| It is not so difficult, if you are well prepared AND your child is a little bit disciplined.
Here are some tips.
1) Pick an appropriate destination. By that I mean safe and predictable and friendly. I wanted to visit Ireland and Scotland but decided against it because it didn't seem like a good choice with a 4 year old. But also please don't pick Disneyland in Paris. It is your vacation too. I picked Germany for the following reasons - safe and disciplined, good public transportation, had a friend to reach out to for emergencies. It was after that I realized Germany had castles too! And the original fairytales were written by Grimm Brothers here!
2) Plan a detailed itinerary but keep it flexible. Some days kids will be tired. I dropped a few things off my plan because I knew JSK was tired and wanted a nap. By the end of the trip even I was tired. ;--p
3) I found airbnb to work well because it was a home, so I could do minimal groceries like bread and milk and give JSK a good breakfast at her pace instead of having to manage her in a restaurant or public place every single meal. I took some packs of her favorite Mac and Cheese for some dinners which she loved and so worked very well. Do take some of her favorite food so she doesn't starve. This is if you have a picky kid like mine. Plus free laundry! You also get to meet local people get the inside scoop on what to see. One of our hosts in Heidelberg was super duper nice I wanted to stay there for a few more days.
4) As I said you don't have to go all out and do only kid stuff, like Disneyland and adventure parks. Instead intersperse her favorite activities once in couple of days. But don't do all adult stuff only, kids can get bored and make your life hell. I learnt this in the first two days and made amendments to the schedule on the go. We had some park time and running around time everyday mostly in the evenings, to get the steam off. We chased ducks in lake, rode goat statues, played by the lakes, watched fishes for hours , fed birds and watched meerkats.
5) Our sightseeing or being out time was only between 9 and 6. All my trains were between 9 and 10. And we would be back home by 6. We mostly picked up dinner on the way or made something at home. And evenings were the time I found JSK to unwind, and jump around. We also skyped almost everyday to Appa. We would sleep by 8-9.
6) On most days I woke up 1.5hours before her, shower and pack before waking her up. God forbid I cannot do anything after she wakes up. I would work backward on what time I should wake up depending on what I time we had to get out the door.
7) When you are on a long two weeks trip in Europe kids get bored of waking up and getting ready everyday. They revolt. They want to play. Or cuddle. Or sleep some more. Some days I would lure her out with something of interest to her that we would be doing that day. Like we are going to see Sleeping Beauty Castle! Or we are going to see the magic fountains! Well some days gummy bears or icecream work just as well.
8) please keep your healthy eating at home when you are on a trip. one less thing to worry about! JSK and I kinda starved for the first few days in Germany. But later we discovered pizza! Something that quickly goes in so you can keep your schedule and not worry about her not having eaten anything. Once you are back home you can work on getting your habits in order.
9) keep a stash of kids favorite stuff in your daypack. I had gummies and skittles and some chocolates. I used them at times when I really needed her to cooperate, like when talking to the help desk at the train station. Or when getting on the train and finding the right wagon to go to your destination! Or your guide or your host or getting help when you are lost finding your accommodation for the day.
10) I know she is 4 but I still had a spare set of clothes for her in my daypack. And a plastic bag. And I had to use it once in my trip. JSK was too busy enjoying her time she didn't tell me she had to pee until she couldn't hold it anymore. Before I could take her to the restroom, which I had scoped out earlier, she did it. I changed her in the restroom. Other essentials to have, dry wipes, wet wipes, hand sanitizer.
11) minimalistic packing if you will be travelling to a lot of places, since you will be hauling them everywhere. I picked 5 sets of clothes for myself, 6 for JSK. I had one big backpack and one daypack and one light stroller. I would go sightseeing with the daypack and stroller. Big pack when moving across towns. I would put the daypack in a hand bag kind of and hang it on the stroller when travelling. Wear comfortable shoes. I wore sneakers. Those backpacks really add to the weight.
12) carried a drawing book and scrapbook and color pencils along with some books for time pass in trains.
13) plan visits to attractions based on when kiddo is in a good mood. Visit places when they will be less crowded like mornings. Keep afternoons relaxed since kids tend to get cranky later in the day.
14) stroller/baby carrier is a must no matter what people might think if you don't want to carry your kid. I didn't want to!
15) don't worry about what people will think of you when you do weird things like bend over so you can get under the umbrella your child is holding and walk like that all around. People with Kids will definitely understand. Old people will find it amusing and adorable sometimes. Youngsters.. Well don't care about what they think.
16) if you are Indian, be prepared for some serious looks of admiration for black hair and black eyes from the pale Europeans ;--))
17) 17! All this said, no matter how much you plan and prepare there will be moments when you want to drop everything and go back to comfort and support ;--p because it is not easy to travel with a four year old alone. And that's why people don't do it. And that's why random strangers help you. And look at you pitifully. Thank god some didn't know I was doing this on my own accord and not forced. ;-p. Have fun! These memories will be cherished for years to come!
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