Tips for Travelling with a Six Year-Old

As you can see from our other posts, we are experienced travellers with a small child. 

(To scroll through our other tips posts, click here. We have specific posts for babies 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, 18-24 months, and 2 year old kids). 

Then, there's a big gap of time that's missing due to COVID-19. That really put a damper on our travel! We did lots of little local getaways but nothing that felt big enough to start our blog back up for. And really, who had the time?

So this trip felt like an entire new era of travel for us. We said goodbye to SO much gear (we are notorious over-packers). We strapped a backpack on our kid, and off we went!

How to Prepare

We started talking about the trip a few months before we left. We took out books on Spain from the local library and read them together so that Adventure Girl had an idea of what the country would be like and what there was to do there. 

We involved her in the planning by asking her what she was most interested in seeing and doing. We showed her pictures of places that we were considering going to and got her input. It helped that we had very little itinerary. When F said that she was excited to see a castle, we made sure to put that in our plans. (We also curbed expectations by ensuring she knew it wasn't a working castle like in a book!).

We'd been given a MEC backpack that seemed like an appropriate size for her. We made sure it try it on with things inside of it to test for a proper fit.  We taught Adventure Girl how to fit the straps properly. She was already used to walking/hiking/biking with a fairly heavy backpack so we weren't too concerned about the weight. It would be ideal to take that backpack for a spin a few times to make sure kiddo feels comfortable. 

When it got closer to our departure, Adventure Girl and I packed her stuff together. I showed her how to roll her clothes so they'd fit tightly in her bag. We talked about how the more things you brought, they heavier the bag would be. We expected her to carry all of her clothes, her cosmetics (toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, hair elastics) and her small stuffed animal. We would help with the car seat and activities. 

Our kiddo has lots of experience with airports and plane travel. If yours doesn't, I'd highly recommend showing your child the TSA video on youtube for kids. It prepares them for the different steps you'll need to take: lining up to check bags, going through security, etc. Even with her experience, we review what she should expect before every travel day: we'll take a cab to the airport, then we'll line up to check our bags, then we'll go through security. Next, we'll find a place to fill our water bottles, stop at the bathroom, grab some food, and find our gate. Those reminders really help her feel confident in what to expect. If your child is impatient, those little "check marks" once each task is completed, might help break up the long time there actually is between arriving at the airport and the plane taking off.

Travel Day! (we had a lot of groceries we were bringing onwards)

Accommodation 

We continue to like the Air BnB route for our family. It gives us a private space with a kitchen for self-catering. This keeps costs down and ensures we can prepare healthy food that we know we'll all like and will feel like home. We try to find a place with a view whenever possible, or choose a location that's within walking distance of things we'll want to see/do. We don't have to worry about a nap schedule anymore but it is nice to have a balcony to sit out on with a view to admire so that we can enjoy the evening after putting F to bed. 

At some places, we contacted them ahead of time and were able to get an early check-in, which helped cut down on the length of time for a travel day. At one place, we even booked the night before our arrival so that we could check right in when we arrived (that was after our very long journey to get to Europe and we knew our flight would arrive at 8 am). It was worth it to us to be able to check in right away and start relaxing. Depending on how long your journey is, what the time change is, and your own family's needs, you can decide if any of these tips would work well for you. 

Food

We tend to bring extra snacks because of dietary issues (F can't have lactose; Erin can't have gluten or lactose). It can also be nice to have a taste of home when on the midst of a long hike or travel day. We brought one item for each day of the trip, plus 3 things for each long plane ride). These were things like granola bars, cracker packages, and fruit sticks. All items that F likes, and all light-weight. It was hardly any space in our bags and provided a comfort for her and us. 

For this trip, our routine became: breakfast and dinner at home, lunch at a restaurant. Adventure Girl is very good at trying new foods. With only one meal out a day, she was very willing to test out new flavours and eat things that maybe weren't her preference. She knew that we'd be making dinner ourselves so I think that helped her be more easy-going with the lunch spots. We made exceptions on long travel days and let her get a hamburger. We didn't feel the need to push it when we were all jet-lagged or starving.

