As blessed as I am to be well-travelled, I’ve always considered it a ‘want’, not a ‘need’ — even as it’s become the done thing to schedule at least one getaway a year, kids or no kids.
When our first was born, we were delusional enough to think our annual sightseeing trips could continue with a kid just ‘tagging along’. Ha-friggin-ha. We managed a few fabulous trips anyway, but by the time our second arrived, I welcomed the excuse to sit out the toddler years entirely. Then 2026 had other plans — two family milestone holidays, an 80th and a 70th, that we couldn’t skip.
With these and many other trips now behind us, here’s what travelling with toddlers over the last 3 years has taught me.
DON’T: Lose your mind over healthy eating routines. Do your best with what’s in front of you. I couldn’t make my 3 year old unsee the pink doughnut during the breakfast buffet walkabout. I used it as leverage to get her to finish her scrambled eggs, and then looked the other way. Your kid will quickly forget that doughnuts were an option once you’re back on home soil.
DO: Keep activities short and respectful of meal and nap times. Avoid planning a day full of back-to-back activities, unless you want over-tired, cranky kids. Your kids suffer, and so will you. Schedule all the fun stuff immediately after breakfast, or immediately after naptime.
Make peace with not ‘doing it all’.
DON’T: Plan a theme-park holiday until your kids are aged 7+. I speak from experience. It may sound and look like the most kid-centered holiday possible, but, in my opinion: 1) it’s too much stimulation for their little brains, 2) toddlers can’t do half the rides you want to do anyway, so parents end up splitting up to take turns, and 3) it’s far too expensive for a holiday they likely won’t remember.
DO: Leave lots of breathing room for quiet time. Time to rest, recharge, decompress. Respect the sacred afternoon nap, and nap with them if you can. You’re on holiday. That’s the point. Without sufficient rest, you’ll return home exhausted and relieved that the holiday is finally over. Not fun, especially after spending hard-earned money for a supposed ‘break’.
DON’T: Assume you’ll get lots of overdue reading done (or anything productive, for that matter). I still get excited about finally starting a book I bought 5 months ago, and I still only make it through 3 chapters. A holiday with children is not the place for setting goals. But if you must, aim for… “I managed to drink an iced latte before the ice cubes melted”. Trust me. The key to still feeling productive with kids is simply to aim lower.
Speaking of aiming lower…
DO: Lower your expectations on how relaxing it will be. You still have to parent, just in a different location. No matter what home comforts you bring along, you still have to feed, clean, change, nap, play with, discipline and put your kids to bed. Some moments in between all that will be loads of fun, but the work doesn’t stop just because your emails are set on ‘Out of Office’.
DON’T: Try to DIY everything to save money. By this I mean, if you want a trip that resembles a real ‘break’, spend a little bit more to have accommodation with food and cleaning included. In other words, a resort, a hotel, or somewhere very close to restaurants. I used to LOVE authentic AirBnbs pre-kids, and enjoyed shopping at the local supermarket to keep things budget-friendly. While there’s certainly use for them under specific circumstances, it only feels like a real holiday now (to me) when these everyday chores are out of the picture.
We do enough cooking at home, and returning back to a clean room with fresh towels is a lovely treat.
DO: Outfit plan as a family. It sounds vain at face value, but with toddlers, you might only get ONE decent family picture where everyone is facing the camera. Make it count. Here’s the recipe: Layer Dad’s outfit, Mom’s outfit and the kids’ outfits flat, roll into one neat clothing burrito, pack into the suitcase. I’m talking underwear, socks and all. It makes packing SO much easier (because you know exactly how many outfits you have) and come dinner time, you just unroll it and everyone’s outfit is ready to go. No scrambling for a clean t-shirt. Fuss-free.
DO: Take pictures, but don’t make pictures the point of the holiday. Kids don’t care about your scrapbook or IG feed. One of the saddest things I’ve ever heard someone say is “What’s the point of traveling if you don’t get good pictures to show for it?” My friend, traveling with kids is not for you. In fact, maybe travelling isn’t for you, Period. In this day and age, there’s nothing more detoxing and liberating than keeping your phone safely tucked away in the bottom of your bag and forgetting about it. You didn’t fly all this way for a photoshoot. Be present, play with your kids, look around, watch people, feel bored. Chic, honestly.
DON’T: Write off vacations altogether! Yes, it’s challenging at times. Yes, there are moments you’ll question why you bothered. But they’re temporary, and nothing will make you feel more alive than jogging back to your hotel room at 8am to change your clothes after a poo-nami drenched your freshly ironed linen dress in the middle of a granita bar. Too much info?
DO: Go figure it out for yourself, or simply take a break for a few years. I stand by my initial point that travelling is a luxury, not a human right. It’s totally acceptable to put travelling on hold until the kids are old enough to sit quietly on a plane seat. You have nothing to prove to anyone, and you’ll save some money and a few headaches along the way.
However, if you decide to give travelling with toddlers a go, spare a thought for these tips. I crawled so you could walk.
