7 Tips to Prepare Your Family for International Travel

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1. Get your passports. You might not realize it, but it can take quite a while to get a passport today. While the stated wait time is six to eight weeks, it can arrive much sooner. Still, if you’re going to be travelling in the next two months, you’ll want to consider getting an expedited passport. It will cost more, but you can get your passport in less than a week using expedited service. (Sometimes, you can even have it in hand in just a couple of days).
2. Get your vaccinations. When you’re traveling overseas, you’re going to be exposed to a number of different types of illnesses, viruses, germs, and more. You’ll want to make sure you have both yourself and your children in for a well visit to your doctor within about two months of departure. You’ll need to make sure you get the recommended immunizations. Your doctor should have access to a list of which immunizations are recommended for which overseas destinations.
3. Talk to your kids about cultural differences. If you’re travelling to Sydney, things might not seem all that different to your kids from what they are at home. Sure, folks will have strange accents, but that’s about the extent of it. If you’re travelling to Tokyo, however, things can be very different. Do some research of your own, and then talk to your kids about the kinds of behaviors that might be OK at home, but aren’t acceptable somewhere else.

4. Get your kids’ input. Bring your kids into the project. Make them feel like it’s their trip. Ask about the kinds of things that they want to do, and where they want to go. Get out a map, and talk about specific sights and experiences. While you’ve probably got a long list of things you’d like to do, don’t forget to let them take some ownership of the trip, as well.
5. Learn at least a little bit of the language. Most of the popular overseas destinations have at least a smattering of the population that speaks English. However, you will want everyone in your family to be able to communicate in at least a minimal fashion if they should get lost, or find themselves without someone nearby to translate. Practice some safety phrases – such as “please take me to the police” – as well as a few practical phrases such as “where is the bathroom?”
6. Get your children excited. Work up some real interest in your destination. Have your seventh-grader do a report for the rest of the family on the Brandenburg Gate, and them make sure to visit it when you’re in Berlin. Listen to some of the country’s native music, look through various websites to see what local dress is like, and maybe even try making some of the cuisine before you go. Explore a little bit about children that are the same age as yours, and learn what an average day is like for that child.
7. Talk about food. There aren’t too many likely destinations where you won’t be able to find a McDonald’s, and your children are probably going to be thankful for that fact. While the cool thing about being in Thailand for you might be eating authentic Thai food, your 16 year-old son might be much less interested. Talk with your kids about some of the food differences, and ask each child to identify three or four authentic dishes that they’d like to at least try when you’re travelling.