Toys

Together, we chose a few small books, blank paper, a notebook, and a few writing utensils to bring. I added in a sticker book, an activity book, a Chirp magazine, and some fun pencil crayons that she'd never seen before just in case. It's always nice to have something novel to present when you want a moment of peace like when trying to recover from jet lag. :) We also brought her headphones for the plane and a small tablet that was essentially just for her for on big travel days and to use for Skyping with our families while we were away. Remember to download a few shows ahead of time for the plane ride!

When we arrived in San Sebastian, we found a dollar store and bought some basic sand castle building toys. These were used once. ONCE! All she really wanted and needed at the beach was a shovel. At six years-old, Adventure Girl is very into imaginative play. She wanted to dig giant holes, be buried under sand, make a car in the sand and pretend to taxi us around, make a bakery/coffeeshop that sold hot mud drinks...It was a really good reminder for us that with some very basic supplies, her imagination will do the rest. We brought masking tape as a basic emergency item and she used it to make nametags and put on shows for us. We easily could have left almost all of the sticker books and activity books at home. 

Erin's Swimming Report Card  LoL

We got to that castle F wanted to see

Three bags and lots of groceries!

Gear

The only items we brought that we consider to be kid "gear" was our travel booster seat for the car and a set of inflatable water wings. (We use this travel booster seat by Cosco). Boy, did it feel good for us all to be hands-free. 

We also brought along a collapsible snack bag and cooler to use for trips to the beach and in the car. The dollar store sells collapsible hampers that are another non-essential but incredibly helpful item especially when you're going to be travelling by car and can just toss all of your dirty laundry in. 

Our last item that provides comfort for everyone is laundry detergent. This was essential when Adventure Girl was a baby: things smelling like home makes for a good night's sleep! For this trip, we found that Spanish detergent was very chemical-smelling. We were thankful to keep our clothes unscented!

The last few trips for us felt like we were building an enjoyment of travel and really catering to what our kiddo liked, while squeezing in some things for ourselves. With Adventure Girl as a six year-old, it felt like all of that hard work had paid off. We felt like a team. We woke up in the morning and each picked something we wanted to do. It was a very liberating and exciting feeling. We had so much family fun!

You know your family best so we're sure that you can find the strategies that will be successful for you and ignore the rest! Happy Travelling! 

xoxo the High Five Adventurerers

Spain & Portugal Days 14-16: Moving Onwards

The next day we took it easy around Formigal. We did a small waterfall hike, went back to the municipal pool, and got ourselves packed up for our big travel day ahead.  

We hit the road early on Day 15 with all of our stuff packed into the car. We drove for two hours across the Spanish countryside, through the mountains and foothills, alongside lakes and cool rock formations reminiscent of the hoodoos in the Alberta badlands, and past hilltop farming towns. We stopped in Pamplona for lunch, eating at the famous Cafe Iruna in the Plaza del Castillo, where Hemmingway liked to imbide. 

Cafe Iruna

We also walked down the road that the bulls run through, and we went past the bull-fighting arena. 

Back on the road for another hour and a half and we found ourselves in Bilbao. We had debated spending a few nights in the largest Basque city during our original planning stages but had decided to forgo it. The city actually turned out to be quite lovely down at the river and we would have been happy to have more time there. 

The Guggenheim!
We drove by it twice just to get a good look at it
(not at all because we made a navigational error)

Bilbao

We did a quick stop at the Bilbao Loco Polo (an absolute necessity), then headed to the airport. It was a bit stressful with us running behind schedule (due to how long lunch took in Pamplona - NOT because of the popsicle stop), but we got through security and to our gate with lots of time to spare. 

We took a short flight to Lisbon, cabbed our way to our apartment for the night, and got up early. We were staying close to the heart of downtown, so we made sure to take a few minutes in the morning to walk out to the Arco do Rua Augusta.

11!

This marked Adventure Girl's 11th country so here's a picture of her counting the countries she's visited using all ten fingers and a toe! :)

We grabbed our bags and headed back to the airport to fly onwards over the Atlantic to the Azores! This, ironically, was the cheapest way we found to get home and we loved the fact that it got us two hours closer to mountain time and cut down on our last big travel day. It also felt ritzy to voyage to this archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!

Flying into Terceira

Spain & France Day 13: Artouste

The next morning we rose early and jumped in the car, ready for a border crossing. As we drove along the mountain road, there was barely a sign to indicate that we had crossed the border and were now in France, Adventure Girl's tenth country. Shortly after, we pulled into the Artouste gondola station and swung our way up the mountain to board an alpine train. 

