Health

Check the inoculation and health requirements for all of the countries you are planning to visit as there are often different recommendations for different areas of countries. Check out the fitfortravel website in our Links Be aware that some inoculations need to be administered 4-6 weeks prior to travel, but it may be wiser to plan immunisations three months before departure in case of side affects and availability. You should record all immunisations on an International Health certificate or on our Emergency Checklist Health & safety - EMERGENCIES

No travel vaccination offers 100% protection and it has been reported that they tend not to be quite as effective in very young children, so if you are seriously concerned about your child catching a disease it is best to reconsider your destination choice. For a non-governmental driven view of travel vaccines and to find out how necessary, how safe and how effective each one is before you make your travel plans, particularly to less well trod areas, I suggest you read an excellent book from the "What Doctors Don't Tell You " series of books, The Vaccination Bible.

Some destinations owing to their lack of medical facilities or health risks are not suitable for young children. Journeys to a region with, for example, a high risk of malaria (like much of sub-Saharan Africa) must be seriously reconsidered in the light of the special risks for children. Anti-malarial tablets do not guarantee protection and areas where Mefloquine (brand name Larium) is the recommended treatment should be avoided, as it is unsuitable for children. Check out Health & safety - Things that bite

The department of health issues a free booklet, Health Advice for Travellers, available from your local Post office or by telephoning 0800 555 777. It explains how to get your E111 form with which you can reclaim the cost reciprocal medical treatment while in certain other countries, mainly within the EU. However, the care offered is seldom to UK standards and you may well have to pay for part of your consultation and medication required. In some countries it is also sometimes difficult to find a doctor who will work other than privately so taking out medical insurance is really the only wise decision.

One of the smartest things to do is to try and boost your child's immune system before travelling anywhere. If you use complementary practitioners they will be able to advise you on the best course of action, make an appointment at least three months before departure.

Children with continuing medical conditions

A few children suffer from a continuing illness which may have some influence on the family's travel plans, any doubts or questions should be aired with the child's own doctor. Carry a clinical summary (written by your family doctor or hospital) and notes on routine medicines (with their generic names). Check out Health & safety - EMERGENCIES Emergency Checklist. A Medicalert bracelet would also be a sensible precaution if your child has some on-going problem. Check out Links Make sure you know your child's approximate weight in kilograms so that you can calculate required doses of medicines; some doses are calculated as mg per kg of the child's body weight.

It would probably be advisable to limit your choice of destination to perhaps the UK United States and Canada and North West Europe. Or consider the possibility of taking a cruise, that way you will have the reassurance of a doctor and his medical staff on board. Otherwise, choose to book with a Tour Operator who can provide you with details of an appropriate doctor for your child's needs at your intended destination, contacting him/her before you travel is a good idea and will give you peace of mind to know that there is going to be reliable medical resources if you need them.

Security aspects of your destination

The British Foreign and Commonwealth office's Consular division produces a range of material intended to advise and inform British citizens travelling abroad. This includes advice to help British travellers avoid trouble, especially threats to their personal safety arising from political unrest, lawlessness, violence, natural disasters, epidemics, anti-British demonstrations, and aircraft safety.

British Consuls will do everything they properly can to help people in difficulty abroad so it is prudent to note the address and telephone number of the nearest British Consulate for your destination. Check out Health & safety - EMERGENCIES Emergency Checklist. The British Foreign and Commonwealth office web site address can be found in our Links.

Climate

Although world weather is becoming more unpredictable, get as much information as you can prior to booking.

What kinds of temperature ranges can you expect? Toronto, Canada has a warm sunny summer and severe bitter winters when the lakes can freeze.

Is it clammy monsoon season? Cuba's hot rainy season runs from May to October and is best avoided; Cairns Australia has a monsoon season from November to March.

Are there any particular health or safety hazards in the country you are visiting in the season you plan to visit? Finnish Lapland's north is plagued by mosquitoes, albeit non-malarial ones, in summer, Florida during July to October is hot and sticky and can be hit by hurricanes and tropical storms as late as November.

The good old Met. Office has detailed three-day forecasts for each region, and five-day outlooks for Britain's big towns and cities; Information regarding Ultraviolet radiation and the solar ultraviolet index. If you are intending on travelling abroad you can also access worldwide forecasts. The National Radiological Protective Board provides more information about Ultraviolet radiation and the solar index in your area. See Links.

