Tips for Traveling with Kids
Embarking on another travel adventure with my family and this time to somewhere we have never been…GREECE! I wanted to share some lessons learned, hacks and inspiration for all you moms and parents debating to travel with the kids. The biggest thing to take away from this? DO IT! Stepping into this wild chaotic journey as a mother, wife, travel companion, and individually pushes me to RISE UP to the next version I’m meant to become.
Adventuring and traveling as a family is stressful by nature. It’s scary and there’s so much anxiety surrounding it especially if you’re traveling with your little babe. But this is how we call in our next up-level and magical magnetic experiences that are already on their way for us. Moving from place to place, unpacking and repacking, figuring out how to create a sense of “home” in a completely different environment, and moving through all the discomforts creates so much growth in such a short time.
Traveling with your kids helps them develop resilience, form greater compassion & empathy, and the ability to withstand discomfort and self-regulate. We learn SO much about ourselves & the world when we travel and have NEW experiences so this is not something to skip no matter how afraid you are. So book those flights and pack your bags.
Mamas, YOU CAN TRAVEL WITH KIDS! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Listen to your intuition, be flexible, remain present and practice patience.
Here are some of my favorite traveling hacks I used for my family of five.
GROUNDING & ENERGY
I always like to ground IMMEDIATELY whenever we arrive in a new place which looks like walks outside, toes in the sand or grass, or a nice cold shower. Throughout your trip, make sure everyone gets tons of physical energy out through walking vs taxis and be sure you’re in a walkable neighborhood for whenever you stay. The more energy out means better sleep for all.
CREATE AN ACTIVITY/SNACK KIT
You can never have too many snacks or activities! Early on in traveling with the boys I would create an activity/snack kit for each boy filled with healthy snacks, games, coloring books, and activities to keep them occupied. I would also keep this same kit and re-stock it for restaurants, outings, etc. so whenever there was downtime they would have something to keep them busy without constant electronics. We allow screens, movies, iPads but even that gets old so we try and push it as long as possible.
Here’s an example of what to pack:
Age appropriate coloring books
Markers, colored pencils & paper
Crossword books
Find the word games
Playdough
Snacks for all ages
Little toys & figurines to let them play and use their imagination
For toddlers - finger snacks so it’s slower and more tactile (i.e. bunny snacks, pretzels, cut up veggies, etc.)
For siblings - paper and pencils for dots game, tic tac toe, hangman, etc.
Don’t pack anything too sugary - focus on “growing foods” like veggies, fruit, protein, healthy fat so they don’t have a sugar high then crash.
PACK LIGHTLY
Put everyone’s things out on the floor in piles before you leave. Every time you walk by the piles, take something out. Less is more! We packed VERSATILE pieces for each of us & encouraged layering light items. For example, I like to bring ONE long pretty dress for fancier dinners and nicer occasions. When I add a sweater or tee on top it becomes a long beautiful skirt and a whole new look. I use bathing suit tops as tops and use bathing suit bottoms as underwear.
Use electronic books or audiobooks versus actual books, packing cubes are your best friend, and each person gets a backpack for electronics, snacks, toys, activities, and change of clothes. We tie sneakers to our backpacks so it takes up less space and book an Airbnb with a washer to do laundry or find a laundromat nearby.
Remember - you can ALWAYS buy something while traveling and it’s actually more fun to come back with a few items instead of overpack.
SNACKS, SUPERFOODS & FOOD HACKS
The minute we get to where we are staying, we figure out where the closest market / farmers market / health food store is and immediately stock up on a few fresh veggies and fruit, almond milk and other necessities (depending on how long we’re staying). I love seeing what's local and fresh wherever we go. It's so fun to introduce the kids to new fruits and veggies! If you're staying in a hotel or condo, request a mini fridge and a blender. Sometimes they will bring it with no extra charge! Street food is fun and a way to get to know the local cuisine. It’s often super affordable and usually better than a proper sit down.
