Don’t leave home without our free downloads for the License Plate Game and Bill Board Game.

free travel games

A 15 day trip for eight people (including 4 kids) doesn’t happen overnight; but, after weeks of planning and packing, it is travel time!  All 21 bags are packed and lined up by the door and we are ready to go.  Now… what to do for the next 8 hours until we head to the airport?

We are on an evening flight to Frankfurt so my focus for the day is to wear out the kids so they will sleep on the plane.  Lots of time playing outside followed by 2 hours with our favorite tennis pro should do the trick.

At t-minus 30 until departure I pull out our checklist and we get ready to go!  Out the Door Checklist

The airport time goes smoothly and the flight starts out fine.  It was a night flight so we were expecting a quick meal service and then lights out.  Unfortunately, it was an exceptionally long meal service – to the point that my 6 year old was begging the flight attendants to turn out the lights!  Everyone was tired and fussy when we landed in Frankfurt for our 4 hour layover.

The Frankfurt airport is a mess!  There is construction everywhere and virtually no food to be found.  Luckily there were plenty of empty gates, which meant there was lots of room to run around and also space for the kids to spread out their TravelKiddys and play by themselves for a while.

Finally we land in Prague.  Kudos to Brian for having sufficient transportation waiting for us as we straggle out of the airport desperately needing baths and food.

Finding hotels for the 8 of us had not been an easy task – Brian spent hours on the phone figuring out options and finally settled on the InterContinental Praha.  We booked a family room (an oversized room with 2 king beds) and a one bedroom suite with a cot.  They were spectacular.  Much larger than a typical European hotel room with plenty of space and nice layouts.  The kids were excited to see Praha themed welcome presents, child sized robes & slippers, kid comforters & pillows and even special toiletries.  A quick room service meal later and we were off to bed and ready to begin our adventures in the morning.

europe with kids

As I begin the packing process for our summer European adventure, one of my first tasks is to create my paper essentials list.  Instead of scribbling on a piece of paper that I was sure to lose, I decided to create a master list that I could reuse and share with you.   Keep reading for the list.  I have also  included it in checklist form for easy downloading and printing here: International Packing List

1. At least $100 in local currency.  My husband used to swear this wasn’t necessary until we were stuck in Newark with no US dollars to use for an airport cart.  A painful lesson to learn when traveling with lots of luggage and little kids!
2. Passports.  Be sure to check expiration dates well in advance.  It pays to check the destination country regulations as some require the passport to be valid for one month or more after the trip dates.
3. At least 1 copy of every passport packed separately from other travel documents.  We include copies in a checked bag and then put them in the hotel safe when we arrive.
4. Health insurance cards.  Verify that your health insurance is valid in your destination country and be sure to carry the cards – just in case.
5. Hard copy of important phone numbers (doctors, relatives, etc).   Everyone has this information in cell phones these days but what if you lose your phone, forget the charger or it stops working?
6. Shot records (required for some countries).  Some countries require proof of immunization before entering the country.
7. Notarized health authorization (if traveling with grandchildren).  This doesn’t need to be complex – just a statement naming the adults traveling with your children and giving them authorization to approve health care in an emergency (just like most schools require).
8. Notarized travel permission or custody papers if both parents are not traveling.   It is common for passport control to request this information if a parent is traveling alone with a child.
9. Hard copy of itinerary and lodging phone numbers.  Better to be safe than sorry!
10. Leave behind – copy of itinerary and contact numbers with neighbor or relative.  See our free download here: Travel Plans

What additional items do you like to carry?

european travel · General Travel With Kids

Kids Ski Packing List

Travel Plans

Travel Journal

Office Scavenger Hunt

No tags