Developing Guidelines for Safe Travelling with Children

Abstract

The aim for this thesis was to create guidelines for safe travelling for families with children or to people who travel with children. The thesis was made for Laurea University of Applied Sciences as part of a research project called SAFE, an acronym from the words Sustainable Accessible Future Environments, which aims to create tools for making urban environments more accessible. The SAFE project involves other universities and universities of applied sciences from across Europe and is partially funded by Erasmus+ (EU). This thesis was as a development work and the knowledge base consisted of existing guidelines for safe travelling as well as tips for travelling with children given by transportation companies and authorities and looks at the benefits of travelling with children and the requirements of accessibility in travelling. The methods used to collect material were literature review and thematic semi-structured interviews of the focus group which were then analyzed by using SWOT analysis and Thematic analysis. The results revealed that families are mostly concerned about their children’s health when travelling and that above all travelling with children is rewarding and a way of bonding with one’s child if one is well prepared. Guidelines created focus on choosing the right methods for travelling, being prepared, staying healthy and remembering to enjoy oneself.