Family Travel Tips

After countless trips with our own kids, both in the US and Europe, here are our best tips for traveling with Babies, Toddlers and Kids

Comments

Debbie
January 8, 2008 at 1:27 p.m.

Hypatia,

Thanks for all your great suggestions! We're working as fast as we can to get more great family destinations online & we LOVE to get great reader suggestions like yours... keep them coming.

Debbie
Hypatia
January 8, 2008 at 2:48 p.m.

So glad I found this site and have already bookmarked it. We're planning our first trip to New York with our daughter, and am looking forward to checking out some of your suggestions.

Am surprised though that Boston hasn't made it on to your list of destinations yet. We've visited the city a few times with our daughter and have had a fantastic time-the Children's Museum, the beaches, the parks, etc...Another city people might like to take their kids to is Toronto, who can resist the CN Tower, the Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Place, the Toronto Islands, etc...Finally, as a Montrealer, can I suggest my hometown? In the middle of the city is the 'mountain' after which it was named, much of which is parkland (designed by Olmstead, the same man who designed Central Park) there are museums, Place des Arts (with bilingual concert series for children) and within a very short drive, several beaches, a farm to visit, and the Ecomuseum.

Regards,
Hypatia
Kellie
February 20, 2008 at 11:42 a.m.

I just discovered your website. Thank you so much for taking the time to share such resourceful information. My husband and I are passionate travelers (we even got married in Italy!)and now want to travel with our baby girl. We have already begun planning our first trip to Europe with her this summer (she will be 13 mos) and we look forward to reading your travel tips, etc.!
Jeanne
February 25, 2008 at 8:18 a.m.

Great site! Glad I stumbled upon it and glad you are doing it!! We are 18 months into an open ended, multi-year trip around the world as a family, so I am always interested in finding good traveling family sites to blog about. Keep up the good work & I wish I had found you before your trip to Spain. Happy travels!
http://www.soultravelers3.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn9rDT...
Jill
March 7, 2008 at 9:27 a.m.

Hi!
I am SO glad I have found your site! We are getting ready for a trip to Rome with our 18 month old... and are trying to decide if we'll need to bring a car seat. We are planning to use one of the new CARES restraints for the plane (the new FAA approved thing), and aren't sure if we'll "need" the car seat once we arrive in Rome. We plan to either travel by train or foot anywhere we go... so what's your opinion? Thanks so much!
Debbie
March 7, 2008 at 10 a.m.

Jill,

Have a wonderful trip to Rome. At 18 months old, your child will have such a wonderful time exploring the city. The fountains and street performers throughout the city are easy entertainment, but our son also loved the sculptures (and thought things like feet w/out bodies were hilarious).

Rome doesn't have great public transportation, but you can get most places by walking, and I would not (and did not) bring a car seat. We've never used a car seat on a train either.

Good luck,
Debbie
Heather
March 13, 2008 at 5:45 a.m.

Do you know if I can buy Pull Ups in Barcelona or the equivilent? I'm wondering if I should pack enough for the whole trip there.

Thanks so much!
Debbie
March 14, 2008 at 11:44 a.m.

Pull Ups are available in Spain, but they are more difficult to find than diapers (As I understand it, Europeans aren't totally sold on the Pull-Ups concept). Cortes Ingles or a large grocery store would be the place to look for them.

If your trip is short (or your child uses Pull-Ups only when sleeping) you could pack enough for the entire trip. If not, you could consider using waterproof washable training pants or reverting to diapers if you cannot find more pull-ups when you need them.
Vanessa
April 4, 2008 at 8:53 p.m.

Hi Debbie,

Love this site! We are heading to Paris and will be taking up your suggestion on the Airport Shuttle. I was wondering if you used their car seat or if you brought your own. If you used their car seat, is there anything I should be weary of from a safety standpoint? Also, what apartment did you stay at in Paris or which one do you recommend?

Thanks again - your suggestions just made it a way more fun and cheaper trip for us!
Debbie
April 6, 2008 at 4:23 p.m.

Vanessa,

We used the airport shuttle car seat. I was a lot less savvy about car seat rentals back then, but I'd do it again in order to avoid dragging along a seat for just that one use.

Be sure to specify the age and weight of your child with your reservation, and carefully inspect the car seat using our tips: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/...

We stayed in apartments on Rue Dragon (in the 6th) and loved the convenient location. http://www.deliciousbaby.com/travel/f...
Charity
April 24, 2008 at 2:22 p.m.

