Travel with grandparents and kids: how to plan a three generation trip

If you travel with grandparents and kids, plan the trip around whoever tires first. Ask for the airline's wheelchair help when you book the seats. Pack each person's medicines in a cabin bag, and leave rest days in the plan. Then agree who minds the kids on which days, so the grandparents get a break too.

How to plan a trip with grandparents and kids, step by step

1. Agree the pace and the childcare split before you book. Who minds the kids on which days? When do the grandparents get time to themselves?
2. Pick a place with lifts and short walks, and ask for rooms side by side or connecting so the adults can share night wakings. Our guide to choosing a family hotel covers the rest.
3. Ask the airline for wheelchair help when you book. Changi says to book it with the airline at least 48 hours before departure. There may be a charge.
4. Tell the airline if a grandparent brings their own wheelchair. Scoot needs 48 hours' notice. Neither Scoot nor Singapore Airlines counts it in your baggage allowance.
5. Check whether a grandparent needs medical clearance. When fitness to fly is in doubt, Singapore Airlines wants its medical form (MEDIF) at least 5 working days before the flight.
6. Pack each person's medicines in the cabin bag, with a doctor's letter. At Changi, liquid medicine over 100ml needs medical papers, and that includes eye drops.
7. Book travel vaccines for everyone 4 to 6 weeks before you go, since HealthHub counts adults aged 65 or older and children under 5 as higher risk from flu.
8. Read your travel policy. Check the age limit and the pre-existing condition rules for every person, and use the General Insurance Association's travel page for the basics.
9. Use Changi's free wheelchairs and strollers on the day. Both come from the information counters. At immigration, the Special Assistance Lanes take up to four of you together.
10. Plan a rest day between busy ones. Keep outings short.

Who needs what on a three generation trip

Ask for each by name. If grandparents already help with childcare at home, our guide to infant care, a helper or grandparents covers that side.

Flying with a grandparent who walks slowly

Changi says airline staff may ask whether your parent can walk short distances. Answer honestly, since the answer sets the level of help. Singapore Airlines' meet-and-assist team takes them from check-in to boarding. Its crew helps with the on-board wheelchair and getting to the toilet during the flight.

Expect to board first and get off last. Singapore Airlines says passengers who need mobility help may board ahead and leave after everyone else, and asks you to allow extra time on connections. Its crew can't help with feeding or inside the toilet, so plan for one of you to give that help.

On Scoot, a grandparent can't use their own wheelchair in the immigration areas. You check it in and collect it at the baggage belt, so book Scoot's wheelchair help for the time in between. Some airports on Scoot's network, such as Krabi, Langkawi, Hat Yai and Lombok, have no High Lift. There, Scoot can only help a passenger who can manage the aircraft steps.

For seats, the AAP says a middle or window seat keeps a lap baby safer, and our guide to flying after birth has the full list. The aisle suits a grandparent better, since SGH's HealthXchange page on clots suggests one so they can walk up the aisle every hour or two. The same page says to drink plenty of water and skip alcohol and caffeine. For long flights with the kids, see long-haul flights with kids.

Health and insurance checks for the grandparents

Pack enough medicine for the whole trip, plus spare. MFA says anyone on a medicine regime should carry their prescriptions and spare medicine in case of delays or lost baggage. Some medicines that are legal in Singapore are controlled overseas, so check with the destination's authorities before you go. The kids' side is on our baby medicine and first aid kit checklist.

Book the travel clinic 4 to 6 weeks out, as CDA advises. Ask about the adult vaccine schedule as well as the children's. KKH's Children's Travel Clinic sees both children and parents, and HealthHub says most clinics, polyclinics and hospitals give vaccines, so grandparents can use their own GP. Our travel vaccinations guide covers the children.

For insurance, check that each person is named and covered. GIA notes that a family plan may cap how many people it insures, and that a place with poor medical care may need cover for emergency evacuation. Read the age limit and the pre-existing condition rules before you pay. MFA suggests you share the policy and itinerary with someone at home. eRegister the trip with MFA too, so it can reach you in a crisis.

