Injuries to children during travels

All parents of young children know that both home and travel first-aid kits must contain miracle-working remedies for bruises, wounds and general scrapes. And families who travel extensively and actively not only have such remedies on hand, but also use them often – injuries to children during travels are commonplace for them. One such family is the Valkevicius family, who love challenges and do not like to sit still.

The Walk’eviciai are a true family of travellers

Active travel was Elena’s passion at first, and then she took it up with her husband. Elena jokes that her husband is still “sick” with the disease, but doesn’t complain about it at all. The couple is slowly spreading it to their family and friends. In this article, Elena will share with us her tips on how to prepare for hiking with children and her recommendations on where to travel actively with children. Also if they have had any Injuries to children during travels.

The Valkeviciai joke that they are in fact Walk’eviciai, and that their surname already has an active lifestyle written all over it. Mum Elena works in HR and husband Meinardas runs the animation studio Meinart and promises to bring an Oskaras to Lithuania one day. By the way, he is the man who made the amazing Kake Make movie. The family has a six-year-old son Jokubas and two year old daughter Ula. They love sports, active leisure and challenges. That’s why he plans a lot of his trips according to competition schedules or venues. All the most important events in their lives are related to travel, so they simply cannot imagine their lives without it.

Visited 40 countries over few years

This family has visited a lot of countries – close to 40. They have lived in Hawaii for a while and have had the chance to explore it slowly – Elena admits that it is one of the most beautiful parts of the world for them so far.

“We love the mountains, so Canada has made a big impression. We really liked Thailand, and we went back for the second time (which we don’t usually do, because we’re choosing new destinations). But we also love Europe, because you can find real natural gems in Austria, Italy, Norway and even Poland.” – says Elena.

When asked if the family doesn’t get tired of such active travels, Elena says that, strangely enough, active leisure is their expression of relaxation. Although she admits that a day of physical rest sometimes wouldn’t hurt.

First trips with children

“We have been travelling with our children since Jokubas was 9 months old. Then, we just had to fly to Athens – my husband was running a marathon there. There was no excuse not to go. But everything was going very well. We saw that most of our fears were of our own making and that was the beginning of the era of travelling with children. But I won’t lie, sometimes stuff DOES happen!” – admits the traveller.

Elena recalls that the couple once decided to take a lazier route and chose an all-inclusive trip to Turkey.

“We both went crazy from so much rest. Finally we found a bus that took us to a town, we saw a mountain and started climbing it,” recalls Elena.

The most spectacular hike?

To Nam Taloo Cave in Thailand. The cave was almost a kilometre long and we had to hike in complete darkness with a torch. Wherever you shine the light, there are all kinds of creatures: spiders, bats… But the key detail was that there was water in the cave, and in some places overhead.

“We debated whether we should really go there, because there was no way back. Jokubas said he was ready for this adventure (he was wearing a life jacket), but what about Ula in a carrier? When we came to a section where the water was at head level (it wasn’t long), the guys on the hike and our guide carried her safely out of the cave, passing her through each other’s arms”, Elena recalls the adventure and stresses that her family is experienced in going on such adventures, and would not recommend the hike under normal circumstances when travelling with kids.

Injuries to children during travels

Elena, a mother of two, says she has never had any serious Injuries to children during travels, but once, in Italy, her husband’s foot slipped on small stones while going down a hill and he started sliding down, dragging their son along with him. And although they both slid for several dozen metres, they were left with only a few scratches. Elena is convinced that this is yet another confirmation of the importance of good hiking boots (the boys were wearing them, but they still slipped).

“Travel 4 Kids®” advises. Injuries to children during travels – how to help them:

• It’s always a good idea to pack a wound disinfectant spray and plasters in your rucksack wherever you go. Especially if you’re travelling in the countryside and there’s nowhere to ask for first aid supplies;
• If you have an accident, have wounds or scrapes and need a first aid kit – ask at the nearest cafes, hotels, shops, petrol stations – they are usually required by law to have a basic first aid kit;
• have some freezing gel ready for the trip – one of those magic things for children (and not only) when bumps/trips/injuries hurt and there’s not much you can do to help. In such cases, a cooling gel or spray is a blessing! Our favourite is ICE POWER. Most of the time we just have a small tube of Ice power  COLD GEL (75ml.) on hand – it’s an all-natural, drug-free way to relieve the pain of a bruised area.
• A very handy thing we are planning to try this year is the ICE POWER COLD GEL ROLL – the same effectiveness of the cooling gel, but in a very handy tube with a ball tip. It’s perfect for travelling when you need quick help but can’t or don’t want to get your hands dirty. For the same reason, it is also suitable for children, as they can apply it on their own without having to apply it to their hands.

Did you know that the cold reduces inflammation, reduces swelling of soft tissues and speeds up healing? By the way, you can find ICE POWER at very good prices in the Online Pharmacy e-shop.

OUR TIP – the cooling gel is perfect for bee or mosquito stings – because the cold reduces pain and itching. Simply a must-have in every mother’s medicine cabinet.

Advice from the Valkevičiai family for those who want to start hiking with children:

• Lithuania is full of nature trails that you can try with your children. There are plenty of trails for children to explore and it will be a great exercise for them. And parents can see how their children react to the distance, discipline and fatigue.
• Elena thinks it is most convenient to navigate Lithuania by region. Let’s say Aukštaitija. In this region, go to a nature trail (for example, a short and beautiful trail along the Jurkiskis stream). Visit at least one lookout tower (you will be surprised how many there are in Lithuania). Visit a pet farm, a museum, get to know the cuisine of the region. Visiting a different region once a week/month will not only be fun for you and your family, but will also give you a better insight into our beautiful Lithuania.
• One of the most important things when hiking is quality footwear and layering.
• A mini first aid kit, sunscreen/skin creams are always with us.
  Always have enough water and snacks/food. Our favourite restaurant with a perfect view is nature!
• Upcoming hikes abroad – e.g. our Polish neighbours really have a lot to offer, so say Zakopane is a really good destination. Even though we were there without kids, it’s really beautiful and there’s plenty to do with little ones.
• There are hiking trails of different levels in almost every country. I highly recommend the AllTrails app, which will help you choose the right hike for you. There you will also find descriptions, reviews from other hikers. Even photos, so you can easily assess whether it’s right for you.

Dream Hike

“No matter how well you prepare for a hike, something unexpected can always happen. Once we got lost in the Austrian Alps and found ourselves on very difficult mountain trails. We had to concentrate hard and not pass on our fear to the children.There was simply no other way down. A few kilometres turned into a hike of several kilometres. Good thing that we had enough supplies. We also did a hike once in Canada and it was a bit uncomfortable to find fresh bear tracks.” – Elena recalls.

And when asked about her dream destination, Mom Elena smiles: “Lots of dreams! From African safaris to New Zealand. And the dream hike is any hike where you can enjoy nature.”

For all the information you need on how to prepare for a trip with children and what to do when travelling, see the articles “Tips for preparing for a trip with children” and “How to keep your children occupied during your trip”.

Make your daily routine easier by travelling with the whole family and using myTU Lietuva mobile banking. Parents can conveniently access free financial services. Convenient for shopping and entertainment in Poland, always pay in your local currency and myTU will give you the best conversion rate. From the age of 7, you can open an account for your children simply by mobile phone.

The article “Injuries to children during travels” is an original article prepared by “Travel 4 kids®”. Copying and use without permission is strictly prohibited.

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