The view from the bottom of the gondola

Yup, we'd fall
straight down
the mountain!

Having looked at picutres of the train online ahead of time, we had thoughtfully planned our seating arrangement. We put F on the mountain side of the car as we'd seen some pictures that showed the train perched right at the edge of a cliff with barely any safety precautions. 

To our surprise, the first thing the train did was tunnel through the mountain, coming out on the other side, meaning Adventure Kid was buckled in sitting on the cliff side for the entirety of the ride!

Were there moments when we thought we might plummet to our deaths? - Not really. But it was exciting and promoted a good cuddle for the ride to ensure everyone stayed inside the tiny open-air train compartment. 

The ride was spectacular. Uninterrupted sweeping mountain vistas the entire time. We'll let our pictures speak for themselves. 

If you find yourself in this area of the Pyrenees, this is a must-do!

The ride was approximately 45 minutes long. It was smart to take the first train of the day because it meant no stopping for trains coming from the opposite direction. When we arrived at the mountain station, it also meant that we were the first people up and headed towards the alpine lake. (Pro Tip: sit at the back of the train...it's quieter, has better visibility, and means you are the first up the stairs towards the lake). 

The trail to the alpine lake

The lake hike was easy, with options to add on further distances if you wanted to spend the day. 

Seeing the meadows and valleys in different light on the return trip was just as stunning. It made for an incredibly easy and rewarding day!

Spain Days 11-12: Formigal

We were in awe as we entered the Pyrenees. We spend a lot of time in the Rocky Mountains at home, but our next town, Formigal, was like living up in the alpine meadows. It seemed unimaginable to have views in every direction at all times (hopefully the lack of trees everywhere, including outside ski areas, isn't because of a depressing reason).

The check-in at our Formigal accommodation was late so we had some time to kill. Craig did a little research and discovered a municipal pool we could spend time at for free with lvely views. It was mostly empty and we passed a couple of hours swimming, lounging in the sun, and enjoying the sweeping mountain views. 

After a night's sleep, we headed out to find the Panticosa gondola. A breath-taking half hour ride later, we were at the top of the Panticosa ski hill, headed on foot for the Lago d'Asnos. It felt similar to hiking in Sunshine, Alberta, and it was just as spectacular!

Looking down at the lake trail not taken

Navigating around Ibon de Asnos

We hiked for an hour and a half, gained 250 m and traversed 3 kilometers. Our Adventure Girl put her good hiking background to use and set a strong pace that left other adult hiking groups in our dust!

Snack spot

We took a quick snack break at the lake before mounting the final climb to the mirador into the next valley. At first, Adventure Girl said she didn't want to do any extra hiking, so Erin went up alone...

Looking into the next valley!

Hiking back down - Craig & F in the corner

Adventure Girl then decided that she did, in fact, want to hike up to see the other valley. :)
She and Craig are at the top of the rise.

We returned back down the gondola with the happy feeling of fatigue from a great hike! On our drive back home, we discovered a gem of a restaurant nestled beside a creek in the valley below. We had a delicious, well-deserved meal and chatted with the owner who lived in Whistler for a while. 

One final look before getting into the Gondola

Look at that veggie platter!

Cheers to a great day and a spectacular hike!

Spain Day 10: Sos del Rey Catolico

We chose to visit Sos del Rey Catolico to get the small, hilltop town experience. Also, in the planning stages of our trip, Adventure Girl seemed most excited by medieval castley things. So, we booked a rental car leaving San Sebastian, and took off driving for the hills!

Sos is perched on a hilltop with the town having organically grown around a fort. However, after lengthening our stay in Donostia, our single day in Sos felt like a timed race through a labyrinth of the tiny town's medieval carless streets that weave and curl around the hill, forking off in different unpredictable directions. As we marvelled at the buildings, and views unfolded around every other turn, we were felt that surely our route would be crossing through, over, and under where we had previously walked. Yet through some non-euclidian urban planning, we always found ourselves somewhere new.

Our brief stay was memorable and lovely. It also provided the meal of the trip so far: thistle in an almond sauce and Venison in a chestnut puree and local peach chutney were the stars. (Update from the end of our trip: this still holds true as our best meal of the entire trip!)

The view from lunch

The view from our apartment