Hi Debbie,
Thanks so much for all your great information. I was wondering if you have ever gone on a trip as long as 3 weeks with your children? I'm taking my 18 month old by myself by plane to visit grandma and grandpa for a week, then drive 3 hrs to meet up with daddy (he doesn't get much time off) at the other grandma and grandpa for a week, and then drive 6 hrs to an old college friend with a baby the same age for a week. And then fly home. Am I completely nuts?
I've culled most of your articles about travel and have gotten lots of ideas. Anything else you would think I should be aware of on such a long trip?
Thanks!
Debbie
April 24, 2008 at 2:47 p.m.

We've done several one month trips, and actually I'm a fan of longer trips. I think it gives everyone a little more time to adjust and settle in. It also relieves some of the pressure for every day and every moment to be perfect (which of course is impossible with a small child)

Your trip sounds great to me & I hope you have a wonderful time. Here are a couple of tips I think might help:
- At 18 months, you should talk to your child a lot about what's happening & when you'll be going to a new place.
- I would do the driving trip at night (if you don't think you'll be to sleepy) when baby is sleeping
- Avoid moving between too many different destinations. The list you have sounds great, but I'd worry a little bit about adding more (though your child might be less stressed about that than mine are)
- Your child will probably be getting lots of extra attention on your trip (which is a good thing) Expect that there will be an adjustment period when you return home where he or she tries to figure out where all the magic went.
- Don't feel like you need to bring everything you might need with you. You can buy diapers and other baby needs on the road and I'm willing to bet that grandma and grandpa will contribute a few new toys.
Charity
April 24, 2008 at 3:19 p.m.

Thanks! It's reassuring to hear you say I'm not completely insane. And I forgot all about the adjustment to no longer being the center of everyone's attention. Good tips!
Cherrye
May 21, 2008 at 9:32 a.m.

Loving your blog! Loving it!
Rachael
May 21, 2008 at 11:32 p.m.

Congratulations on a fabulous website ! In terms of content and form it's a great resource and is wonderful to get tips from like-minded mums.
We are taking our 8 month old daughter on a 6 week trip to Turkey, France (Alps & Provence) and Spain (Vallencia, Mallorca and Barcelona). I was umm'ing and argh'ing about buying the ergo baby carrier (as we can borrow a baby backpack) yet you have sold it to me, we at least confirmed what i was thinking in terms of size and weight. Keep the tips and info coming.
Syd, Australia
Debbie
May 27, 2008 at 4:20 p.m.

Rachael,

Have a wonderful time on your trip! I hope the Ergo will serve you well.

Debbie
Amanda
May 30, 2008 at 11:53 p.m.

Hi Debbie
Thanks for a great website!
We are planning a trip to barcelona with other friens who also have babies who'll be 12 months..we will need to get taxis from the airport to our apartments and wondered if we would need to take car seats to use in the taxis? Logically, I think we would but if so am not sure how practically this would work!
Any thoughts or advice would be gratefully received..
Amanda
Debbie
May 31, 2008 at 9:30 p.m.

Amanda,
When we visited Barcelona, we took the train from the airport to the city center and then walked the remaining few blocks to our apartment.

If you have a lot of luggage, another option would be to send one person in a taxi with all the luggage and someone else on the subway with the babies.

A third option is to find a taxi service or van service that will provide a car seat. Since the babies are 12 months old, you will want to verify that they have an infant or convertible seat that can be installed rear-facing (and have a back up plan in case the service shows up without the seats)

Have a great trip!
Jennifer
June 8, 2008 at 8:56 p.m.

Hi Debbie,

What a great website! I have enjoyed getting useful tips and ideas from this site.

We leave next month for Europe, we have purchased a seat for our 14 month old however do you think taking a carseat would help him sleep on a plane or what do you recommend for comfortable sleeping for a child?

Thanks! Jennifer
Debbie
June 9, 2008 at 8:18 p.m.

I would not bring along a car seat just so that your son can sleep. You don't say what airline you are flying, but many airlines will provide a travel cot if you request one in advance. We've had good luck with getting our children to fall asleep in our arms and then moving them gently into the travel cot.

You do need to have a save way to buckle your child in to the airplane seat though (the lap belt isn't enough for a 14 month old). Of course your car seat works well, and we also like the CARES harness because it is so easy to carry.

http://www.deliciousbaby.com/products...

Before you leave that car seat at home, you'll also need to consider whether you will need a car seat at your destination. In most of Europe, public transportation is good enough that we don't bring one, but you'll need to decide based on the specifics of your trip.

