Usually, when we meet somebody for the first time, somebody who is not our frequent reader, a question pops up: ‘Listen, do you take your kid for the further trips as well?’ Often, even before we manage to answer there’s a follow-up: ‘Because I’m a bit afraid! Thailand is no Greece or Italy. Different culture, different bacteria, different time zones.. I think it’s not for me! Maybe after the little one gets 2 or 3 years old!’…
Maks is 4 years and 4 months old and he’s already been to several countries considered exotic. He was 7 months old in Mexico and it was in San Cristóbal de las Casas when he first stood on his own legs holding on to the fame of his bed. When he was 1.5 years old he fed elephants in Thailand. He loves Bangkok and in his 4-year-long life he’s already been there several times – I envy him a little bit! 🙂 He watched crocodiles in Cambodia, searched for Buddha figurines hidden in every temple in Burma and looked for volcanoes and turtles in Gili Archipelago in Indonesia.
But if you’re a frequent reader, you know all about it! 🙂 Time for you! Feeling like taking your child somewhere else, far from good old Europe but still a bit afraid, right? How is it going to be? Will I make it? How about the doctor? Today we’re going to do it step by step: what are we going to start with? What’s there to consider if you’re thinking about your first exotic trip with a child?
1) CHILL OUT AND STOP WORRYING!
Feeling a bit uneasy, aren’t you? Probably, and that’s why you came here. You got your own doubts and people around you give you more to worry about… Your mother and mother-in-law lament that it’s so far, grandma who watched TV and learned that there are dangerous diseases in Asia (not important where! Asia is Asia!) or your friends try to scare you even more with dengue fever, mosquitoes and everlasting diarrhoea. And they all keep asking: ‘do you really wanna take your child there??? Aren’t you afraid??!!??’
Don’t listen to them. Remember: you’re going to a country where there are children living as well! And if you need an answer for the grim visions of all the diseases and a week-long diarrhoea tell them that your friend’s daughter caught scarlet fever in the kindergarten, another has constant bronchitis, friend’s son has rotavirus and little Tommy caught a tick while he was in Mazury. They didn’t have to go to Mexico, Thailand or Burma. You can get sick there, but also at home, in your grandparents’ garden or in the kindergarten. Less afraid now? 🙂 Let’s go then!
2) CHOOSE A COUNTRY YOU FEEL GOOD IN / YOU EXPECT TO FEEL GOOD IN!
Do you already know where your dreams will take you for your first distant, exotic trip with a child? South America or Asia? Maybe Australia or New Zealand? I don’t know about you but I always had a lot of travel dreams that were stoked by movies, books, magazines and friends’ stories. I don’t have and never had one country I MUST see. There were always many to see. Today, in a year, 5 years or 10. That’s why for the first trip with Maks I chose a place: a) I’ve already been to, b)I knew the language, c) I used to have friends from there and even though I haven’t seen them in 8 years they told me what it’s about right now and what can I expect. For us it was Mexico. I know that it’s not easy to choose an exotic country which meets all these 3 terms but you should at least try to find something moderately easy for the start.
If you already been to Thailand or Vietnam before, start with those or countries from similar culture. If you know the basics of Spanish, go for South America. Language is ALWAYS something solid. Read the guides, read the blogs – there you will find plenty of information regarding places where you should buy diapers, food in jars and whether locals like kids.
PS. If I were to choose a country for the ‘first time’ now I would say Thailand! I keep saying that for many reasons it’s a place where it’s easier to manage your child than in Poland.
3) ELIMINATE DANGERS AND PREPARE!
If you don’t have your plane tickets yet and still aren’t sure about the country to go, try Ministry’s of Foreign Affairs website Pole abroad tab and read the HEALTH section next to the country you’re interested in. If the description makes you afraid right from the start because it reads something like this:
‘There is risk of contracting malaria, cholera, dengue fever, amoebiasis, hepatitis A, Japanese encephalitis, dysentery, tuberculosis, mycosis and other skin diseases. It is recommended to keep track of current WHO information regarding the health situation in the region. Vaccinations against flu, rabies and hepatitis are recommended. There is also high risk of food poisoning. It is also recommended not to eat popular dishes made from dried vegetables and dried fish. In the last years an increase in HIV contracting has been observed. The standards of healthcare are very low.’
There are two things you can do: either you give up now or, if you really care about a specific destination, you do some research. Sometimes, people who went there for vacation or even lived there for a few years will tell you ‘Go, there’s nothing to worry about’ or ‘You have to plan your trip thoroughly – if you’re only interested in cities and plan to skip the countryside you’ll be fine’. But if you still have doubts, give it a pass – there’s plenty of beautiful places in the world, you don’t have to choose those with malaria, dengue fever and typhus all in one place. That’s why we’re not planning on taking Maks to India or Africa – we’ve been to India alone and fought diarrhoea for a week which we don’t want to take Maks through. Read. Descriptions of Mexico or Thailand will be slightly different 🙂 Descriptions on Foreign Affairs’ website are also worth reading because of the information regarding the state of healthcare and the matter of insurance in specific countries.
