No matter if it’s your first trip with your first child, or your fifth with your fifth, traveling with children will always be daunting. From what to pack to how to get there, it’s rife with potential worries.
However, there are some tips that can help you prepare, and save you from going insane. Below, we’ve listed 25 top tips for traveling with kids. Some are for babies, some are for older children, and some are for you.
1. Just do it!
While the idea of traveling with children might be overwhelming, the most important thing to remember is: it will end. You will get there. You will survive.
You might be used to rushing off the airplane and through the airport, making use of all those secret shortcuts, but those days are over. Sit back, let everyone rush around you, and just go with the flow. You’re not in charge anymore – enjoy it.
3. Don’t overpack
Remember that almost everything can be bought abroad. It might not be the same brand, but you’ll manage. Diapers are often a concern as 100% eco and organic brands are sometimes hard to find. If you’re used to using an eco-brand, do a test run with a non-eco brand before you leave to see if your little one has any kind of reaction.
4. Hotel or vacation rental?
Hotels have perks (room service, meals, baby-sitting services, etc.), but vacation rentals mean you can make it your home – and prepare your own meals, which might be useful if your child has a special diet. It’s a personal choice, but one worth thinking about.
Read more: Hotel star ratings – what do they really mean?
5. Book wisely
If you go the hotel route, take your time booking. You might have stayed there before and loved it, but think long and hard about it. Was your room up a steep hill? Were there lots of steps? What might have been paradise for just the two of you can easily be a nightmare when you’re pushing a stroller and a baby.
