Thank you for sharing both the research and the tips. I started traveling with my kids at a young age as well. I took my daughter on her first flight at six weeks old to attend my grandmother's 100th birthday party. There is so much great information here I cannot comment on everything. First, thank you for noting about stomach issues and jet leg (for kids and parents). Many people are worried that there is something wrong with the water or the food they are eating or they got a stomach bug, but it is just part of their body acclimating to the new time zone. I love all 10 tips, but the one I find most helpful is to have one goal a day and that could be a simple one like finding a playground or going on a walk. My children are older now and we still only set one goal a day! Safe travels to all.
My kid has major FOMO so it’s very hard to get her to nap on the go. One travel hack we stumbled onto on our vacation in spring is to schedule the museums in the first couple days of your vacation. The jet lag pull on her was so strong that we were able to get a good 2.5 hours of Museum time! She slept for the first hour of the museum and once we fed her was fine for another hour.
As an educator, I’m also a big fan of previewing the plan as a strategy for helping kids feel empowered and engaged. Usually we elicit everyone’s “ideas” and then we talk as grownups and present the “plans.” We do this to make it clear that kid and adult roles are different -- they’re not expected to run the trip, but their desires matter! We also do this to model how we balance wants and needs, flexibility and constraints, etc. And if things change, we re-huddle, exchange new “ideas” and then come up with the new plan. I do like the idea and language of Plan A/B and would love to know more about how you develop and share that!
I also love these other tips. We are avid travelers and love the Ride Safer vest! It’s so helpful for us as New Yorkers -- we can get a cab or Uber home from the airport without worrying whether it has a car seat. It’s also great for visiting friends who don’t have one, if you’re just getting picked up and going to their home vs doing a lot of driving around. We also really love picnics vs eating out -- you can often just get the restaurant meal you want as takeout, plus you get to enjoy a pretty place and some adult conversation while kids get to socialize on the playground. Win win!
Sharing the overall plan and information on the individual days is a great call out as well. Particularly if you have kids who are anxious and what to understand the new routine!
We used the Cosco scenera on our last trip with our almost 3 YO and it was great! It's a little obnoxious to attach rear-facing in to a car, but it was SO easy to install on the plane and having it be so lightweight was a game changer. We got a soft bag that has a simple base with some wheels or backpack straps, and we threw our backpacks in while in the airport so it was the only thing we were carrying around. We share it with friends too when they travel.
My other tip was also schedule downtime! We're taking a long-weekend trip in a couple weeks, and we intentionally booked a Homewood suites hotel so we'd have a separate bedroom, a couch to chill out on, and a hotel pool to just hang around the hotel for some entertainment. Our first trip we way overdid it and our daughter actually spiked a fever one day - I think just due to being hot and tired at a higher elevation (we were in CO) so now we always rest a bit more!
Scheduling downtime is a great tip! Vacation does not need to be all go, go, go. It can be hanging on the couch or swimming in the pool. It is about time with your family! Thank you for the suggestions.
"I could feel bad about the public tantrums or the waste of money on this activity or I could recognize that this was my first time traveling internationally with three young children and I may not have it all figured out yet." Loved this point, because it is all about perspective! I thought all of your advice was amazing, especially the points about trying picnics instead of restaurants and following your children's interests. A lot of your advice is great for preventing parental burnout and promoting balance! I also had a quick question about one of your research points. I am curious about the information on why jetlag is harder to manage when going from the US to Europe (west to east). Is this only the case for people who live in the US? What if someone is born in France, travels to the US on vacation, and then goes back to France? They would still have a harder time managing going back to France? I just wasn't sure whether the research was based on American experiences/samples. Thank you for such a great post!
Yes, picnics are one of my favorite travel hacks. They allow the kids to eat in a relaxed setting and then the ability to run around. They also tend to be much more inexpensive than eating in restaurants and it is fun to do to local markets and grocery stores and try new things!
Thanks for these great tips! We're traveling to Paris next month with the kids and just bought Eiffel Tower tickets... we'll see if we actually make it up there, LOL!
I've only been to Paris once and without kids, but I will say if you want to do museums, book whatever tickets get you to the front of the line the fastest! Just pre-buying doesn't always help. We booked tickets to an art museum and when we got there, the line was already literally 2 blocks away from the museum, and that was just for the people who bought tickets in advance. Needless to say we didn't go to that museum but just made an accidental donation haha.
Thanks for this! I've been curious if traveling "matters" for kids. We went to Europe with my 10-month-old as all of his in-laws are there. It went okay but it was soooo tiring. We will mostly stick with trips for weddings or to visit family until he's above 5 I think and then consider leisurely trips 😅
It is so tiring, I agree. Particularly if you are going to see family as you are often driving from place to pace and people don't understand naps and feeding schedules. It is a wonderful experience to have your children meet relatives far and near so there is a greater connection.