A staycation with grandparents in Singapore

A staycation skips the flight, but the room still has to work for three generations. Ask the hotel these in writing before you book:

• Is there step-free access from the drop-off point to the room?
• Does the room have a walk-in shower, a bathtub, or both?
• Can we have connecting rooms, or rooms next to each other near the lift?

We compare family staycation hotels and rates in a separate guide.

Gardens by the Bay rents wheelchairs for S$2 a day at the Arrival Gift Shop and two ticketing counters, and they're due back by 8.30pm. Wheelchair users ride its shuttle free, while caregivers pay $3 for two rides. On Sentosa, Beach Station and Sensoryscape Guest Services lend wheelchairs free against a $50 refundable deposit; you can't reserve one, and it goes back the same day. If you come by taxi, Sentosa says the Beach Station drop-off point is step-free.

Changi notes that every MRT station has lifts and ramps, and a foldable wheelchair fits in a taxi boot. Our guide to MRT and buses with a stroller covers the trains and buses.

When to get help

In Singapore, call 995 for an emergency, or see your GP, a polyclinic, or a Children's Emergency at KKH or NUH. Abroad, call the local emergency number, then your travel policy's assistance line. If a child falls ill before you fly, see travelling with a sick child.

• Pain or swelling in a calf or thigh after a long flight: HealthXchange lists these as signs of a clot (DVT). Get a doctor to check.
• Chest pain or trouble breathing after a flight: HealthXchange says a clot can travel to the lungs. MOH lists breathlessness among the emergencies to call 995 for.
• A grandparent who is breathless at rest, or gets breathless on a 50-metre walk or one flight of stairs: Singapore Airlines says to see a doctor before flying.
• A child with grunting, wheezing or whistling breaths, or flared nostrils: HealthXchange (SGH) lists these as breathing warning signs. Go to a Children's Emergency, and call 995 if your child is unconscious.
• Fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, a rash or jaundice after the trip: KKH's Children's Travel Clinic asks its patients to come back to Clinic M. For a fever in a baby, the fever checker tells you when to see a doctor.
• Diarrhoea for more than 7 days, in anyone: CDA says to seek medical attention.
• Trouble abroad you can't sort out locally: call MFA's 24-hour Consular Response Centre on +65 6379 8800, or the nearest Singapore mission.

Frequently asked questions

How do I plan a staycation with grandparents in Singapore?

Pick a hotel with step-free access from the drop-off to the room, and ask for connecting rooms near the lift. Keep outings short, with rest in between. Gardens by the Bay rents wheelchairs for S$2 a day, and Sentosa lends them free with a $50 refundable deposit.

How do I plan a multigenerational family holiday from Singapore?

Agree the pace and who minds the kids before you pick a place. Choose somewhere with lifts and short walks, and stay in one hotel if you can. Then book the airline's wheelchair help at least 48 hours ahead, and travel vaccines 4 to 6 weeks ahead. Our family holiday destinations from Singapore guide has ideas for where to go.

What should I check when travelling with elderly parents and kids?

Start with health. Ask whether your parent needs medical clearance; Singapore Airlines wants it at least 5 working days before the flight. Then read the travel policy's age limit and pre-existing condition rules for each of you. For the kids, use our baby travel packing list.

How do I book a wheelchair at Changi for a three generation trip?

Book the airline's wheelchair service when you book the flight, at least 48 hours before departure, as Changi advises. You can also borrow a free self-assist wheelchair at any Changi information counter, or book one ahead of arrival. The Special Assistance Lanes at immigration let up to four of you clear together.

Can grandparents go on our family travel insurance plan?

It depends on the policy's wording. GIA says a family plan covers the policyholder and immediate family, and may cap the number of people insured. Ask the insurer whether your parents count, and check the age limit and the pre-existing condition rules.