Temperature

Basically, with young children, neither too hot or too cold is the best plan. Please think very carefully about booking a trip anyway which is going to be seriously hot, i.e. Mediterranean resorts. See our Health & Safety: Common sense food and drink rules which contain lots of information on this subject should you need any convincing.

Temperature graphs in brochures are designed to sell the destination and therefore, in hotter destinations the temperatures will have been taken in the shade. In colder destinations the temperatures shown may be the daily maximum only reached early in the afternoon before dropping off sharply again.

Tied to School Holidays?

If you are not as yet tied to school holidays make the most of it and travel mid season when both prices and temperatures will be lower and resorts far less crowded. The best months for example for travelling to Spain are May, June and September, plus April and October in the south; Turkey, April to June and September to November are best; Greece, again spring and autumn are your best bet, when temperatures are pleasant and it is less crowded than the high season of mid-June to August.

If July and August dates are your only option try to avoid anywhere on the Mediterranean. The Western Coast of France and the Italian or Austrian Lakes maybe a better choice where the temperatures will not be too extreme. However, August is the Italian's holiday month and many businesses close, while in France August is the time for the French to 'hit the roads'. The best time to visit Germany is May to October and areas such as Bavaria and the Black mountains are great for touring with a baby.

Humidity

If you are heading for the tropics this is something to bear in mind. Humidity is calculated as a percentage based on 100% being the maximum moisture the air can hold at that given temperature. The hotter the air, the more moisture it can hold.

Rain

Prepare for bad weather - even if you are heading for a destination in the 90o's mother nature loves to spring surprises on newly arrived holidaymakers. For children, Lightweight Waterproofs, that fold and fit into a tiny bag and can be kept at the ready are the answer. Children love to play in the rain if kept warm and dry, put their summer sandals on, as these will dry out quicker than their leather shoes.

It's always a good idea to find out in advance when your arrive at your destination about indoor activities too, so that you have a back-up plan in case it's not just a sudden downpour.

Wind

A good tip, if the brochure says the resort is excellent for windsurfing.... need I say more. It is absolutely no fun being on a windy beach trying to protect your children from getting sand blown into their eyes. Ask whether your resort is affected by seasonal winds - and we don't just mean hurricanes, typhoons or cyclones.

Kinderhotels: organic, local food isn't a fashion - it's a way of life

In most places organic, local food is a luxury product of recent years, while in Austria it is a tradition. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture found that Austria had the second largest number of organic farms in Europe: 19,826 of them, to be precise, which makes 11.3% of the country’s total. By comparison, England had 4,010 organic farms, just 1.7% of the total.

Austria’s organic tradition can now be experienced by the whole family: Kinderhotels, a group of 27 ultra family-friendly hotels that are only just being discovered by British families, source almost all their food from local, organic outlets. At the luxury properties of Kinderhotels, children are just as important and welcome as their parents.

All Kinderhotels offer free baby and child care (up to 60 hours a week), baby and toddler equipment and all-day activities for kids. For parents, there are lavish spa facilities as well as cultural, culinary and sports programmes.

Youngsters get top quality nourishment that they enjoy, and that applies right down to Schnitzel and other favourites just because it’s good for you doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Many Kinderhotels also have working farms attached to them, so children play safely as well as learning to appreciate where their meals come from.

Menus are designed to tempt the most fussiest of eaters, big or small, and in addition, you can eat all together as a family, stagger your meal so that the children eat first or, at certain hotels, there's even a separate children's table where the little ones can eat with their new friends.

The reason for Austria’s tradition of organic farming? From the 1980s farms started to go organic by the thousands thanks to government support. Organic brands started to pop up and supermarkets got right behind the moves. The result was organic food that was both easy to find and perhaps more importantly affordable.

And it still is, although it has taken on a new sophistication. Ageless products have taken on a style of their own – naturally smoked trout from cool mountain streams, dozens of different varieties of schnapps made in tiny stills from hand-picked plants and berries, sweet plum liqueur and hand-made sausages.

In Austria, organic food isn’t a fad, it’s a lifestyle which has been cherished down the generations. Find out more about the healthy family holidays at Austria’s Kinderhotels at www.Kinderhotels.co.uk