Traveling with a Child in the Pandemic Era

Since joining the company four years ago, Ksenia Kawar has used Navan to book all of her personal travel. But on her most recent vacation, the senior commercial customer success manager had to navigate a new scenario: traveling with her child, Leo, during the pandemic era.

Ksenia points to ease of use, access to special rates, and itinerary management as reasons she prefers Navan over other online travel booking tools.

“I love the interface of the app and having everything I need in my hand,” she says, referring to the fact that all of her bookings—flights, hotels, and car rentals— are in one place within the Navan app. “Everything is outlined so easily versus having to sift through email and remember what vendor you’re using for different parts of the trip.”

Ksenia has used Navan to book weekend trips near San Jose, where she lives, and for extended vacations to places like New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Colorado, and Wyoming. Her most recent trip was to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this past February—and bringing precious cargo along for the first time led to a bit of trip-planning trepidation.

“It was nerve-wracking because it was our first time traveling in two years and our first time traveling as a family,” Ksenia explains. “But my husband and I needed a vacation."

Luckily, that uneasiness was short-lived, thanks in part to Navan. One advantage of using the platform is that all visa requirements and international travel restrictions—including details on quarantine policies, health documents, and COVID testing—are available in one central location in the app.

“The app detailed the various documents I needed,” Ksenia says. To travel to Mexico, Ksenia and her family only needed passports, including a passport for her child. For the family’s return home, there were requirements to re-enter the United States that the app helped her understand.

Once the trip was underway, everything went smoothly—almost. Her child did cry during the three-and-a-half-hour plane ride, but Ksenia and her husband didn’t let a few tears ruin their trip. The family soon found the tranquility they were looking for at a beachside hotel, where they watched the sunset each night of their five-day trip.

“It was a very calming and peaceful experience, especially after such a stressful year,” she says.

Ksenia’s advice to parents traveling with children is to avoid making elaborate plans and instead focus solely on relaxing. “You’ll be absolutely recharged by the time you go back to work,” she says. “Having the time to unplug and just enjoy yourself is totally 100% worth it.”

In addition to some much-needed rest and relaxation, Ksenia says that the trip allowed her young family to create lasting memories in a new environment.

“The highlight of the trip was seeing how excited Leo was to experience new things,” she says. “Seeing him playing around in the pool, trying new foods, and hearing different languages—it was such a magical thing for us to experience as a family.”

Ksenia says she will continue booking personal travel on Navan and that she has seen first-hand how companies can use the platform to promote and encourage employee well-being.

“Giving your employees the tools they need to recharge provides further loyalty and a better work environment where employees feel like they can take vacations—they can take that time to decompress and be with their families,” she says. “At the end of the day, employees go back to work recharged and ready to do amazing things at their jobs.”

Read More: 5 Reasons Companies Should Encourage PTO in 2022

Navan users can now seamlessly add family and friends to their personal travel itineraries, and family members can all travel under a single confirmation number. There is no fee to book personal travel in Navan, whether the travel is for yourself or for others. Start planning your next vacation.