Media kindly brought to you by Zinc Flyte Australia
Australians’ spirit for travel and adventure has languished during the global pandemic, with our world effectively shrinking under restrictions, lockdowns and social isolation measures. Our wanderlust may have dimmed in accordance with health advice, but we are emerging from this experience with a newfound enthusiasm for getting out and about with our kids. The freedom to travel is something families shouldn’t take for granted, and now is the perfect time to make a commitment to fun during the kids’ school holidays or upcoming Christmas holidays, which will reward us for 2020’s sacrifices.
There is a misconception that parents should limit travel with kids if they value their sanity, but this is simply not true! Factoring in some healthy expectations and the right preparations, travel and adventures with kids can bring about the best moments of family bonding. For these school holidays or Christmas break, it might mean travel to their grandparents’ place, a day trip to the beach, a weekend away, or all of the above.
UK brand Zinc Flyte is thrilled to be kicking things off with the Australian launch of their wildly popular children’s luggage cases, which also function as a scooter to aid kids’ mobility. Their mission is to inspire a love of travel and adventure in Aussie families and help make the journey easier on parents and kids. They’re here to share their top tips for preparing your kids for school holiday fun, and even have a special offer for Kiddipedia readers…
Give kids their own travel bag
A travel bag or case is a symbol of adventure, and bestowing your child with their own, will teach them a sense of responsibility and offer something tactile they can associate with exploring. Keep in mind that cases are not just for air travel! Whether it’s a trip 2 km away, or 200 km away, it will help kids learn to think ahead and prioritise, and younger kids will eventually learn to forego their menagerie of stuffed animals in favour of more practical items.
As the concepts of ‘essentials’ and ‘minimalism’ begin to stick, let your child express themselves by picking out a case that matches their personality and interests. Look no further than the Zinc Flyte! A compact piece of luggage that works as a pull-along case, and has a flip-out deck so your child has their own scooter on-the-go! With colourful designs and characters, packing for an adventure has never been so fun. Plus, kids can remain mobile with their luggage instead of falling behind; either going by foot or scooting along to keep up.
- Zinc is the #1 scooter & skateboard manufacturer in the UK
- Made from patented material – think “squishy but sturdy”
- Splash proof surface that repels water
- Durable, high quality construction
- Recommended in the Good Toy Guide
- Multi award winning, including: ‘Best Innovative Travel Product’ and ‘Platinum Winner Best Ride on 6+ years
Involve kids in the planning
Being actively involved in the decision-making process for an outing or holiday rather than having it imposed on you, is a no-brainer for adults, and kids are no different! They will be far more likely to get on board and stay that way, if they feel they can influence the outcome. It might be unwise to let them pick the destination (a trip to Disneyland is obviously not on the cards for anybody!), but you can get them to pick activities from a selection of age-appropriate and budget-friendly ones. Depending on the creativity of your family, you may want to create a vision board to map out your adventure, which kids can pin to the wall to build excitement and anticipation of upcoming adventures.
Consider that a fear of ‘keeping up’ with the adults might be denting your kids’ enthusiasm for certain suggested outings, or perhaps there’s an anxiety stemming from recent social isolation directives. In addition to bringing the fun factor, the Zinc Flyte case is also meant to be an empowering tool for kids as they learn to position themselves in the big wide world. You can use it to boost your child’s confidence and reassure them that with their ‘secret weapon’ scooter, they’ll be able to help steer the way for your family.
Explore locally, often!
With much of our country ‘off limits’ for such an extended period, parents and kids alike are itching for some much-needed changes of scenery. By exploring locally, Australian families can travel safely as we transition from the pandemic to a ‘new normal’. Best of all, it will support state economies to rebuild. Shorter-distance travel is also a perfect way to build up resilience in kids as they practice and model the behaviour of an efficient traveller. Being patient and bringing supplies to suit the adventure and diversity of adventure, are important lessons for kids. Experiment with different activities and settings in order to get kids self-sufficient, and build up their sense of bravery as an explorer.
Depending on where you live, a good expedition might be to visit bushfire-affected communities as an opportunity for kids to gain awareness and appreciation of their natural environment. Equipped with a sturdy Zinc Flyte luggage case, kids can navigate all sorts of terrain, and if it gets knocked, it will pop and bounce back! When taking a tumble, the trusty strap of this case will keep items snugly in place and avoid damaged belongings. Getting tired during travel or activities is also to be expected amongst kids, but they can fight fatigue for longer with their scooter and mobility boost, and this in turn, will give parents the confidence to plan more elaborate adventures.
Set healthy expectations and practice ‘dry runs’
School holiday outings can be unpredictable, so it’s important to prepare kids mentally for handling changed plans, and even disappointment. Talking about the challenges of trips on their level, will raise awareness amongst your little ones and set realistic expectations. Frequent day trips are a great way to test your family’s readiness, and put ‘plan b’s’ into effect. You might want to run through the scenario of a park or attraction being closed, and work amongst yourselves to reach a compromise. Learning to adapt to these curveballs is great practice for kids and it will reduce the risk of tears and tantrums on longer trips.
These practice runs will also help you and your kids plan and pack better, to meet the unique needs of your family. With their trusty Zinc Flyte luggage case, kids can adapt with greater ease. Firstly, it encourages trial and error learning about what items to bring to suit the occasion – ie. did they bring enough entertainment for the long car ride, or did they forget to make use of the internal pockets to add their toothbrush for that long-awaited sleepover? Secondly, if the day’s plan or outdoor activity has to change, they can pop out the scooter to make this unwanted detour a lot more fun. For parents, these practice runs can help you evaluate whether you take the day’s activities down a notch, or perhaps scale up in light of kids’ enthusiasm, preparedness and mobility boost with their Zinc Flyte.
Keep an activity countdown or calendar
A countdown or calendar kids can mark off with each passing day, is a great way to build anticipation and keep kids focused for trips and activities. On the flip side, plans can swiftly change (as has become very apparent over the last several months), so it’s important not to let kids get too fixated on the dates themselves. The aim is simply to keep them goal-focused and reinforce the idea that their world is full of possibilities.
Depending on the type of adventure and associated wait, you could share daily facts with your toddler relating to the destination you intend to visit, or get school-aged kids to undertake their own fact-finding mission about the locale they will be exploring. Check in regularly to see what they’re most looking forward to, and use your child’s Zinc Flyte as a way to prompt ideas and excitement. For instance, if you’re visiting the zoo, ask your kids what helpful things they could bring, which animal enclosures they would see first, and how many they think they can fit in, as they cover more ground on their scooter.
To help get you started on your family’s school holiday adventures, Zinc Flyte are granting a 10% discount for Kiddipedia subscribers! Check out their website to find your child’s dream travel case use the code: Kiddipedia10 during checkout