Travelling overseas - What to pack and what to expect

Tips for families for smoother, safer travel

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

Anya Malhotra Amyra Malhotra

It’s the holiday season and for many of us it comes with the added joy of being able to travel to be with family at this happy time. But how the world of flying has changed! For Australians embarking on international travel after almost two years of travel ban, this realisation hits hard and fast.

Recently, my family and I travelled overseas and experienced first-hand what it means to travel in COVID times. Based on our personal experience, we have collectively shared below some tips for teenagers, little ones and parents who are thinking of travelling, on being better prepared and having a smoother experience.

Tips for grown-ups:

Travelling internationally is no longer the breezy affair we are used to where the only hard decision to make was the choice of airlines, city and duration of transit. Travellers are now looking at longer wait at check-in, mandatory masks at airports and in air, constant sanitisation, limited service flights, COVID testing before departure and on arrival, navigating and updating multiple apps with COVID tests status and keeping up with ever changing travel and quarantine guidelines. The hurdles are endless.

Things to pack:

Amongst the many essentials you will pack for the trip, be sure to include the following: Patience: Accept that these are exceptional times. So when you pack for your travel, remember to also pack a whole lot of patience and ability to roll with any sudden changes to your travel plans.

Snacks and drinks: Queues will be long and slow moving. At many airports there will be only a few cafes open with limited food and seating options. Pack extra snacks and drink bottles just in case.

Things to do before travel:

4Ensure you are up-to-date with the latest travel and quarantine requirements of the country of boarding and destination.

Keep-em-busy items: Little activity books/activity packs to keep the little ones occupied.

Wipes and sanitisers: You cannot have enough of these. Equip your children with their own sanitisers and wet wipes to avoid digging into your bags repeatedly.

Hand care: Pack plenty of hand cream or lotion to avoid chapped fingers and dry hands with overuse of sanitisers. 4Get tested based and update the relevant apps/websites with your COVID test results, vaccination certificates and any other information required.

4Talk to your children and prepare them mentally for the experience ahead especially that they will need to keep masks on throughout the flight and at the airports, sometimes even wear a visor.

4Prepare them also for unexpected delays and lengthy wait times in queues.

Tips for Young Travellers

Here are some tips for teenagers and children who are travelling internation-

ally in these COVID times based on first hand experience of 12 year old Anya and 5 year old Amyra. Due to COVID times, flying internationally is a lot harder so be prepared for limited service in flight and keep your masks on at all times!

Tips for the little travellers:

Pack your own headphones: be sure to pack your own headphones because you never know what kind of headphones you will get on the plane, they may not fit!

Pack your own comfortable pillow and

stuffed toy: to make it easier for you to fall asleep.

Keep lots of fun activities to do: limited service flights mean not enough TV to watch and not enough activities. So pack your own.

Little babies crying: they will cry when they are uncomfortable, if you find it difficult to sleep, you can use your headphones to block the noise a little bit.

Wash you hands, sanitise, touch noth-

ing – keep your hands clean and mask on all time.

Keep close to your family and do as

you’re told – long lines of people make sure you keep close to your parents and go to the toilet when they ask you to!

Tips for teenage travellers: Make sure you have plenty of snacks

and munchies: Due to COVID, flights are running with limited service and there will be less food. So make sure you have lots of snacks and juices!

Pack a book to read/ art journal/di-

ary: limited service flights also mean limited in-fight entertainment suitable for children. So always keep a book to read. If you like to write, sketch or draw, carry your journals with you.

Be prepared to handle stressed out parents: It is best to stand patiently in queues, not take your mask off and do as you’re asked.

How to deal with siblings: there are always challenging moments when travelling with siblings but it is important to keep the younger ones close and out of trouble as you and your family navigate the long queues and wait times.

Make sure you have your passport and COVID vaccine certificate ready:

because of Covid everything is a rush and super strict so you need to get extra things checked. Remember to be ready with everything you could possibly need – passports, vaccination passports, masks, sanitisers, wipes etc. or any liquids, they need to be in 100ml containers to be allowed in cabin baggage.

Things to be prepared for:

4Noisy babies – sadly, it is as hard for them as it is for the rest of us 4Limited service flights meaning limited food service and limited in flight entertainment 4Being extra alert – keep your hands clean and don’t tough anything you don’t need to 4Lots and lots of people and big crowds, extremely long queues and lines of people 4Keeping your mask on the whole time in the airport and on the plane apart from when you’re eating 4Fogged vision if you are required to wear a visor in addition to the mask 4Stressed out parents and sometimes annoying siblings 4Frayed tempered people snapping at travellers 4Lots of Covid related extra checks

Most of these tips are handy for domestic travel also. But the most important tip – stay calm and be mindful that it is just as difficult for the airport staff and airlines crew as it is for us travellers.

Don’t forget the 100ml on-board rule:

So when you pack your lotion or drinks Bon Voyage.