I hope this helps. Have a wonderful time!
Debbie
Lois
July 16, 2008 at 7:18 a.m.

Hi Debbie

I thought you might like to see a post I published on my home exchange blog today, mentioning and linking to your excellent blog:

http://homeexchangetravel.blogs.com

Keep up the good work!

Cheers
Angie
July 28, 2008 at 11:24 a.m.

Hi Debbie. Just heard your interview on Amateur Travel Podcast and have spent a few minutes browsing your site. Great ideas; I can't wait to spend more time checking out your travel tips. Our oldest daughter made her first oversea adventure to England at four months (unless you count her trip to Italy when I was seven months pregnant). She is turning six this summer and has since been to India twice, Nepal, Thailand, and Cambodia as well as numerous places around the US. My husband and I met in Nepal and love to spend our money and vacation time experiencing Asia. We have found our post-children travels so enriching because of the social doors that have opened because we have our children with us. We have met with so many more smiles and friendly greetings from strangers, especially women (which can be difficult to interact sometimes in Asia). Keep up the great work...

Angie in Alaska
http://www.southwould.com
Louise Valentine
January 25, 2009 at 7:52 p.m.

Hi Debbie!

I'm so glad I found your site. I really want to travel with my daughter but was starting to think it wasn't possible. Then I stumbled upon this website. I'm thinking about going to Italy with her for a few weeks and now, having found your site, I'm finding the thought less daunting.

Thank You!!
Stacia
March 28, 2009 at 5:46 p.m.

I'm SO HAPPY to have found this site. I'm flying with my 3mo old tomorrow. And as indicated by my google searches tonight.... i'm anxious about the flight. Your information has been very helpful! Thanks!
Melissa
http://mamamelloves1.blogspot.com/
April 16, 2009 at 10:18 p.m.

This is a GREAT site! We are planning our first trip with our 17 month old son, and I was so glad to see all of your travel tips! I have been busy writing a lot of stuff down, and keep thinking... "what a great idea..!" I am so glad I found your site! Thank you for all of your very helpful tips! I would like to post a link to your blog on my blog so other moms can see your great travel tips! :)
K O
June 1, 2009 at 2:54 p.m.

Hi Debbie,

Thank you for such a wonderful site! We took our first plane ride with the kids to the Pacific Northwest and enjoyed some fabulous sightseeing, food, etc. The trip was fantastic because of the feedback I found on your website.

I look forward to more traveling with the Delicious Baby community.
Mandy Ferry
http://www.family-travel-made-easy.com/
July 18, 2009 at 5:22 a.m.

I love your suggestion for air travel toys.

We have a website also dedicated to all things travel and kids. Check out our free printables and car travel games too.

Cheers

Mandy.
abby
August 2, 2009 at 12:11 p.m.

Hi Debbie,

First off, thank you for putting up this great site. My husband and I love to travel, and ever since we had our boy, i've been wary of traveling. Anyway, we're planning to go to Barcelona or Madrid in September. It's a spontaneous vacation, and it'll only be for about 4-5 days. I wanted to ask you if a car seat is mandatory to bring when we travel? I was just thinking of bringing his pram, but I am uncertain what their car seat requirements are.

Thanks again and all the best!
Debbie
August 2, 2009 at 9:13 p.m.

It is not mandatory that you would have a carseat for your flight (though your child will be safest in his or her own seat if there is turbulence). If you plan to ride in a car once you arrive in Spain, your child will be safest in a carseat, and we generally plan to use public transportation when we travel to big cities like Barcelona or Madrid.

Have a great trip!
Victoria Humphries
September 12, 2009 at 7:02 p.m.

Great site, thanks, I have been studying all of your travel tips and advice. I am off to Marrakech for 2 weeks with my 16 month old daughter next Saturday, it's our first holiday together. I promise I will share all useful info on my return.

Ask a question, add a travel tip, or comment! If you login, it's faster to comment!

Delicious Baby

Making Travel with Kids Fun

Family Travel Tips

Comments

Debbie

Hypatia

Kellie

Jeanne

Jill

Debbie

Heather

Debbie

Vanessa

Debbie

Charity

Debbie

Charity

Cherrye

Rachael

Debbie

Amanda

Debbie

Jennifer

Debbie

Lois

Angie

Louise Valentine

Stacia

Melissa

K O

Mandy Ferry

abby

Debbie

Victoria Humphries

Leave a comment