We often get asked another thing: Do we vaccinate Maks before we go on an exotic trip? Yes we do, but not for everything they suggest in epidemiological offices or what travel doctors suggest. We vaccinated him against hepatitis A and B before Thailand, typhus (before Cambodia) and meningococcus which we did after a suggestion from a GP we know who said it’s a good idea if we travel a lot. We did not vaccinate him against Japanese encephalitis, rabies etc. We didn’t give him medicine for malaria even though they suggested it in the vaccination point. When we confronted the opinions regarding possible dangers and the invasiveness of anti-malaria medicine we decided not to use it. It was a good idea. Decisions regarding vaccinations and prevention are some of the most difficult you have to take before an exotic trip. A decision you have to make yourself. We prefer to be protected. It gives as the sense of safety. If you’re thinking about vaccinating your child, think about it early enough (sometimes 2 doses in a specific stretch of time are necessary) and check what is the minimum age for certain vaccinations.
4) DON’T GO TOO FAR WITH THE LONG FLIGHT!
Again, back to the rule: there’s plenty of beautiful places in the world! Almost all exotic destinations require a long flight. But they are hardly the same. Better start with 10-12 hours, not 30! And you should really go for a flight with one transfer, not 3 because it’s cheaper. If you’re flying with a 2-year-old (and it’s worth it because he travels for free!:)), be sure to book a kids’ bed in advance. There’s often 2-3 beds on long flights. It’s definitely more convenient than holding 8 or 12 kg on your laps for 12 hours 🙂 Read about how to cope with a child on a plane HERE!
5) CHECK THE WEATHER!
What if he gets too hot?? That’s true: temperatures in Thailand or Cambodia can kill you. Sweat it is running down your back, it’s sultry like in a sauna, no air to breathe and the only thing you’re thinking about is a pool with cold water or something cold to drink (preferably coconut water!). How will a child cope with such weather? Sometimes better than YOU 🙂 Just remember about something to cover his head, sunscreens, rest in the shade etc. But Asian heat is bearable and maybe even likeable? I prefer to breathe sultry Bangkok air in November to freezing in Warsaw. So does my child.
6) CHECK THE TRANSPORT POSSIBILITIES
I usually assume that people who go on exotic trips want to see something more than the hotel and a piece of beach. I have nothing against going to the beach, relaxing in a swimming pool and lying down with a book on the folding bed. But I never understood people who flew to Goa, left the hotel twice and said they’ve been to India. If you want to discover the place you’re going to, see how can you travel around. Will it be convenient for the child? Won’t the kid go into a tantrum after 15 hours on a bus? Maybe it’s better to rent a car? Is it possible to rent a car in a given country? Is it easy to drive? Is it safe? Is it possible to rent a car with a car seat? How much? Can you travel by train? Maybe by a boat?
We usually suggest renting a car (car seat is a must) whenever it’s possible. But we’ve also been to places where it was a bad idea: Cambodia, Vietnam or Burma. In order to see these countries we sailed a boat, took a night bus, a night train, a tuk tuk, a taxi, a scooter, a plane. PS. Most of the abovementioned means of transportation were considered one big adventure by our son. It’s you who may be afraid of the night train 😉
7) TAKE YOUR FIRST AID KIT
The question regarding the illnesses is the most popular one. What then? It’s always good to know how is the local healthcare doing, have an insurance or even see where is the nearest surgery or a hospital. But the most important thing is to take your own first aid kit. Prepared with your GP. I won’t elaborate about that since there’s an entry ready for you HERE 🙂 I just tell you one thing: in our case a first aid kit made us go to a doctor once and ask a pharmacist for advice once during more than a dozen weeks spent in exotic countries. We treated all remaining doubtful symptoms on our own and usually they were gone after 1-2 days.
8) DON’T TAKE RISKS!
My dear friend once asked me one thing about India: ‘how did you manage there? My friends returned skinny, sick and had to take a sick leave in order to mend themselves after they got home!’. The abovementioned friends ate on the streets of Delhi or Jaipur and slept in a hostel with cockroaches. We don’t do stuff like that. Especially when we’re travelling with a child. We didn’t even give him street food – we preferred to go to an eatery nearby hoping they have a fridge and running water. We did not let him drink anything served with ice or water poured from a jug. We sometimes prefer to look like we’re overreacting than take a risk 😉 At least I prefer to 🙂
9) BE OPEN!
Travelling is a hobby for those who are open, tolerant, who understand things that are different, who don’t criticise the unknown. A good traveller has o be a bit of an anthropologist – he doesn’t judge, doesn’t evaluate, he values every culture. It’s really important if you’re thinking of exotic trips. It’s important if you’re thinking about going on exotic trips with a child. Because you’re transmitting your attitude to your child. If you’re going to Mexico or Asia with a small white child, be prepared that many people will be intrigued – with kindness and liking, but if you don’t like people prodding your child, caressing and touching him, it may be difficult for you… But if you’re thinking of teaching your child openness and tolerance from the very beginning, nothing will teach him better than travels 🙂
So what? Are you ready? You can now plan your first exotic trip with a child:) PS. If you have more questions or doubts on the subject, tell us here or on Facebook – I’ll add it to the entry 🙂
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