February 21, 2019, 6:24 am | Read time: 2 minutes
Long-distance travel is also suitable for families–however, parents need to approach it differently. Especially with a toddler in tow, it’s important to carefully weigh the risks. It’s crucial to thoroughly research the destination country before the trip.
Parents with children under five years old should not travel to countries with the dangerous Malaria tropica. This includes, for example, large parts of Africa south of the Sahara.
Parents should also avoid regions with altitudes over 2,500 meters, explained Mathias Wagner, a specialist in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, at an event by the Center for Travel Medicine (CRM) in Berlin. “And you should keep an eye on the medical and other infrastructure in the travel country to ensure that the child can be properly cared for in case of an emergency.”
Not impossible, but problematic
In addition to malaria, there are other mosquito-borne diseases that parents must protect their child from. This is not impossible even with a one-year-old baby, “but it does pose certain challenges,” said Wagner. And when they learn about risks like dengue fever, parents are often shocked.
The active ingredient DEET against mosquitoes is approved in Germany only for children over two years old–unlike in the U.S., where it is approved for children as young as two months. “It’s not really harmful,” says Wagner. Parents could therefore disregard the rule in Germany–or travel elsewhere.
Before a vacation with young children, parents should also reassess their often ambitious travel itineraries. With kids, everything takes longer–so it’s better to plan shorter distances, less programming, and fewer location changes.