I am a firm believer in traveling with your kids. It can bring so much value to your family, both in memories, building relationships, and forming who your children will be as they grow. We have also learned that traveling with kids is different than traveling as adults. You will definitely learn your own tips and tricks, but here are some that we have learned through the many travel adventures.

• Plan with the kids in mind: This sounds really easy, but it is actually really hard to plan trips with the kids in mind. As adults, we have our own “wants” and hate the idea of not doing something just because we are traveling with our kids. The reality is, even if you don’t make all the “must see sights” your trip will be more memorable if you are doing activities that the whole family will enjoy. Instead of going into a trip with the idea of “I need to see it all because this is the only time” change your mindset to “let’s enjoy this trip as a family and make memories together.” All of our memories are usually the most random of events that had nothing to do with a main tourist site. In Italy, we spent half a day at a local park and rented peddle bikes which were insanely hard and overpriced but had our kids laughing non-stop at our struggles.

• Finding accommodations for families of 4+: Outside of the US it is very common for hotel rooms to accommodate a maximum of 3 individuals (two adults and one child). Start your search by googling family friendly hotel lists or make sure to use “family friendly” filter options on the common sites like Trip Advisor. However, if you find a hotel you really like and aren’t seeing options for 4+, you can email the hotel directly and many times they can provide you with an accommodation that they don’t have listed on their website. Or if they reply that they don’t have options for 4+, then it never hurts to ask if there is a discount for booking multiple rooms. 

• Get creative with waiting games: I guarantee you that at some point on your trip, you will need to find a creative way to keep your kids occupied while you are waiting. Either in the airport, at dinner, or waiting in a line. I highly recommend before the trip that you sit down with your kids and set the expectation that there likely will be times they have to wait and be patient. We also have become very creative in making up games on the fly. We have listed some of our favorite waiting games here. We will also usually travel with little games, like cards (plain cards, Spot It, Uno, etc) which I often throw in my purse for dinner. Airports usually sell little travel games and sometimes for big trips we let the kids pick one out that they tend to pick up throughout the trip. 

• Food is your friend: One of the biggest contributors to cranky kids is being hungry. We have learned to plan for food even before our kids say they are hungry because often times we find that when your kids admit to being hungry, they are suddenly STARVING. Make sure you are taking those breaks and giving opportunities for food often. If you are traveling somewhere with different food, packing snacks they are used to is helpful. Also, letting your kids pick some of the food options makes them feel like they have more choice. Don’t be ashamed to eat at McDonalds, we do it every time we travel internationally because the kids think it’s fun to see how it is different. Their favorite was Paris because it was “fancy” and every kids meal came with dessert. 

• Pack light: This is a skill that takes practice to learn. We often will only travel with two carry on bags for all four of us for a 2 week trip. There are so many benefits to packing light. It is easier to move around cities/hotels, it gives you more flexibility to carry-on the plane if you are worried about losing your suitcase, and there is nothing worse than repacking throughout your trip. Here is a blog post that highlights some tips for how we have learned to pack light.

• Give your kids a camera: When we went on a safari, we made sure that we had a camera for each kid so that they could capture the experience in their own way. Not only does it keep them busy and more engaged, but it is really fun to see how they capture the moments. This can be really helpful if you are going on a tour where there is a lot of historical information. My kids love to go around and just capture what is interesting to them. It is also a fun way to get some pictures captured of yourself, as my kids would take pictures of my husband and I.

• Set shopping limits in advance: One thing that I really hate about big tourist cities, is it also usually comes with kiosks/stores full of kid toys that attract your kids attention. Before each trip we set a limit for our kids, either a dollar amount or number of purchases (ie three items) that they get through the entire trip. If you are fine buying a ton, go for it, but since we usually pack really light we need to set a limit and we make sure they understand the limit before we head on the trip. When you are doing it for the first time, it might take more effort for your kids to understand, but after a couple trips they will start to understand the limit and be mindful on what they want to purchase.

• Find fun in the small moments: One of the biggest differences about traveling with kids, is feeling like you have to keep them entertained. This can feel exhausting. Especially if the kids feel like the trip is more geared towards what the adults want to do, you will hear the “I am not having any fun” or “this is boring.” This can especially be true if you are trying to take family pictures and they don’t want to smile. We have learned to try to make fun out of the smallest of moments. When we were on a safari and had to wait to change a tire, we had the kids jump over a ditch and took “action” videos of them. In Italy, the hotel we stayed at had a cool elevator with mirrors all over it and we took funny photos in the elevator. Or my daughter’s favorite, when she was grumpy and wouldn’t take a picture in front of a historic site, I offered to do a Tik Tok dance video with her and that cheered her right up. Draw your inner kid and find something enjoyable in those mundane moments.

• Don’t freak out: No matter how much prep or planning you do, at some point you will experience a scary moment on a trip. Someone might have an accident, something might happen around you that is uncomfortable, or some mix up will happen (hello airplane delays). As much as you can, try to keep your cool. In those moments, the kids will often react more to your reaction than the actual moment. We have had our fair share of scary moments on trips, including near drownings, suspicious people, protests or interactions with authorities. While we might give the kids direction to keep them safe in the moment, we won’t outright explain our concerns in front of them. We focus first on keeping our kids calm in the moment, and then Ryan and I usually feel our emotions or vent after.

• Don’t let a bad experience stop you: Full honesty here, traveling with kids isn’t all sunshine and roses. All those pictures and videos on social media you see of other families is showing the high moments, but not the low. No trip is perfect. And at some point you likely will have a moment that makes you ask yourself if it is all worth it. I remember one brutal trip when Stella was between 2-3, and the flight alone made me not want to fly with her ever again. We didn’t travel for a full year after that because the experience was seared in my brain. In the moment, it is really hard, and makes you not want to travel. However, after a little break, we went on another trip and it got better, and better. Even though my kids have travelled a lot and are used to it, they still have their moments. We still have bad moments. But the more we travel, the more we remember that the good moments outshine all the bad ones. And sometimes the bad ones make for good stories after a couple years 🙂 Don’t let a single bad experience or trip stop you from traveling. Find what works for you and your family, keep learning from the experiences, and I promise you it will be worth it.