Sick Kids on Vacation-5 Tips to Help You Cope

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hertz. All opinions are 100% mine.

If your family is like ours, you plan for months to prepare for a family vacation. You make reservations, plan activities, research the area you will be visiting. You've probably even been talking about your trip in eager anticipation with the whole family. No one prepares for that much-needed family time by planning on having a sick kid. There is nothing worse than being far from home on a long-awaited trip dealing with an illness. With the help of Hertz, I have some tips on Coping with a Sick Child on Vacation.

5 Tips for Coping With a Sick Child on Vacation

Be prepared

I used to scoff at my husband for taking along a bag full of medicines on any trip. That is, until I needed something. If you get hit with something minor like a headache, it's nice to not have to locate your nearest pharmacy to stock up on medication. Some of your favorite medications may be hard to locate and medications in children's strength may be even more difficult. Make sure you are always prepared for most common illnesses (fever, aches, cough, stomach medication, sun care, etc...) in the proper dose for everyone you are traveling with.

Think Ahead

When my kids were much younger, the first thing they did when we checked into a hotel room is jump on the bed. They pretended there was hot lava that flowed between the two queen mattresses and jumped across making sure not to fall. With three kids jumping opposite directions, there have been a head bump or two and on one occasion, one child hit their head on the edge of a nightstand drawing blood. Many hotels have a book with local information inside including where the nearest hospital or urgent care facility is. After our run in with the nightstand, I always locate the information for the nearest care facility right away before an accident or emergency occurs. It's also important to think ahead in case you have a child that gets motion sickness. Locate your air sick bags on the airplane or make sure you have a bag handy if you are driving.

Review your Insurance

If you are traveling abroad check into your insurance coverage. Insurance that you have state-side may not cover you out of the country. Consider purchasing travel insurance that will cover flights that may need to be rebooked as well as health concerns that may arise.

Lower your Expectations

All of your plans for a fun-filled family trip, may go out the window with a sick child. If you are traveling with a partner take shifts caring for the sick kiddo so you aren't both missing out. If you have other children with you on the trip that aren't sick, try to continue to make the vacation as fun as you can. You may need to cancel activities that you planned as a family, but there may be substitutions you can make that will still make it a memorable trip.

Trust your Instincts

I've been at this parenting gig for nearly two decades. I have found that it's important to trust your instincts. If you feel like you need to cut your trip short so that you can better care for your child, do that. If you need to seek medical attention beyond what you can treat with something in your first aid bag, don't hesitate. Trust your gut and do what's right for your family.

You may only know Hertz as a car rental agency like I did, but I just discovered that the Hertz blog has far more information than how to pick your next rental car. Visit the Hertz blog to get more tips like the ones above, as well as information for planning your trip, finding things to do in your vacation destination, and getting help to select that next vacation destination.

No one wants their vacation to be interrupted by an illness, but with these tips you can be more prepared to cope with any curve ball that may be thrown at you. Do you have any tips you would want to add? I would love to hear from you.




disclaimer: this post may have affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing through them, I may receive a small commission. These small purchases help me to continue to keep writing content and creating at Rachel Teodoro. Thank you!