Tips for Preparing for a Trip with Children

How to properly prepare for a trip with children? What is important to know and what preparations to make before going on vacation? What is important to ensure that the trip does not become an exhausting start to the weekend or vacation? What do you need to take with you to the cabin of the plane without overloading yourself with things?

“Travelling with Children ®” shares its experience and recommendations.

Requirements for Children’s Documents

If you are traveling in the European Union, an identity card is enough for children, a passport is not necessary. However:

1. The child’s personal documents suitable for traveling to foreign countries are only the passport of the Republic of Lithuania and an identity card.
2. A child’s birth certificate is not valid for traveling abroad.
3. Children’s identity documents are valid for a shorter period of time (2-5 years), so you need to pay attention to the validity period of the documents.

IMPORTANT. Never risk going to a foreign country (even Latvia or Poland) without a travel document. Because you can have a lot of problems in the event of an accident. And also you can get in trouble with law enforcement!

A child temporarily going to a foreign country belonging to the Schengen area with at least one parent does not need the written consent of the other parent. Parents must agree between themselves about the child going to a foreign country.

If the child’s last name does not match the last name of one of the parents with whom the child lives, the border officials of the Republic of Lithuania may require the child’s birth certificate to be provided.

When a child goes to a foreign country alone or with an accompanying person, the written consent of at least one of the parents, certified by a notary, is required.

If you are traveling outside the European Union, even for children a passport is necessary, an ID card will not be enough.

Tasks for Parents Before the Trip

The Validity of Documents

Check the validity of both your and your children’s documents. Make sure your identity documents are valid for the duration of your trip. Some non-Schengen countries require a passport to be valid for at least 6 months after leaving the country. This is especially relevant when going away for the winter or traveling for a longer period of time. If the document is valid for a shorter period of time, you may have unpleasant problems when returning home. Children’s documents are valid for a much shorter period of time, but they are subject to the same requirements as adult documents.

Take photos of your personal documents and store them in your email. You can also make hard copies and store them separately from the documents. They will come in handy in the event of an accident, loss or theft.

Travel and Health Insurance

Don’t forget travel and medical insurance. This is extremely important. This is especially relevant when traveling outside the European Union.

If you are traveling in the European Union, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, take out the European Health Card issued by the Sickness Funds for both yourself and your children. The European health card guarantees you the opportunity to contact the state health institutions of another country for urgent or acute situations and injuries. This means that in the event of an injury or acute illness, the card presented at the medical facility will ensure that the necessary medical assistance is provided in accordance with the scope of assistance established in that country and is paid for in accordance with the procedures and rates established by that country.

European Health Insurance Cards

Important! For those who did not have time to prepare or forgot to put European health insurance cards in their suitcase, health insurance specialists remind them of a quick, free way out – you can instantly download a certificate replacing the card to your mobile phone. The certificate, like the European Health Insurance Card, confirms the right of a person covered by compulsory health insurance to receive necessary medical assistance, the costs of which are fully or partially covered by health insurance funds.

If a resident with PSD insurance left Lithuania without taking the ESDK or lost it during the trip, and he urgently needed to contact a treatment facility in a European country for the necessary medical assistance, you can use your mobile phone or computer to connect to the VLK information system and create certificates on your own, temporarily replacing the card. You can also create a certificate for your minor children there. In order to be able to identify a person, you need to log in through the Electronic Government Gate portal. The information system automatically creates a certificate for the current month.

It is important to know that if the insured person did not have an ESDK or a certificate replacing it while visiting European countries, he will have to pay the costs of the necessary medical assistance services provided with his own funds. However, even in this case, upon returning to Lithuania, you can apply to the territorial health insurance fund based on your place of residence for reimbursement of incurred expenses.

Payment Cards

Check payment card expiration dates. If you are going to countries outside the European Union, inform your card issuer. Banks often tend to block payment cards if they notice an unusual payment in another country.

Get a payment card (if you don’t already have one) that will allow you to make free withdrawals while traveling. Bank cards usually have certain fees. Consider using the myTU card while traveling because it gives you the opportunity to make free withdrawals in any country up to 2 times a month, not exceeding the amount of 200 euros.

Payment Cards – Financial Institutions

We recommend that you have at least several cards from different financial institutions, so you can order with the ones you already have. Grab a FREE myTU card not only for yourself, but also for children from if they are 7 years of age. For older children, it is especially important to have their own holiday “budget”, which is not too controlled by the parents. And in many cases, they also receive additional money from their grandparents, who can safely transfer it to their grandchildren’s cards. It is very easy to order a myTU card, and you will receive it promptly. And most importantly, the extremely user-friendly and safe mobile app will give you a wide range of options to manage your vacation and other payments.

