little girl with suitcase travel in the airport, kids travel
Does the thought of holidaying with your baby send you into full panic mode? Sweats, palpitations, the whole nine yards?
Well, let’s not beat around the bush, travelling now won’t be as easy as it was pre-baby. The packing list has since trebled, there’s disruption to routine and you can’t control external factors.
But, enjoyable travel is still possible. Which is why we’ve turned to some of our favourite bloggers, specialising in travel, parenthood and lifestyle to give us their golden tips for travelling with a baby/toddler.
Once you’ve given the below a good read, you’ll feel invincible and ready to tackle a holiday with your littlest ones.
Meet Mel, who writes about family life, food, adventures, allergies & photography on her award-winning blog. If you’d like to discover more about Mel’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Be prepared for every eventuality. Have enough snacks and games/ stickers/colouring books to last the whole journey. If they’ve recently potty trained, put a PullUp on them so if they are desperate for the toilet and you can’t stop, they don’t wet themselves.
Meet Vicki, a blogger, vlogger, filmmaker, author and mum of two. If you’d like to discover more about Vicki’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Have food, drinks, entertainment and a lot of patience where possible. To help with the air pressure pack soft sweets children can chew and I like to put cotton wool in their ears too which helps minimise noise.
Meet Gina, an award-winning blogger who lives in Cornwall with her partner, two kids and their dog. If you’d like to discover more about Gina’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Be flexible! Before kids, I used to spend hours planning our days out, what we’d like to see and where we’d want to go. Now we have learnt to go with the flow. There is nothing worse than trying to drag a grumpy child around a tourist hotspot.
If they are having a bad day, then do something simple like play in a park, stay at your villa by the pool or find a beautiful spot to have ice cream. There is always another day to go exploring.
Meet Sarah, who runs an award-winning family lifestyle & parenting blog. She highlights her journey through motherhood whilst juggling work, childcare, being a wife and having a life. If you’d like to discover more about Sarah’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Start early; we have travelled with the children since they were small babies, this has allowed them to get used to journeys, without any of the ‘are we nearly there yet’ comments. It is also important to look at where you’ll be going and where you’ll be staying. Looking to see what features, accessories and essentials they already have in place for baby/toddler.
Meet Susan, a mother of three, who writes about the highs and lows of parenting on her blog. If you’d like to discover more about Susan’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: That you can pretty much always buy anything you forget, but its still right to make a list of the essentials before travelling with your little ones. Also at the end of the trip, remember to make a photo album to treasure those precious memories.
Meet Rebecca, a mother of two boys, who runs a family and lifestyle blog focusing on celebrating the small things in life. If you’d like to discover more about Rebecca’s Journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Relax! Try not to get stressed out, and make your baby see the trip as a big adventure, as that’s what it is! My little one loved being on the plane and ‘flirting’ with the other passengers and air hostesses!
Meet Jenni, mum to her boy Lucas. In her blog, she jots down milestones, and writes about her family holidays, If you’d like to discover more about Jenni’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Make sure I have remembered a bag of Lucas’ favourite toys, trains, colouring pencils to keep him occupied on the journey and make him feel like he has a bit of familiarity while we are away. Also, it’s important to try to stick to routine as much as possible, but if the baby needs to have an extra nap during the day, don’t stop it.
Meet Louise, a mother of two. As a family, they love to travel and explore the world. If you’d like to discover more about Louise’s Journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: My golden rules are to pack snacks, double what you think you need. And nothing melty or too crumbly. Leave the rule book at home, holidays often mean that any routine you have for meal or sleep go out of the window and over the years I’ve discovered that it’s far more stressful for me to try and make over-excited children sleep.
It’s often best to relax, go with the flow and let them eat at odd times and sleep when they fall! Take things like Calpol, Nurofen etc. as it might be tricky to find them if you need them in a hurry or late at night. And finally, do it! It can be stressful, and miserable, the number of times I’ve sobbed during trips away, but ultimately, the more you do it, the easier it gets, and you’ll all soon be pros at it! (Although you will probably still find me at some point every holiday hiding from everyone and wishing I’d stayed home!
Meet Lotti, mother of two little girls. She started her blog to keep a record of her family life: things they do at home, days out, holidays, recipes and general parenting. If you’d like to discover more about Lotti’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Be organised. So far I have only travelled with my eldest daughter, we have driven to France with her, flown to Tenerife and been on several UK holidays with her too but the key to keeping stress to a minimum was organisation. Having entertainment for her prepared (Colonel Hathi this March from Jungle Book was played on repeat for hours when we drove to Bordeaux. She was eight months old, and it was her favourite!!) and snacks too. Make sure you have enough nappies, wipes, drinks and snacks to get you through the journey, you can stock up on more when you arrive.
Remember Have fun! That’s why we travel, isn’t it? To explore, spend time with our loved ones and have fun.
Meet Colette, who started blogging to keep a personal record of life with her three kids, Ben, Chloe & Amy. If you’d like to discover more about Collete’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Relax – by all means make plans but also be prepared to go with the flow on your travels. Just try to laugh when things do go wrong! With three little ones, I would say food and sleep are key!
Meet Jenny, a mother of two, who loves to travel the world with her kids and show them various cultures and countries. If you’d like to discover more about Jenny’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Never plan anything on the first night if you are arriving in the afternoon. Travelling takes a lot out of children and getting into a little holiday routine never hurts. You can make up for it the next day. Get settled into your villa/hotel as it gives you time to scope out local shops nearby for essentials and possibly give time for anything extra you may need. The hard work is done, now enjoy your holiday.
