Noor de Groot, alias Queen of Jetlags, has over 650.000 followers on Instagram and has her own blog. She has a daughter Olivia, who joins her on lots of travels. Of course Noor is thé Queen of Jetlags, but how does Noor do it? Traveling with her mini-me? Well luckily she shared some tips with us, so you can get ready for a holiday with your little one!
Since I always travel a lot for work, I sometimes need to take Olivia with me. I really cannot do long travels without her. Otherwise, I instantly miss her so much!
When it comes to travelling with Olivia, I always get so many questions about my best advice. Travelling with a toddler can be a challenge sometimes, but we’re so lucky that Olivia loves to travel too. And after trying out a bunch of things I have made a list with some of my best tips to follow when travelling with your child.
Just do it!
Ignore the naysayers! It is possible to enjoy a traveling life after having children. Every time we go on a trip, I actually spend more quality time with Olivia. At home I’m usually trying to multi-task and I get distracted by my phone or work, but when traveling, I’m more ‘present’ in the sense that I give Olivia my full attention and we bond even more while on trips together.
Prepare, prepare, prepare
A lengthy trip to a foreign country demands some serious preparation. If you are prepared ahead of time, you will be better suited for a successful travel experience. I highly recommend packing a bunch of diapers, wipes and all the other essentials instead of buying it at your destination. Here’s why: since I already don’t have enough time to go to the store at home, much less when we’re on vacation.
Bring wrapped toys or treats
When we’re traveling, I always make sure to bring something with me to distract Olivia from the long flight. It’s important to manage the boredom, especially if she is tired or just tired of not having fun. For example, before we go I make sure I buy small wrapped toys or treats that I can take with me on the plane. During the entire flight I keep Olivia occupied by giving her a small gift around every two hours. This way I will have something new and exciting to both distract her and peak her interest. The journey flies by and she has a great time!
Don’t fight the time change
Crossing time zones can be a struggle for kids. I handle the issue by just throwing myself entirely into the new time zone. Don’t spend your time calculating and comparing time zones to make sure your child naps at their usual time. I usually just jump into the American time zone and go about my day. If Olivia passes out at 4:00 in the afternoon, I just let her sleep and make sure we put her in a stroller. Like Sander and I did on our last trip to LA, we went hiking up into the Hollywood hills and took Olivia with us while she was taking a nap. In other words: just roll with it!