27 Travel Tips from a Full-Time Traveling Family

Here are our best family travel tips for traveling with kids from Peru to India, and anywhere else you can think of. These family travel tips will help you stay safe, and healthy, and have fun while traveling together as a family.

We started traveling internationally as part of a Family Gap Year, and just kept going for the next three years. We’ve done a lot of road trips, and a lot of long bus rides, and made a lot of travel mistakes! We’d like to think we’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Here’s the best advice we would give ourselves (if we thought to ask!).

In this article, we’ll cover everything from our strategies for food to staying safe on the road, to how we schedule activities. We hope these will help you plan a more enjoyable trip with your family.

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At the bottom of this post, download a free guide: 6 Safety Tips for Traveling with Kids: What You Should Know Before You Travel.

Best Tips for Traveling with Kids

1. Plan Ahead

When traveling with kids, one of our best family travel tips is simply to plan ahead. Remember showing up somewhere and then finding a place to stay? That doesn’t work very well with kids- you need to plan ahead. It’s best to have a game plan ahead of time and know exactly where you are going and how you are going to get there.

Travel is booming- and popular destinations are trying to set up systems to avoid overcrowding, which can mean entry fees, or reservations systems. We are in an era of timed tickets, and booked up attractions, so many travelers find if they don’t research ahead, they are sometimes disappointed. Whether you’re planning Venice, Italy, or Yellowstone Park, USA, research is required.

2. Check Cancellation Policies

Things can change quickly. A destination that was safe when you booked it a month ago, may suddenly have political upheaval that makes you question your plans. One of your kids may fall and break an arm, making that canoe trip you booked not so much fun.

We have also canceled day trips just based on changing weather. Make sure as many of your travel plans as possible can be changed or canceled without penalty.

Here are some planning resources we love that have Free Cancellation:

Hotels: Booking.com. Read the details of each place, but usually, you can cancel without penalty within a day or two of arrival. We often pay a little more for our reservation to keep full cancellation a possibility.

Car Rental: Discover Cars. This car rental service is very upfront about what is included. Cancel up to 48 hours before picking up the car with no penalty.

Buses, Trains, and Ferries: Bookaway. This company operates all over the world, to help you figure out how to get from Point A to Point B, whether that’s by bus, plane, or ferry. Cancel up to 24 hours before departure.

Tours: Viator. This company organizes tours all over the world from whale watches to cooking classes. Cancel with no penalty 24 hours before your event.

If you’ll be heading out on a family road trip this summer, check out our epic cross-country road trip, or a shorter road trip through the American Northwest.

3. Don’t Overpack

This can be a tough one. Try hard not to overpack. In most places you go, you’ll be able to pick up whatever you are missing. With young kids, it’s best to send items ahead or rent on-site when possible.

When visiting family in California, we have ordered diapers and wipes to be shipped to our destination. That means we only had to carry enough supplies to get us there.

“Packing Light” means something different to every family. We don’t fly “carry-on only”, but we do try to only pack the things that we will need.

We love using Amazon Basics packing cubes– each family member has a different color to keep our cubes easily sorted. We mostly use small cubes, as well as a few medium size.

I was skeptical at first, but they save you from packing and unpacking your whole bag when looking for one item. I will never travel without them again!

Check Prices: Amazon Basics Packing Cubes

Stock up on things that are hard to replace while traveling, such as disposable contact lenses or brand specific products. A few years ago (ok, maybe a decade or two!) I struggled to find deodorant in Jordan after the airline lost my bag, and sunscreen in Thailand was extremely expensive. These days, globalization means you can easily find these items, without paying a premium, you just may not find the brands you are used to using.

Aren’t sure what you need for a road trip? Check out our post on Road Trip Essentials for everything you’ll need! Planning a long trip? Read our packing list for full-time travel.

4. Prepare for Jet Lag

Jet lag can be rough on kids and adults alike. Plan at least a day after arriving in a new time zone to adapt, with no pressure to go anywhere or see anything in particular.