We will go out for a few meals here and there but enjoy eating street food and taking it to the beach or a park. We’ll go to a grocery store and get essentials like bread, meat and cheese and some veggies. We’ll have a picnic or hire a local to make a few meals in the house and we typically spend LESS than we would on a day of meals than we would at a restaurant for one meal.
Fueling our bodies with good stuff keeps us feeling nourished and balanced while we trek around the world together. Having a snack can also be a great distraction for the kids when they start getting fidgety on the plane or in the car. When I'm packing the kids stuff for the plane, I also plan our meals and snacks for the plane. Pack probiotics, enzymes, charcoal, vitamins, magnesium and CBD for the whole family. I also take superfoods and supplements wherever I go like Sunshine Drops and Hydrating Dream for on-the-go hydration, small bags of Cacao Magic for superfood coffee, and if I’m checking a suitcase you bet I’m bringing ALL our goods.
SLEEP, REST, MEDITATE AND DECOMPRESS, OFTEN.
Traveling with kids is intense! Give yourself time to sleep, nap, meditate and decompress whenever you can. Keep reminding yourself of the priorities to EXPAND, to GROW (not always comfy!!) and to have a NEW shared experience with your loved ones.
For jet lag, on the day you arrive, limit naps completely. For little ones, let them sleep in one chunk (to the best of your ability) so it feels like a nap. Keep kids awake as long as possible and get them outside - barefoot in the grass or sand - with lots of water, a good solid meal and then sleep close to when the sun goes down. We keep them awake as long as possible and put them to sleep as close to the local bedtime as possible to stretch it. If they fall asleep we wake them within an hour for their nap to stretch it to bedtime. It’s survival mode for the first night or two and sometimes we supplement with CBD and melatonin. It helps considerably.
And the rule my mother in law says, “add one day of recovery per hour of time change” so it takes around 3 days to fully adjust in your body to a 3 hour time change.
For the rest of your trip, sticking to nap time when you can is super important. I prep my kids ahead of time at all ages to let them know the plan i.e. “Ee will play for 30 min, you can draw or do play dough, then you can watch a show for 30 min on your iPad and then it’s nap time.”
PLAN BUT DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE PLAN
Adjust to a slower pace and be okay with always running behind. I also like to make sure I find something that each of my kids has to look forward to to keep them excited. For example, for Kai on our trip to Porto itt was a historical bookstore (inspired much of Harry Potter) which kept him excited the entire trip.
Whenever we’re traveling it’s full of a lot of walking/exploring, new energy and lots of closeness so planning an afternoon break of QUIET TIME is imperative daily for sanity. We do a 2-3 hour block of silent activities. It puts everyone in a good mood for dinner and it’s a great time for the afternoon nap for your little ones.
GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR SPENDING
Most often, we are booking an Airbnb with one or two rooms (you don’t need all the extra space) or we’re sleeping in one hotel room. Share meals and if we stay somewhere longer we grocery shop and get bread and eggs and fruit to cut down on eating out. ALWAYS pay in the local currency and limit excursions and tourist activities to things that you ABSOLUTELY want to do.
It’s fun to look at airline prices and see what’s on crazy sales. Lots of times there are amazing places at a very low price for whatever reason! And then renting a car and seeing the country that way instead of flying or train tickets. We are also loyal to one airline and I recommended sticking with one and building loyalty. It pays off. Miles and upgrades really matter when you start traveling as a family.
When eating out, the kids never finish all their food so at restaurants we order two entrees for the three of them when there’s no kid menu. For adults, we rarely purchase alcohol while out because it really adds up. We go to a grocery store and stock up right when we arrive with mixers, fresh juice and high quality alcohol so we can mix our own drinks in our Airbnb or hotel.
Every single adventure comes with risk but the reality is that things will always work out and it will always be exciting, and an experience that bonds us and allows us to connect and grow. You only live once, even when you’re a mama. Why not give yourself and your babes an adventure? Why stay in your comfort zone? Everything is figure-out-able.