How to Travel With Kids, According to Globetrotting Parents

While DiGregorio used to bring a standard-issue stroller on trips, he now swears by the micro stroller from Pockit Air, which pops open in “two seconds” and fits kids from 6 months to 5 years of age (up to 55 pounds). Other parents I spoke with shouted out “game-changing” inflatable booster seats and bed bumpers, which are compact enough to fit a carry-on, and toddler-sized hiking packs for more outdoorsy pursuits.

Cinzia Reale-Castello, a Rutherford, NJ-based photo editor and mother of 4-year-old Leonora, also suggests hiding a “dupe stuffie” in your bag in case your kiddo loses their most treasured friend abroad, as happened with her daughter’s beloved Black Cat. (Not to fear—she was reunited with the original in Rome.)

Involve the kids in research and planning

It’s easy for forever-rushing parents to just “drag your kids around without looping them in on what’s actually happening,” says Romeyn. But the more children know, she finds, the better they behave. “Talk to your kids about the travel that’s coming up, even if you think they’re too young to understand,” she advises. “Tell them what it’ll feel like to be in an airplane, what sounds they’ll hear, what they’ll see, and what you’ll do—like, ‘we’re going to be in the plane for two sleeps but we’ll play in between and eat three meals.’”

Marilyn Lobos, a Lyndhurst, NJ-based art teacher, encourages her 8-year-old daughter Luna to look at maps with her, help make lists of things to do in case it rains, and always ask themselves, “‘What can we do, see, eat, and experience here that we can’t do at home or anywhere else?’”

Involving kids in the planning process is especially important with teens and tweens, says Chris Bergaust, a Washington, D.C.-based Foreign Service Officer who has four exceptionally well-traveled children: 19-year-old Erik, 17-year-old Joseph, 15-year-old Adam, and 12-year-old Ana. “Your teenagers will appreciate having a voice,” he says, “and they’ll stay more engaged and be less likely to grumble if they previously committed to an activity.”

Consider the combo trip

Tom Marchant, the London-based co-founder of luxury travel agency Black Tomato, recently took his two daughters, 6-year-old Minnie and 3.5-year-old Coco, on their first multi-destination trip. While Iceland and Morocco might sound like an odd coupling, Marchant found the combination both thrilling and rewarding—a way to show his daughters “two very different cultures, lifeways, environments, and topographies on one trip while having the right balance of adventure and chill time.”

Game the seating system

When traveling with two parents and two kids, Romeyn has had some success securing seats in different rows. “It might sound weird but it was far easier for [my husband] to handle Indah and me to handle baby Mira and not to have them getting in each other’s way or waking each other up,” she says. DiGregorio takes a different approach for his family of four by booking both aisle and window seats in the same row and leaving the two middles empty. “Sometimes people show up for the middle seats and we scoot over and give them the aisle,” he says. “But sometimes we get six seats for the four of us.”

Make peace with screens

Many parents told me they limit screen time at home but always pack an iPad loaded with educational games and children’s shows when traveling. “Peppa Pig was our secret weapon,” says Chris Schalkx, a Bangkok-based writer and photographer, when he needed to keep his now 6-year-old son, Ollie, quiet on public transport or in a fancy restaurant. Just be sure to download videos for offline viewing in advance of a trip, adds Bergaust, since WiFi can be scarce, connections often go down, and built-in screens don’t exist on certain model planes. He also advises switching off electronics 10 minutes before arriving at your destination, noting that doing so “gives kids a chance to reset and be less grumpy.”

Spring for the VIP treatment

Some airport terminals have indoor playgrounds, others designated security lines and check-in counters for families. “They aren’t clearly advertised, so you should always ask,” says DiGregorio. “They can save a ton of time and headaches.” He also recommends booking day rooms in an airport hotel or lounge for longer layovers (“it gives us a private place to sleep and use a home base”) and pre-arranging a VIP meet-and-assist service directly through the airport or local tour operator when available. “Someone will be waiting for you as you walk off the aircraft to escort you through immigration and other formalities,” he says. “This removes the pain of figuring out where to go and what to do, and waiting in any lines.”

Always have food on hand

Snacks on the plane are a given, but feeding the beasts that are our offspring is a 24-7 job. “Kids wake up and expect breakfast, so be prepared,” says Campbell Levy, the Evergreen, CO-based founder and CEO of PR and marketing firm CampStories, and dad of three young boys: Wilder (6), Lawless (4), and Hawkins (2). “Many hotels have larger refrigerators available to roll into your room—call ahead and request it,” he advises, noting that you can also ask for it to be stocked with simple ingredients like milk. “This is assuming you cannot get a room with a kitchenette,” he says. “If you can, you obviously want it.”

Build in a cushion day to decompress

“As much as [travel] can be a slog for adults, time zone shifts can prove especially disorienting for the youngest,” says Marchant. His best strategy for coping with jet lag is to build in an extra day or two to acclimate to a new time zone. If you have only a few days to spare, stick closer to home. DiGregorio concurs, noting how his family traveled mostly to South America when their elder daughter was very small because the time zones were similar to New York, making it easier to maintain her sleep schedule.