Walking around outside can help kids stay awake a bit longer, but be prepared for them to crash. It’s also a good idea to have food on hand in case little ones wake up hungry in the middle of the night while their bodies are adjusting.

We carry melatonin to help our bodies adjust to time changes, though many people have strong opinions about its use (and of course we cannot offer medical advice).

Traveling slowly helps with this a lot, as you’ll usually only be moving one or two time zones at a time.

5. Get Kids Excited for the Destination

Traveling with kids goes more smoothly when everyone’s excited and has an idea of what to expect. Read stories about your destination, watch a movie set in that destination, or ask kids what questions they have and google the answers together!

We found that the Scooter Stories that are part of a Little Passports subscription are great at getting our girls interested in new places. Some of the countries on their travel wish list are a result of these stories.

Learn More: Little Passports Subscriptions

Our kids struggled to make progress with their Spanish until we went together to Mexico. Once they saw how useful it was in real life, they embraced learning the language. We love doing podcasts together- to improve our Spanish skills or learn about a new destination.

6. Carry A Little Cash

We get asked a lot “What do I do about cash?”. First, you always want to keep a stash of emergency cash on you in a globally accepted currency (dollars or euros). This should be split up in different locations so it’s harder to steal, and only accessed in emergencies.

For example, you may be trying to enter Cambodia and realize that On Arrival Visas must be paid in cash and the ATM isn’t working (or there’s a really long line). Cue handy extra US dollars.

Secondly, you’ll want to get a little cash in the local currency. With the exception of Argentina, where you pay for as much as possible in cash, you won’t need large stacks of cash bills. You will want some cash for smaller expenses, like food trucks or local vendors, and the occasional restaurant that is cash only.

Try to plan your cash conservatively, as you will lose more trying to convert it back than you will spend on fees if you ATM an additional time.

Should you need to convert cash back to dollars or euros at the airport, plan extra time for this. We have found in many airports the only desk that can do this is outside the security area. Once you have gone through security your only options are to donate the cash or spend it at duty-free.

When we have just a few bills and coins left, we look for charity donation boxes in airports. Many have them, and the kids enjoy putting money in the boxes- sometimes you can watch the coins spiral down. These accept all currencies, so if we are fast traveling we’ll hold onto spare coins from different places until we find a donation box.

7. Set Daily Expectations

Kids often thrive on schedules and knowing what comes next, especially when traveling. Explain the plan for the day, and give them choices when it makes sense.

The older the kids are, the more they can be involved in planning the trip itinerary. With younger kids knowing what to expect can help get them excited for the day which makes it a lot easier to get everyone out the door in the morning.

We also make a point of taking everyones interests into consideration. If one of the kids whines about a museum I chose, I remind them that yesterday we did something they wanted to do, and today we are doing something I’m interested in.

8. Make a Safety Plan

To keep us all safe when traveling, we all wear ID bracelets. We love our RoadId bracelets- they come in fun colors and the silicon bands come in three sizes. The kids’ bracelets include their name, blood type, any allergies, and a cell phone number for mom and dad.

If we ever get separated, I don’t have to worry about whether the kids will remember our phone numbers. If any of us need medical attention, the important information is there, as well as easy contact numbers.

Make sure to make a plan in case you get separated at each busy location. Discuss a central landmark to meet up, and what to do if you get separated on public transportation (like a subway).

We always tell our kids to stay put, and that we’ll circle back to find them. Make sure they know the separation plan, and how to find a safe adult to ask for help if needed.

Check out our full post on keeping kids safe– with our best tips for family safety while traveling anywhere in the world.

9. Stay Connected

Plan how you will stay digitally connected while traveling. For shorter trips, you may want to turn on international calling and data on your regular cell phone plan. For longer trips, you should consider getting a local SIM card.

E-SIMs are easy to purchase in advance and mean you can have data as soon as you enter the country. This is great for using Google Maps, getting an Uber from the airport, and avoiding standing in line for a sim card at the airport when everyone is tired and uncomfortable.

