A Guide To Traveling With Your Family

I have always loved traveling. Growing up, we went on family trips each year, primarily in the US and sometimes beyond. When I got to college, I became obsessed with exploring new countries, often with little more than a backpack and Lonely Planet guide (IYKYK).

Later, my professional work brought me across the globe, planning meaningful experiences for corporate leaders and social entrepreneurs to connect. Then, I met my husband who has an equal obsession (he’s been to more countries, but I’m catching up – at last count, I was at 35). We weren’t staying in hostels anymore, but we would still hop on a plane at a moment’s notice and arrive in a new country and begin exploring. And then, we had our first child.

We were fully prepared to begin traveling with an infant (my daughter had two passports by the time she was four months old, given her dual citizenship). The pandemic had other plans. Our first international trip with our six-month-old was scheduled for March 2020. And all of a sudden, everything stopped. Over the next two years, I lost my status across several airlines, our global entry passes expired, and travel became the last thing on our minds.

And then, we had our second child. At the time, the world was just beginning to open up again, yet travel looked so different. I wasn’t sure how to navigate it and felt nervous for the first time ever. Still, we knew it was time to get going. After we gathered my new son’s two passports, we booked our first family international trip, now with two kids in tow. My daughter was almost three, and my son was nine months. We were off to Brazil, to visit my husband’s side of the family. I knew I had to get organized, so here’s what we did.

Create an Itinerary

The first thing to do is decide where and when you want to go. For us, we knew our first post-pandemic trip would be to Brazil. My husband’s entire family lives there, so that was an easy choice. We began looking at Google Flights, where you can get a snapshot of the best dates to go, especially if you have flexibility. We knew the airline we wanted to travel on (we wanted to work towards getting our status back), and we booked as soon as we saw the right flight. From there, we roughly sketched out our day-by-day plan, leaving room for flexibility. We knew we would spend time visiting family, and go to the family beach house for a few days alone.

A Few Tips:

• Create two lists – your must-dos and your would-be-nice-to-dos. Choose one must-do per day. Keep your nice-to-dos on hand for when you have space, but there is so much unexpectedness that comes up when traveling with kids, so go easy on yourself.
• Find Kid-Friendly Activities close to where you’re staying, and note them on your Google Maps app. Note playgrounds, indoor play areas, beaches, parks, and so on. Make sure you know where you can bring your kids for some carefree/easy fun when things aren’t going as planned or they need to let off some steam.
• To the extent you can, splurge on the “best” airline ticket you can afford. If you can move from basic to economy, or economy to plus, or plus to business – it’s worth it, trust me.

Prepare for Packing

When it comes to packing, think minimally. Trust me when I say, the fewer things you have with you, the better. When you’re walking through the airport with multiple suitcases and a stroller/wagon in tow, you will thank me. Still, even with a minimalist approach, kids need a lot. So create a plan for what you’ll bring with you on the plane, what will go in checked bags, and what you’ll buy once you arrive.

• I created a template packing list that can be updated for any trip. And I’m sharing it with you – if you need a starting point! All you need to do is make a copy, and you can edit/use it for your next trip. Grab The Packing List Here.

Let Go Of Expectations

Embrace the fact that traveling with kids is absolutely exhausting. And, it is beyond exhilarating. While things may feel really hard at the moment, you will handle it. Do your best to be present throughout each moment, expect that things will go wrong, and know that the memories will be worth it. It’s a privilege and a gift to explore the world – and even more so to do it with your kids. So let go of expectations.

If you traveled before kids, this will be very different. A few examples of the highs: watching my daughter see her first monkey in the wild, the moments of peace that came after the kids were in bed and my husband and I could sit outside and watch the sunset, the joy of being with family for the first time in ages. The lows? Having my son fall onto a stone floor that led to a hospital visit, millions of nighttime wake-ups, and my toddler refusing to eat anything except apple juice and peanut butter for days. Still – the memories I have now are well worth it.

What tips do YOU have for traveling with young kids? Share them in the comments!