Traveling To Spain With Children

Taking a trip to Spain with children is by far one of the most fun and enjoyable things that you can do. Spain is an impossibly interesting country filled with many different sights to see to help broaden your children's cultural horizons and give them the types of memories that will last a lifetime. It also, however, requires you to keep a few key things in mind. For starters, you'll want to make sure that all of your appropriate government travel forms are in order to help make sure that your trip goes off without delay.

Getting Your Child a Passport For Spain

As with most countries, Spain has its own unique rules governing tourists who are traveling with children from the United States of America. If you are traveling with a child who is under the age of 16-years-old, for example, both you and the child will be required to apply for a passport on behalf of the child in question. Even if the child already has a passport that has expired, you will not be able to apply for a renewal document for any reason. All minors with expired passports or passports that are about to expire before the trip begins will need to apply for a brand new passport.

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A Visa for Spain

It is also important to note that while you do not require a visa to enter Spain, your child will regardless of age. You will need to apply for a visa on your child's behalf and submit a valid passport with one full blank page, proof of the purpose of your child's visit, evidence that you have sufficient funds for the duration of your trip with the child and more.

Smarter Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

If you're going to be traveling to Spain with your children, you'll definitely want to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, also commonly referred to as STEP. It's a free service that allows you to enroll a record of your trip with the United States Embassy or Consulate in Spain, allowing you to receive important information about safety conditions for American travelers, help you get in touch with friends or family members in the event of an emergency or more. If you should happen to become separated from your child while in Spain, for example, the fact that you are enrolled in STEP will make it much easier to locate the child and get everyone back together again safe and sound.

Things to Do in Spain with a Child

When you arrive in Spain with your child, you will find a wide variety of sights to see and things to do that are appropriate for the whole family. The Museo del Prado is a museum that your children should see at least once in their lives, for example, as it has collections of artwork by Van Dyck, Tintoretto, El Greco and more. Because of Spain's climate it also has some of the most beautiful beaches located anywhere in the world, like the Costa Brava, the Costa de Almeria, the Costa Calida and more. Depending on the time of year that you go, Spain is also home to some popular festivals like Carnival, the Fiestas del Pilar, the Festimad and more.