Have Kids Will Travel. It’s a motto we’ve chosen to live by!
It’s definitely true that things change once you have kids. For one, your bedtime and wake up times are not what they once used to be (goodbye late nights and sleeping in). Arriving on time becomes a thing of the past. And I speak from personal experience here when I say, more often that not, your kids are better dressed than you are.
I could keep going but I think you get the gist. Most of these and others are true and definitely relatable. Wanna know one thing that isn’t true though – “Travelling with kids is hard and you won’t do it as much.” WRONG! We have been parents for 5.5 years now and not only have we continued to travel, but I’d go even further and say we’ve travelled more! We’ve taken two international trips, a parents only cruise (read about that here), a road trip down the east coast to Florida (with a 3 month old and 4 year old), over 6 trips to Disney, countless weekend trips on poppa and grandma’s boat, and MORE!
Why am I sharing this with you all? Well, because I know there are people who think travelling with kids is too hard. Guess what, you’re not wrong! It is hard! And exhausting, and time consuming and requires a lot of planning! But it’s also the most fun! The memories we’ve made on our travels and the happiness it has brought Lou and I to show our babies other parts of the world makes it all worth it! It’s an amazing feeling watching your littles discover something for the first time!
Aruba 2014 – 8 months 
Aruba 2015 
Block Island Boat Trip 2016 
Disney 2017 – 19 wks pregnant 
Antigua 2018 
Disney 2018
We are 5 days away from our next Trip (Disney here we come!) and I thought I could share with you some tips on how to make travelling with kids a breeze! Before you know it, you’ll be living by the ‘have kids will travel’ motto too!
Make a List (or several)
There’s no way I could do it without my lists. To name a few, I make a Packing list, a list of things to do before we leave (home and business related), and a list of items we need to buy before we leave (think sunscreen, snacks, etc). I also make sure that our travel info is all in one place (flight info, hotel reservations, car rental info, etc.).
*Bonus Tip: Bring the Packing list with you so that you can check it when you’re packing for your return and leave nothing behind!
Start putting these lists to use as early as you possibly can! Waiting until the last minute can cause unnecessary added stress. With 5 days left to go, I’ve already signed up for a hold mail request for the week we’re gone, washed the clothes we’ll be taking with us, and set up my bills on auto-pay. Next, I’ll make sure we’ve ordered everything we need for our trip and if we still need to order it, thank God for Amazon Prime!
Download your FREE printable of ‘The Ultimate Mama Packing List’ Below!
More is More
My husband would definitely describe me as an over packer. However, I would call it an efficient packer! I only pack what we need, and what would be good to have on hand in a pinch! What does that mean? Basically, I do a balancing test – if x scenario occurred, would it make life easier if we had [enter item here] with us? If the answer is yes, then it’s coming with us! These usually include items like the NoseFrida (a huge life saver if your little one gets sick), an extra muslin blanket (lightweight for warm days), the favorite stuffed animal of the week (to provide comfort and familiarity in a new setting). With kids, I find a trip goes so much smoother the more you are able to replicate their routine and home setting!
Less is More
One of the most stressful situations of travelling with kids is navigating through the airport. It’s so busy and things sometimes move so fast that you want to make this process as seamless as possible! Unfortunately, airlines have done a disservice to us and now charge ridiculous fees to check baggage (my opinion). We used to do everything in our power to save the fees and fit everything into carry on size luggage. Then we planned our first international travel with TWO kids and everything changed! We checked one luggage, brought one carry on luggage, the baby bag, and Noah’s backpack and we zoomed through the airport like never before! Now, I highly recommend checking at least one bag to give yourself more freedom to navigate the airport.
The More the Merrier
If you only take one thing away from this post, I hope it’s this one! I can’t tell you what a HUGE difference it makes to travel with family or friends! Here’s a confession – in our 5.5 years as a family, we have never once traveled without others! Crazy right! To be fair, there have been a few times we traveled by plane by ourselves, but when we got to our destination we had family there waiting for us! Here’s the deal, an extra pair of hands (or two or three) makes a world of a difference! Plus, mommy and daddy get a chance to go out kid-free when there are others there willing to hang with the kids! Even if you don’t get a chance to get out on your own, it’s just reassuring to have familiar faces and people you can rely on to help with the kids! [Even if that help comes by way of having their kids and your kids play together!]
If you take the time to plan out your vacation, really prepare, and travel in a way that your little ones are comfortable and have all they need, then traveling with kids becomes a breeze! Happy Travels!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you check out some of my other Travel Related Posts:
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