For e-SIMS we recommend Airlo, they are inexpensive, offer a variety of packages depending on the length of your trip, and are easy to install.

Shop Airalo e-SIMS

E-SIMS that you purchase in advance generally provide data, but not an actual phone number. This is great for short stays, for longer stays you may want a phone number, so you can be reached directly. A local phone number is also often required for things like ordering food via delivery apps. In this case, you will need to visit a mobile service provider in person once you are in country as they will need to see and verify your passport.

Lastly, for longer trips, plan how, and how often, you will connect with family and friends back home. Do you catch up with family back home every Sunday? Can kids reach out to friends once a week or once a month? Set expectations for your immediate family, and for the friends and family who will be missing you back home.

10. Carefully Pack your Day Bag

Having a few essential items in your day pack or carry-on will go a long way toward keeping everyone safe and comfy. Plan to pack an extra set of clothes and extra underwear for younger kids.

Create a mini first-aid kit- don’t forget Neosporin, bandaids, tissues, and chewable fever tablets. Carry a wrap or travel towel that can be used as a blanket in chilly planes or buses.

Check out our full post on what to keep in your day pack.

11. Carry Lots of Snacks

Snacks are super important when traveling. Tummies are off from new food, schedules are different, and everyone gets grumpy when they are hungry! Snacks quickly revive kids’ energy levels and can turn around the mood on the trip.

Snacks are also great for unexpected travel delays, whether it’s a broken-down bus, or getting into town after all the stores close.

When we can’t carry a lot, we make a point of stopping to try local pastries or snacks as part of our day. We can all use the break, and its fun to try new things together.

Heading out on a road trip? We’ve got the best road trip snacks, as well as the best road trip activities for kids!

12. A Good Breakfast is Key

Starting the day with a solid breakfast helps everyone head out with the right attitude. If lunch is late, or the kids are picky about what they are eating, we don’t worry if we know they had a good breakfast.

We like instant oatmeal when possible (just add hot water), or yogurt with berries and granola if we have a mini-fridge. When we first arrive somewhere, we make it a priority to stock up on snacks and breakfast foods. Our kids are early risers, so having food ready for them quickly in the morning makes our day go smoother.

When staying in an apartment, we shop for breakfast foods the first day, when in a hotel, we opt for an included breakfast whenever possible.

13. Take a Food Tour

One of the best ways to learn about a new culture is to take a food tour. This is especially true of countries with an unfamiliar cuisine. It allows you to try a lot of different things without committing to large quantities, learn about traditional foods, and get a list of recommended restaurants.

We were able to try beef with red ants this way in Cambodia, which we would have never ordered on our own! These tours are also great for kids as they can try things without the pressure of finishing an entire dish.

14. Take a Walking Tour

Walking tours are also a great family activity. Most cities offer free walking tours (with the expectation of a tip at the end). The constant moving is great for fidgety kids, and they can decide how much to pay attention. Sometimes I repeat things to the kids that I think would interest them, especially if the guide has an accent that’s hard to understand.

If you start a walking tour and aren’t enjoying it, you can also let your guide know you need to head out, no explanation is needed. The guides know the size of the group, so please don’t duck out without telling the guide, as they will worry that you’ve gotten lost.

We find that paid walking tours are often better than the free ones, simply because they keep the groups smaller, so it’s easier to move to the front and hear what the guide is saying. Even if the kids don’t listen well, it helps the whole family get an overview of the main tourist area, so you can plan what to go back to together.

15. Plan to Be Flexible

Don’t try to stuff too many activities into your family travel plan. Expect to have a quiet day after arriving in a new time zone to manage jet lag, and a backup day if something goes wrong.

The more flexibility you have built into your plan, the more you can rearrange things with grace when things don’t go your way.

We once had a ferry ride from Croatia to Italy stuck in port- what was supposed to be 8-hour ferry ride became a two-day adventure. There was some stress, and some standing in long lines, but ultimately we got upgraded to a sleeping cabin, dinner on the boat, and eventually docked in Italy at 2 am, to find the port locked for the night.

