Preparing for a trip can be stressful, especially when there are many things to consider. Tropical disease, cultural respect, and staying healthy are just a few things to think about. When I booked a Cambodia 10 day trip, I knew I’d have a lot to research. My biggest concern were the mosquitos, and the deadly diseases that can be caught with just one bite. All of these worries are magnified when you have a young child. This meant putting in a lot of prep work ahead of time.

While we get ready for our upcoming trip, we’ve put together a list on how to be best prepared for Cambodia travel. Following this list will help you to be equipped while you’re there.

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Bug and sun protection preparation for Cambodia

How to Fully Prepare Yourself for Cambodia Travel

Research Bug Sprays

I must admit, thinking of all the tropical diseases that can be caught from mosquitos in Cambodia concerns me. But the best way is to be prepared with the proper precautions. This means getting the right bug spray and wearing the right clothes. As usual you should also use protective sunscreen. For application, this usually goes on first, underneath the bug spray.

Bug Sprays for the Whole Family

After extensive research and reading numerous reviews we’ve found that the best bug spray products are made by Sawyer. We chose to get one with DEET, and another with Picaridin. For our 4 year old we will be using products with Picaridin. These Natrapel handy wipes, and Avon Bug Guard towelettes are perfect for kids.

Update after our trip: The Sawyer products listed above worked amazing and we barely got any bites. We definitely vouch for its effectiveness in keeping away mosquitos. Just be sure to reapply as stated on the bottle.

Clothing Precautions

In addition, we will also be mindful of what we wear. Typically mosquitos are attracted to dark colors, red, or bright floral prints. Khaki, olive, white, and beige are some of the recommended colors. For the jungle areas we will also be wearing this Coghlan’s Bug Jacket for extra protection.

Wearing long sleeves and long pants also provides great protection against these pests. However, this can be uncomfortable in tropical humid weather. We also try to avoid strong perfumes or fragrances, as this can attract them as well.

Assemble a Medical Kit

Being in a new country can have its downfalls. Traveler’s diarrhea is a common concern, as well as sickness from food and water. We always like to carry a full-medical kit when we travel. This includes the usual medicine for colds, headaches, stomachaches. We also like to pack activated charcoal tablets, and Imodium for stomach sickness. Also equally important are hydration tablets to help replenish fluids after getting sick.

We also keep band-aids and antibiotic ointment handy. Cuts, scrapes or injury can happen anywhere. Our kit also includes antibiotics in the case of extreme illness.

Monk giving a blessing in Angkor Wat during a Buddhist holiday

Respect Local Culture

Before traveling, we always make sure to research the local culture. For instance, what clothes are appropriate? What are some cultural taboos? In certain countries things can be frowned upon, like snapping closeups of people, or wearing revealing clothes. I always make sure to bring conservative items with me, especially for places like temples or shrines.

In Cambodia there is a dress code for the Angkor Wat temples. You must make sure to cover your shoulders and knees. For this reason I like to bring a kimono, light cardigan, or shawl to cover up. T-shirts are also great for covering up and also staying cool.

Local minivan in Cambodia

Research Transportation

Cambodia does have public transportation throughout the country, but you must research beforehand. I always like to read reviews, since there are some bus companies that have gotten bad reviews. We can’t provide too much experience before our trip, but we’ve decided to book with Cambodia Post VIP vans for a lot of our travel within. For travel to the islands we’ve booked with Speed Ferry Cambodia.

Update after our trip: We used Cambodia Post VIP van and it worked out great. Always on time and safer driving than some of the other mini buses. TCT Mondulkiri Express worked out great for getting us to the elephant sanctuary in Sen Monorom.

Get Proper Vaccinations

Before a trip, I always check the CDC site for required and recommended vaccinations. Here’s the list for Cambodia. Depending on where you’re going, you may need malaria pills or rabies prevention. Since we are traveling to a jungle area we’ve decided to take malaria pills just in case.

Travel Insurance

Purchasing travel insurance is one of the first things I do after booking flights. You never know when something can go wrong so it’s best to have it. Things like travel delays, lost luggage or flight cancellations can make all the difference if you have insurance. Most importantly, it can save you thousands in medical costs in the case of an emergency or extreme illness. We usually purchase through Allianz or World Nomads. If you can’t afford the insurance then it’s probably not the best idea to go.

The usual travel photography gear we bring, not including the tripod.

Prepare Gear

Make sure to prepare all your gear for the trip. This includes photography gear, drones, laptops, and any other electronics. Have all your batteries charged ahead of time. Also make sure you gather all the equipment you need like lenses, filters, or memory cards. It would be disappointing to find out you forgot it once you’re abroad!

It’s also important to stay connected while traveling abroad. You may need it for emergency, or just to find your way around. You can buy a SIM card to use while you’re there, but we usually just rent a wifi-hotspot from Tep Wireless. It’s easy, convenient and always reliable. We love them!

