-term travel with kids are NOT the same as when you were kicking back and living La Vida Loca at Club 18-30. You’ll still maintain a lot of the same routines and be dealing with a lot of the same challenges. However, you are also creating lasting memories (most of them great) of your time spent together exploring the world.
If maintenance of daily routines (including remote work and education) is already your reality, Boundless can help make this seamless with innovative education, homes and coworking space included!
- Be flexible. Plans will change, and that's OK. Slow travel is all about going with the flow and exploring what's around you. So be prepared to change your itinerary at a moment's notice and flex to respond to the mood of the day. This includes taking a ‘chill-out day’ if that’s what’s required to reset and recharge.
- Bring a journal. This is a great way to document your trip and capture all of your memories. Depending on the age of your children they can also document their own adventure. A camera with a mini printer is a super fun way for younger children to start their journaling journey.
Our Boundless Education online portfolio tool is just one way to have a record of what your children have been getting up to during their time at one of our Education Centres.
- Choose a destination that is child-friendly - especially if you are just starting out. Being able to navigate around with ease and having access to varied sights, shops and services are just some of the considerations.
All our Boundless Life destinations go through a meticulous screening process to ensure they are the BEST possible locations for families to both relax and explore.
- Find family-friendly accommodation that has all the essentials your family needs - especially if you are travelling with babies and infants. Make a list of must-haves vs. items you could live without temporarily.
All our Homes are optimised to be family-friendly and equipped with everything you need for day-to-day life - including essential equipment for babies and infants if required.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Travelling with children has its moments. Luckily, other parents will be able to relate (and sympathise) and are usually very happy to lend an extra pair of hands.
As the saying says, it does sometimes take a village! With Boundless, you have the immeasurable benefit of instant community - and instant support if needed.
- Plan activities that ALL the family will enjoy. This doesn’t necessarily have to be all on the same day, but if Mum wants to check out the museum, Dad the monuments and the kids the Splash Park try to make sure everyone gets a little of what they love.
Our community programming has been carefully curated to allow families to pick and mix their optimal range of activities to delight everyone.
- Most importantly, relax and enjoy yourself! Slow travel is all about savouring the journey, so take your time and make the most of it. There will be bumps along the way but you will navigate over them like the slow travel boss you are!
Hitting a bump or just need help to avoid them? Our local Concierge team is on hand to help you live your very best Boundless Life. No question is a silly question!
Feeling confident to have your first slow travel adventure but want a ‘soft landing’ whilst you find your feet? Boundless Life Experiences and Getaways could be the perfect launch pad. Chat to us and help us to help you!