Fortunately, we had not made important plans for our first few days in Italy, so we were able to contact our Airbnb host to let them know we were delayed and take a rest day once we finally arrived.

Whenever possible, plan one to two buffer days before any important or ticketed activities that can’t be rescheduled. This allows for transportation delays or unexpected changes. Heading to a wedding? Joining a tour that will be leaving town? Plan to arrive two days ahead, then if your flight is delayed, or canceled you won’t miss out.

16. Travel Days are For Travel

Don’t plan to do much beyond travel itself on travel days. It’s really easy to think “It’s just a one-hour flight” and overplan your day. Whether it’s a 10-hour bus ride or a two-hour flight, make “getting there” your goal for the day. Anything else that you do or see is a bonus!

Travel delays happen, and you don’t want to be scrambling to reschedule your plans. Even without delays, most accommodations won’t let you check in before 3 pm. That means you will be lugging your things with you, and won’t be relaxed and comfortable until after that check-in happens.

When checking into an apartment, there’s often no option to store bags before check-in, so you’ll either need to figure out storage lockers at a train station or lug them around.

The exception to this rule is long layovers. We often take advantage of 8-10 hour or overnight layovers in a new city to explore. Less than this means you won’t have enough time to get to the city, explore, and get back through airport security. If you are planning this kind of layover, make sure to pack your carry-ons with everything you need, and nothing extra, as you’ll most likely be walking a lot.

17. Tackle Top Priority Activities First

Plan to head to your “must-do” activity first thing in the day. Plan for a second activity that may or may not happen depending on everyone’s energy levels. We find that everyone is at their best in the morning, and more prone to meltdowns in the afternoon. This is especially true in very warm climates.

We like to schedule exercise (like a playground!) or downtime in the late afternoon before heading out for dinner. If everyone is tired, we also find that sometimes dinner and a movie in the hotel room or apartment are just what we need.

Make sure you schedule an extra day with nothing important planned, so if something gets pushed back you have a second chance to attempt it.

18. Choose Places Everyone Can Enjoy

Choose attractions that everyone in your group can enjoy. Usually, anything involving nature or animals works well for all ages.

If you are visiting someplace a bit more intriguing for the adults than the kids, follow it up with a playground or plaza with a fountain to balance the focus of the day so everyone gets to do something they are excited about.

Some families find that rotating who picks the activities works well and helps keep the plans balanced. So mom may pick a museum one day, but then the kids get to pick the next day’s main activities. This also helps kids learn empathy, and to appreciate that everyone in the family is different.

19. Vary Your Type of Activity

One of the easiest ways to keep kids engaged and entertained is to vary your type of activity. So for example, take a hike one day, then walk around a town or visit a museum the next.

The kids will stay more engaged than if you try to do a similar activity for two or three days in a row. You’ll hear less of the whiny “Not Again…” if it’s been a few days since you’ve attempted a specific activity. And yes, you will hear ridiculous things like “Not another Castle!”

20. Schedule Quiet Time

Naptime in our house evolved into quiet time. Quiet time is one hour every day when everyone does their own activities quietly. No screen time is allowed. The kids can read books, play quietly with toys, nap, or write in a journal, but it has to be alone.

I’m a bit of an introvert- I need time when no one is asking me for anything or needs an argument settled or a timer set for sharing anything.

We all need time to recharge, and then we come back together with patience restored and play much better together. Figure out what works best for your family, set your own rules, and give each other a bit of quiet space.

21. Learn a Few Phrases

Wherever you are learn to say a few basic phrases in the local language. “Yes, No, Hello, Goodbye, Please and Thank you” are the minimum that you will need. These phrases go a long way toward making your interactions with locals respectful, even if most people working in tourism speak English. These are also a great way for the family to start to talk about the culture and learn about where you are visiting.

22. Schedule Exercise (for all of you)

Kids need time to run around and be physical. That may be on a playground, or around a plaza, on a beach, or even at the hotel pool. They need to let their brains rest and their bodies stretch.