Conclusion

So there you have it! Aside from the usual packing, this covers everything on how to be prepared for Cambodia travel. We hope this is helpful to you as you plan your adventure here as well!

What other preparations have you made for your trips abroad! Leave us a comment, we’d love to hear!

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Getting to travel the world is a luxury that not everyone can do. To be in a different country each week or month is another level that few often reach. There are those who can plan it by saving up, selling everything and living more simple. Then there are some who are already in the financial position to do so without having to worry about working. Having a fully remote job to work from anywhere is another way to live the traveling dream.

For those of us like myself who work a 9-5 office job and have limited vacations days to use, traveling the world nonstop just isn’t an option. But that doesn’t have to put a damper on your love for wanderlust. I’m here to help give tips on how to maximize those vacation days and still travel often while working an onsite office job.

How to Travel the World: Use Those Vacation Days Wisely

1. Plan Trips Around Holidays

Traveling during holidays may be more busy and expensive, but there’s ways around that. You can typically gain a day or even more by planning a trip around a holiday. Instead of leaving during the peak travel, leave a few days before the busiest days occur. For instance if you choose to go during July 4th, book your flight for the tail end of June to beat the crowds.

2. Use Personal Days for Shorter Trips

If your company offers personal days in addition to vacation, use these days for smaller trips. Go on a road trip around your city and take a long weekend. Or fly to a city and spend a few days there. It would definitely be nice to spend a full week or more in Iceland, but it can certainly be done in 4-5 days as well. This will allow you to still see new places without using up a lot of vacation time.

3. Offer to Work from Home

If you’re going somewhere far and would like some extra days there offer to work from home a few of those days. If your job allows for it you can work from super early in the morning to the afternoon and still have some time afterwards to explore.

4. Borrow Vacation Time

Do you hope to add another trip, but don’t have enough days? If your company allows it see if you can deduct or borrow from the following year. This can allow you to go to more places a certain year if you plan to travel less the year after. Alternatively you can also carry over days if you don’t use them all, and throw in an extra trip with those.

5. Comp Days

Another approach to gaining a few extra days could be comp days. If your boss allows it you can offer to work some extra hours to get a few comp days. This can help extend a shorter trip or even allow for a few extra long weekend trips.

6. Plan Your Flights for Late Evening

Flying out late at night can help save you vacation time by being able to still work that day. For instance a 10 day trip can only use up 6 days by flying out on a Thursday night and returning on a Sunday. This can be even maximized more if it’s over a holiday.

It’s definitely a struggle having a desire to travel the world with an onsite office job. We hope these tips on how to travel the world with limited vacation may help you to make use of the time you have. Eventually if your field allows it you may want to consider a fully remote job or starting your own business to allow a work from anywhere situation. Either way we definitely feel your pain. Having limited time to travel allows us to really appreciate and not take for granted the places we get to see. We are lucky and thankful to be able to travel and explore beyond our home!

Do you find ways to still travel with an office job? We’d love to hear more!

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Every year or so we visit our family in Japan. This means flying with a toddler for 14+ hours. As she’s gotten older it’s been easier to keep her entertained for longer periods. We’ve learned through trial and error what has worked for her, so this list contains items that we’ve actually purchased and have worked out great in keeping her busy and happy for the long haul. Of course they may not be guaranteed to work for your little one, but they will definitely help kill some of the time, and hopefully they’ll sleep for the rest of it! We’ve also included some of our favorite snacks and essentials that are must-haves for any trip.

Note: We use affiliate links in this post. This helps us to continue providing great content. For more info you can read our full disclosure here.

