5 Lessons Learned for International Travel with Little Kids

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Shyla, age 2, in Kenya on a Safari

My husband and I have always been travelers. Before we had children, we made our best memories in far-flung places around the globe… kayaking through the mangroves in Malaysia, watching the sunset light up the Aegean sea from the Greek islands, dancing the samba in the street during Carnival in Rio

Santorini, Langkawi, Rio de Janeiro

Travel gave us energy, excitement, and made us feel like we were part of something bigger than ourselves.

When we had our first baby in 2012, we had to confront a new reality… travel with little kids is HARD! 2 kids, 6 years, and 10 countries later, we’ve learned some valuable lessons about how to manage international travel with little ones.

1. Take an extra set of clothes for YOURSELF in your carry-on bag.

Our first trip with 6-month old Shyla was to a wedding in Puerto Rico. She had a poop diaper explosion immediately after we boarded the plane, covering herself AND ME in poop! Lesson learned: take an extra set of clothes for YOU.

The weirdest place she has ever napped!

2. Choose a destination in the same time zone.

Shyla was almost a year old when we took her to Argentina, which sits in the time zone just one hour ahead of DC. We did everything we could to preserve her nap and bedtime schedule… here she is napping outside the Recoleta cemetery where Evita is buried!

Lesson learned: Same time zone = same routine = well rested, happy baby.

3. Buy inflatable everything for international travel.

On our African safari, we changed locations several times, from a hotel in Nairobi, to a tented camp in the Masai Mara, to a resort at the beach in Mombasa. We didn’t know if each place would have a crib, so we bought a $30 inflatable kids’ travel bed.  Lesson learned: Inflatables are AMAZING for long-distance travel.  

Here are a few of our favorite inflatables for travel:

Strapped in tight on The Train to the End of the World, Ushuaia
  1. Intex Kids Travel Bed with Hand Pump: Fills about half a suitcase and blows up in 10 minutes. 
  2. My First Years Inflatable Booster Seat: Turns any chair into a T-strap booster seat. 
  3. Mommy’s Helper Inflatable Bathtub: Keeps your baby out of dirty hotel tubs. 
  4. BubbleBum Backless Inflatable Travel Booster Car Seat: For kids >4 years old, super portable and great for short distances. 

4. Vacation rentals are better than hotels for little kids.

In 2015, we had a second child, and travel became twice as hard. We needed more space, separate sleeping areas to accommodate their naps, and a kitchen to warm milk. A single hotel room didn’t work for us anymore, so we started renting AirBnb-style apartments

Vacation rentals are available almost everywhere in the world. We have rented a villa on the Amalfi coast, an apartment in Buenos Aires, a Riad in the heart of Marrakesh, and a colonial home in the Old City, Cartegena

Breakfast at home on the balcony in Positano

We always choose AirBnBs with lots of positive reviews, and we try to rent from “superhosts” with many transactions on record. Vacation rentals are often less expensive than equivalent hotel rooms.

Cartagena grocery store- we didn’t take this little guy home!

5. Buy essentials at a local grocery store instead of carrying them from home.

Travel with kids requires you to carry A LOT of stuff. Save yourself the hassle of lugging heavy, overstuffed bags by planning to buy some staples on arrival. Our first stop in a new country is always the local grocery store.

We try to scope it out on google maps ahead of time so we know how far away it is from our rental. We head there the first day and buy diapers, wipes, shampoo, conditioner, soap, milk, breakfast items, and snacks for the kids.

Those are my hard-won lessons… what are your best tips for travel with little kids? 

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