Plan exercise into the day and everyone will sleep better and be in a better mood.

23. Travel Slow (even slower)

Give yourselves time to process and explore beyond the highlights of a place. There was a weekend in New York City when all my kids wanted was to follow the dogs they saw being walked on the sidewalks.

When E was 2 she stopped in front of a violin player on the sidewalk in Cambridge, MA. She stared and listened for 20 minutes. I would never have expected her to be so captivated.

Make time to follow whatever catches their attention. If you aren’t rushing, and have scheduled in some flexibility, you’ll have an easier time following the kids’ lead.

“Slow” means something different to everyone, for some families that means staying in one place for several weeks, or even several months. It takes some time to find the pace that works for your family.

When we were driving cross-country, staying in one place for three nights felt luxurious. For other types of trips, three nights in each location is our minimum. The more we travel, the slower we move. Now we tend to alternate between moving quickly (3-5 days per location), with one or two months stays in one place.

24. Accept that Things Will Go Wrong

If you accept that things will go wrong, you’ll have a much easier time rolling with it when they do. Things will get left behind, kids will get sick, planes will be delayed. It’s all part of the magical adventure that is travel.

Once, when visiting New York City for Thanksgiving, we planned to have Chinese food for dinner. We arranged for friends to meet up with us, and headed out, only to find the restaurant shuttered. We ended up having a fantastic meal at the Mexican restaurant down the block, and now consider tacos (and margaritas for the adults) a perfect Thanksgiving meal for our family!

We created a family code word that tells the kids “Be quiet, we’ll explain later, first we need to figure this out”. This means we can focus on the problem at hand, from a flat tire to a missing hotel reservation, without being distracted by questions from the kids.

From canceled ferries to motorbike parking tickets, to lost luggage and lost Harry Potter wands, there are always things that will go wrong. Each of these is a life lesson, and an opportunity to teach the kids how to handle these situations calmly.

25. Give Each Other Breaks

If traveling with kids and two or more adults, each adult may need alone time. For me, this may be visiting something that doesn’t interest the kids or taking a quiet walk around town with my camera.

Waker is a morning person, so he may go for a run in the morning, or simply go out alone to get coffee to bring back to where we are staying. Especially on longer trips, give each person space to explore a bit on their own.

Also, we have found that sometimes the kids need breaks from each other, and spending time with one parent alone is just what they need- even if the activity is a simple visit to a grocery store.

26. Practice Gratitude and Teach Gratitude

We try to end each day with a round of Best & Worst. Each person takes a turn to tell the family what the “best” part of their day was, what the “worst” part of their day was, and anything else that they are “thinking about” or is “on their mind”.

We usually do this over dinner. You don’t have to have a “worst”, but each day you must have a “best”. We are sometimes surprised by what comes up!

It’s a great way to reflect on your day and practice gratitude. No matter how rotten the day was, we always come up with something that was “best”, even if it is just being together in that moment. Sometimes we help remind each other of the best parts of the day.

It also gives the kids a chance to share anything that they are worried about, or have questions about- especially during the “on your mind” portion. It’s also great for them to listen to how we feel about our day- to see that adults also have good and bad days, things we worry about, and things we are grateful for.

27. Just Go!

Enjoy it! Your kids will never be this age again, make some memories, and laugh together over the frustrations. There are a million excuses not to go- to wait until the kids are older, or until finances are better. Just go. You can do this, plan ahead and go have fun!

There You Have It

Our 27 best family travel tips help you have more enjoyable family trips. From planning ahead to embracing slow travel when you can, we hope our family travel advice will help you to have a great family vacation, and make great travel memories with your family.

We love traveling with our kids, even during stressful times, and we hope you do too! We never regret traveling together, and have so many shared experiences and memories as a family.

Ready to embrace travel with kids? Start with a family bucket list of travel ideas!

Traveling to South America? Check out our best tips for embracing and enjoying South America with kids.