Meet Clare, who loves sharing life’s adventures and misadventures with her husband and two kids. If you’d like to discover more about Clare’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Prepare and create a list, forgetting something an adult needs isn’t the end of the world, but if you fail to remember your child’s favourite bedtime teddy or night light, that could start your holiday on a disastrous meltdown. So make your holiday an adventure and have plenty of things to hand to keep your baby amused.
Meet Emma, a writer, teacher, public speaker, author and also a mother of two. She often writes about education, health and travel. If you’d like to discover more about Emma’s travel adventures, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Research the area and see what attractions and locations you want to visit. Make a very loose itinerary as this ensures that you manage to fit in what you want to do. Preparation work makes sure you get a balance between doing stuff and plenty of time just to relax and refresh.
Also be ready for all eventualities! I have done emergency pharmacy visits when I’ve needed antibiotics or even steroids (for asthma) so I have learnt from that and now carry medication with me. Always have emergency money for your trips too.
Meet Katie, a family blogger near Cardiff, who loves to share her adventures with her husband and two beautiful kids. If you’d like to discover more about Katie’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Have patience. Travelling with babies and toddlers is indeed stressful, but its a new experience for them as well. I would say stay calm, expect the unexpected, and try to have a wonderful time with your family.
Meet Franca, a mum of two gorgeous girls, who runs an award-nominated parenting and lifestyle blog. If you’d like to discover more about Franca’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: It’s essential to take items to keep your babies/toddlers entertained on holiday, although you can usually buy things you missed at your destination. But packing your tablet with movies, games already downloaded is very important because you cannot rely on any wifi. A water flask, which you can fill with water or any liquid your kid likes is very handy, especially if you don’t want to make a mess. Also, kids get hungry all the time, so snacks are essential too.
Reading books, sticker albums and colouring books can also keep them entertained. Don’t forget the colouring pens, crayons, etc. Let them choose a favourite toy(s) for them to play with during the journey. Finally, don’t forget kids headphones when using tablets, etc. otherwise they will annoy other people!
Golden tip: Be prepared! Make a list of items you use and if you have little ones in diapers make sure you have enough gear for on the plane. Pack a change of clothing in case they get sick and some backup food if they don’t like what’s being served on the flight. Another tip would be to bring sippy cups from home to use to avoid the little plastic cups spilling!
Meet Erica, who runs Nine to Three Thirty. She writes about her family life and focuses on topics that interest and concern parents of school-aged children. If you’d like to discover more about Erica’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: For me, the critical thing when travelling is making sure everyone is well fed, and this is mainly the case for babies and toddlers. I try to research food options before I travel (can I buy baby food nearby? Is the food available at the villa\hotel?) and if not, I’ll calculate how much food I need and take it with me.
Meet Emma, a UK Family lifestyle blogger and mum of two gorgeous boys. If you’d like to discover more about Emma’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: We don’t travel light, we always take things we might need just in case such as travel sachets of liquid paracetamol, a travel cot we know our baby will sleep in (just in case the one’s the villa provides are unsafe and unhygienic) and more nappies and clothes than we would normally use, just in case a change of routine or surroundings affects the children.
Meet Fritha, an award-winning blogger and mother of two from Bristol. If you’d like to discover more about Fritha’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Don’t be too strict with schedules and play it by ear. Bedtimes often change when we are away or we need to slow down the pace depending on how our kids are feeling that day. A few things that make them feel at home like their favourite foods, soft toy and bedtime story help so much in our opinion.
Meet Jodie, a family blogger and mother of three daughters. Jodie covers topics relating to parenting, daily struggles and joys of life, as well as travel adventures. If you’d like to discover more about Jodie’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: My number one golden rule is to make sure we have a bag of snacks with us at all times when travelling. There’s nothing worse than hangry toddlers. A well fed toddler is most definitely a more content and happy toddler, which in turn makes travelling much easier for parents.
Meet Sima, a lifestyle and travel blogger, and a mother of two. Her blog is full of things to see, eat and experience. If you’d like to discover more about Sima’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Meet Marta, a family blogger and mother of two. Her blog is full of tips and inspiration for fun, family vacations in Europe and beyond. If you’d like to discover more about Marta’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Golden tip: My golden rule about travelling with kids is: plan for downtime! When travelling with small ones, you need some degree of planning (accommodation and transport most of all) but it is important not to overfill the days with activities or to have a too strict itinerary: a tired child is the worst travel companion.
We usually decide on a certain number of things we absolutely want to do, during a certain holiday, and then let the kids have their playtime, may it be at a playground or even just in the hotel pool or the beach. While it may feel like you are wasting precious sightseeing time, I find these moments do wonders for the kid’s mood and you end up having a much better time than getting them to trot around all the time.
Meet Jacqui, a journalist, blogger and mum to two funny & spirited girls; Big Sis and Lil Sis. If you’d like to discover more about Jacqui’s journey, follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Golden tip: Figure out what each person likes to do, and tailor your days accordingly. Big Sis is an adventurer, like me, while Lil Sis likes her creature comforts, like Daddy. Even on a family holiday, there’s no rule that says you can’t split up for the day and meet back later in the afternoon. That way Big Sis and I can wander the back roads and eat street food, while Daddy and Lil Sis can relax by the hotel pool and order room service. Everyone’s happy!
Take backpacks to comfortably carry all your gear – bigger ones for the adults and smaller ones for children – and do not leave your hotel without wet wipes and high factor sunscreen.
How to Ditch Tech Gadgets on Holidays
Packing Tips for Family Travel
10 Tips for a Perfect Family Holiday
Parents, you’ve got this! Just take a big breather and don’t sweat it.
If you’re ready to put these tips to the test and escape on a sunny getaway – get in touch with our concierge team. They’ll be with you from start to finish and will ensure your holiday goes off without a hitch in sight.
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