Find out and be sure to save the phone numbers you need to use to inform the bank if your card is lost or stolen. Keep in mind that time is of the essence here. While you are looking for a phone number, fraudsters can quickly use your card. You can block both your and your child’s myTU card with one click of a button in the mobile app. It is very convenient and safe.

Prepare the Child For the Trip

We strongly recommend starting to prepare your child for the trip in advance from the age of two.

Start talking to your child about the trip long before the flight. Tell about the trip, show pictures of the plane.

Tell where you are flying to, show photos of the hotel or the country, so that the child will look forward to the trip. Tell us what you will do after your flight, how you will spend your time.

If you live in Vilnius, go to the airport’s aircraft observation deck, so you can show your child live planes taking off and landing.

Arrive at the airport with your child early, take your time and let them familiarize themselves with the environment.

Preparing For a Plane Trip

Preparing for the first trips with the little traveler is a difficult task. Especially when traveling by plane, when the amount of items is limited. Over a long period of time, we have compiled a list, which, in our opinion, optimally meets the needs of the child. It is clear that it should be based on your child’s needs, age, interests and the duration of the trip, so don’t forget to refine it.

IMPORTANT – different airlines apply different baggage policies for children, so it is very important to check it before the flight. Even low-cost airlines allow children under two years of age to take a free piece of luggage, but always check its dimensions and weight allowance.

In most cases, children under the age of two are allowed to transport two items free of charge (stroller, car seat, folding crib). However, always check with the airlines.

Our biggest tip is to take as little stuff as possible and really think about what you need and what you don’t, because lugging around a lot is really uncomfortable.

What to Take on the Plane

• Diapers. A simple rule should be applied: one diaper for three hours of travel. You also need to calculate the waiting time at the airport and transfers. If the baby is getting used to being without diapers, we recommend TRON disposable potties.
• Drinks. We always take several bottles of water. You can always ask the attendant for warm water for a mixture or tea. Feel free to take juice, milk, whatever the child likes and drinks. Airport security often favors parents traveling with small children, so liquids are allowed in larger containers and do not need to be bagged. Keep in mind that you need to logically estimate the duration of the trip and take drinks accordingly. There’s no way you’ll convince security that a child needs three liters of water, a liter of juice and several bottles of prepared milk for a three-hour flight.

Food, Clothes and Sleeping

• Snacks and food. We believe that you can never have too many snacks on a trip. Although many airlines provide meals, our children always work up an appetite both on the plane, while waiting for the plane, and during layovers. Snacking is a great way to pass the time.
• A pillow and a blanket. Before the flight, find out if you need to have these things with you, because many airlines provide them for the duration of the flight, so think about whether it is worth taking them, because they take up a lot of space.
• Wet and dry wipes, disinfectant. You can never have too many of these things when traveling with children. Make sure to wipe the seats in front of you and next to you with a damp cloth after boarding the plane too!
• Medicines. For flights longer than three hours, I always take temperature suppositories and other important medicines with me.
• Teddy bear, pacifier. This one is very individual and depends only on your child.
• Spare clothes. Our children belong to the category that likes to get wet and dirty, so we take two sets of clothes. We always put clothes in zip bags, so it is very convenient to put dirty and damp clothes there later. If we fly to warm countries, we immediately pack thin clothes, and while waiting for the luggage, we change the child’s clothes. This saves time and you don’t have to search and move your bags at the airport.
• Favorite toys and other pastimes. We have a special vanity with handles where we put everything. It’s convenient, you don’t get lost, everything is in one place. As with traveling by car, if possible, we recommend buying a new toy or book.

Making Children Feel Good During the Flight

In order to prevent the baby’s ears from falling during the flight, you should breastfeed during takeoff and landing. If the child is not breastfed, give him some drinks from a bottle or a pacifier if you use one.

Offer older children to drink water in small sips, give them lollipops. This is when the game “blow out your lips” helps a lot.

We recommend that children, like adults, avoid sweet and fatty foods before the flight, as they can cause nausea during the flight.

The most important task for parents is to try not to stress and relax. Especially if this is your first trip. The most important thing is to be in a good mood. Prepare for the trip and travel with a good mood and attitude – children will be calmer when they feel this. Children feel and take on their parents’ emotions.

The article is published on themyTU blog, and myTU is a partner of “Travelling with Children ®”.

Simplify your everyday gift shopping for the whole family by using the myTU Lithuania mobile banking. Parents can conveniently use free financial services, and from the age of 7, open an account for their children as well.