Flying with a Toddler: Packing List

Essentials

1.Wipes: We never leave the house without bringing wipes with us. You never know when stuff can get messy or something needs wiped down. On the plane the table trays hold so much germs, so it feels better to wipe them down before using them. They are also useful for cleaning face and hands after eating. Our favorite brand is Water Wipes since they are allergy-friendly and great for sensitive skin.
2.Water bottle: Keeping yourself and your little ones hydrated during a long flight is important. We like to keep a filled water bottle on hand to have it available anytime. It also feels more comfortable and familiar to life at home. Our go-to is this one by Klean Kanteen. We love that it’s BPA-free and made with aluminum. It’s very sturdy against dropping and the sports cap helps to prevents leaks. Being easy to clean and mildew-free is also great.
3.Tissues: Always useful in case of the sniffles.
4.Extra bags: These are great for holding any extra clothes that may get dirty, or use for trash to keep things tidy in our seats.
5.Toilet seat covers: Now that our daughter is potty-trained, we swear by these disposable seat covers for any public toilet. On the plane the seat can get quite gross so we pack these ones by Potty Shields to feel much more at ease about her sitting down. They are very slim for packing and don’t take up much room.
6.Meds: We pack a mini on-the-go medicine cabinet anywhere we go. You never know when sickness can strike or worst case, food sickness can happen. So we pack the usual Tylenol and chest rub in case of a cough. Also item’s like children’s Pepto, or electrolyte tablets for stomach sickness. We love these ones by Hydralyte, since they are suitable for the whole family. They are very compact and work great. These however do not replace medical care if it’s more serious.
7.Snack Containers: For portability purposes we bring a few compact snack containers to bring snacks on-the-go during our trips. Sometimes we buy a larger bag of something and split it up to make it more cost-effective.
8.Ride Safer Travel Vest: With our daughter being older now we really don’t bring a car seat with us when we travel. For this reason we’ve gotten a Ride Safer Vest so she’s more protected in cab rides. These are considered a legal alternative to a car seat and safety tests show it performs quite well. It comes in various sizes, but for her we got a small size. The minimum weight requirement is 30lbs. It’s perfect for travel since it’s so compact and can fit into a backpack.
9.Lovey or Stuffed Animal: You want your child to have the comforts of home, so bring along their favorite blankie or animal to help with sleeping or just feeling cozy.
10.Extra sets of clothes: You never know when an accident could happen (a spill or potty accident), so always bring some extra clothes that are easily accessible.

Snacks

1. Almonds: For some on-the-go protein we bring lightly salted almonds. She loves snacking on these and they are also filling and healthy! We usually get a big bag of Blue Diamond and split it into snack containers for her.
2. Fruit snacks: While these may not be the healthiest, they are always guaranteed to satisfy her. They are also very compact and easy to pack, and stay fresh for awhile. We try to get organic to make it a little healthier, so the ones by YumEarth tend to have less sugar than others. They also come in adorable fruit shapes to keep kids amused.
3. Popcorn: This is a great healthier snack choice and our daughter loves it.
4. Fig Bars: As we try to keep our snacks on the healthy side, these have become our go-to. Nature’s Bakery makes these delicious stone ground whole wheat fig bars with various fillings, great for adults as well!
5. Crackers: We love any products by Annie’s and this variety pack of crackers has a mix of 4 different types to pick from. They are also in convenient snack size pouches for easy packing.
6. Fruit: Such a delicious and healthy on-the-go snack.

Entertainment

1. Sticker Books: Stickers are always great for amusing little ones. Some of our favorites include the Let’s Explore books with a variety to choose from like Ocean, Safari, Desert. Other faves include Peppa sticker books, and this ABC sticker book. Reusable sticker pads are also great for using more than once. You can never go wrong with stickers!
2. Busy bags: Usually we put together busy bags filled with various hands-on activities. Taking a trip to the 99 cent store is great for this. We grab various crafty items like pom poms, pipe cleaners, and then create little animals with them. We also include crayons and markers, and a Magna Doodle to draw things with. These can be rotated at any time once boredom strikes with something else. It’s usually more cost effective to make your own, but you can also buy preassembled busy bags.
3. Janod Magnetibook: These books include several magnets to create with and also help to stimulate the mind. We have the Janod Magnetibook Shapes, which has several designs to create with different shapes. There’s also one for creating faces, vehicles, outfits, the alphabet and seasons. So many to choose from depending on what your child likes.
4. Play Doh: Always great for being creative and amusing kids. We like to travel with a few of the smaller sizes to give some color options and to take up less space in the backpack. You can also grab one of these play doh sets and wrap it, so it can be unwrapped on the plane for a special surprise.
5. Paperback Books: Packing a few lightweight paperback books is perfect. You can even buy a few new ones so they are completely surprised, or break out books that haven’t been read in awhile. They may even want you to read them over and over again, great for killing some time!
6. Figurines: Toddlers are all about pretend play, and our daughter loves it. She likes to create “episodes” and scenes with her Peppa figures, and will go on for hours doing so. You can let them pick some faves to bring along, and they don’t take up much space. We also love these Peppa Pig Little Rooms sets since they include a few props to use for imaginative play.
7. iPad: When all else fails, it’s definitely time to bring out the iPad. We usually make an exception for long journeys. Before the trip we make sure it’s loaded with various games or some of her favorite shows downloaded from Prime. She loves the Wood Puzzles, Animatch, Endless Alphabet, Press Here and Sago Mini.
8. Headphones: Courtesy goes a long way and nobody likes to be disturbed while trying to relax or sleep. We always bring a set of headphones for blocking out the noise. We have these headphones by Snug and love them. They have a volume-limiting feature to prevent ear damage. They also have great sound and are super comfy to wear. There’s a variety of vibrant colors to choose from as well.

We hope these suggestions make your travel a bit easier with your little ones. It’s not easy flying with a toddler, or with kids in general, so hang in there! The flight will be over soon enough.

Are there any other items you like to bring for your kids on flights? If so, we’d love to hear!

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