Thank you for sharing both the research and the tips. I started traveling with my kids at a young age as well. I took my daughter on her first flight at six weeks old to attend my grandmother's 100th birthday party. There is so much great information here I cannot comment on everything. First, thank you for noting about stomach issues and jet leg (for kids and parents). Many people are worried that there is something wrong with the water or the food they are eating or they got a stomach bug, but it is just part of their body acclimating to the new time zone. I love all 10 tips, but the one I find most helpful is to have one goal a day and that could be a simple one like finding a playground or going on a walk. My children are older now and we still only set one goal a day! Safe travels to all.
You are welcome! I am curious what topics my readers have from their travel experiences?
My kid has major FOMO so it’s very hard to get her to nap on the go. One travel hack we stumbled onto on our vacation in spring is to schedule the museums in the first couple days of your vacation. The jet lag pull on her was so strong that we were able to get a good 2.5 hours of Museum time! She slept for the first hour of the museum and once we fed her was fine for another hour.
I love this idea!
As an educator, I’m also a big fan of previewing the plan as a strategy for helping kids feel empowered and engaged. Usually we elicit everyone’s “ideas” and then we talk as grownups and present the “plans.” We do this to make it clear that kid and adult roles are different -- they’re not expected to run the trip, but their desires matter! We also do this to model how we balance wants and needs, flexibility and constraints, etc. And if things change, we re-huddle, exchange new “ideas” and then come up with the new plan. I do like the idea and language of Plan A/B and would love to know more about how you develop and share that!
I also love these other tips. We are avid travelers and love the Ride Safer vest! It’s so helpful for us as New Yorkers -- we can get a cab or Uber home from the airport without worrying whether it has a car seat. It’s also great for visiting friends who don’t have one, if you’re just getting picked up and going to their home vs doing a lot of driving around. We also really love picnics vs eating out -- you can often just get the restaurant meal you want as takeout, plus you get to enjoy a pretty place and some adult conversation while kids get to socialize on the playground. Win win!
Sharing the overall plan and information on the individual days is a great call out as well. Particularly if you have kids who are anxious and what to understand the new routine!
We used the Cosco scenera on our last trip with our almost 3 YO and it was great! It's a little obnoxious to attach rear-facing in to a car, but it was SO easy to install on the plane and having it be so lightweight was a game changer. We got a soft bag that has a simple base with some wheels or backpack straps, and we threw our backpacks in while in the airport so it was the only thing we were carrying around. We share it with friends too when they travel.
My other tip was also schedule downtime! We're taking a long-weekend trip in a couple weeks, and we intentionally booked a Homewood suites hotel so we'd have a separate bedroom, a couch to chill out on, and a hotel pool to just hang around the hotel for some entertainment. Our first trip we way overdid it and our daughter actually spiked a fever one day - I think just due to being hot and tired at a higher elevation (we were in CO) so now we always rest a bit more!
Scheduling downtime is a great tip! Vacation does not need to be all go, go, go. It can be hanging on the couch or swimming in the pool. It is about time with your family! Thank you for the suggestions.
"I could feel bad about the public tantrums or the waste of money on this activity or I could recognize that this was my first time traveling internationally with three young children and I may not have it all figured out yet." Loved this point, because it is all about perspective! I thought all of your advice was amazing, especially the points about trying picnics instead of restaurants and following your children's interests. A lot of your advice is great for preventing parental burnout and promoting balance! I also had a quick question about one of your research points. I am curious about the information on why jetlag is harder to manage when going from the US to Europe (west to east). Is this only the case for people who live in the US? What if someone is born in France, travels to the US on vacation, and then goes back to France? They would still have a harder time managing going back to France? I just wasn't sure whether the research was based on American experiences/samples. Thank you for such a great post!
Yes, picnics are one of my favorite travel hacks. They allow the kids to eat in a relaxed setting and then the ability to run around. They also tend to be much more inexpensive than eating in restaurants and it is fun to do to local markets and grocery stores and try new things!
Thanks for these great tips! We're traveling to Paris next month with the kids and just bought Eiffel Tower tickets... we'll see if we actually make it up there, LOL!
Have a wonderful trip and make sure to focus on the amazing parks!
Will do - any favorites we should be sure not to miss? (Or recs for restaurants, etc?)
I've only been to Paris once and without kids, but I will say if you want to do museums, book whatever tickets get you to the front of the line the fastest! Just pre-buying doesn't always help. We booked tickets to an art museum and when we got there, the line was already literally 2 blocks away from the museum, and that was just for the people who bought tickets in advance. Needless to say we didn't go to that museum but just made an accidental donation haha.
ohhhhh thank you - will do!
Thanks for this! I've been curious if traveling "matters" for kids. We went to Europe with my 10-month-old as all of his in-laws are there. It went okay but it was soooo tiring. We will mostly stick with trips for weddings or to visit family until he's above 5 I think and then consider leisurely trips 😅
It is so tiring, I agree. Particularly if you are going to see family as you are often driving from place to pace and people don't understand naps and feeding schedules. It is a wonderful experience to have your children meet relatives far and near so there is a greater connection.