10+ Family Travel Tips to Ensure a Fun Trip for Every Age

Are you looking for family travel tips that will help make traveling with kids a little easier?

Traveling with kids can be rough. Here are our best family travel tips for having the best vacation that you can, even though it may not be as smooth as you would like.

For reference, our kids are 18 months apart. While their similar ages make some parts of travel easier, it is not always (or ever?) easy to travel with kids. Of course, travel looks different for every age, but these family travel tips will work for just about every age.

Keep reading for our family’s top 10 family travel tips, and let me know if you have any family travel tips to add!

Pack Light-ish

I used to be able to just pack a bag and go. Oh, how life has changed.

Kids require a lot of stuff.

Decide what is the most important to bring, and what you can get at your destination. I always packed enough diapers and wipes for a day and then bought more when we arrived. Of course, this isn’t an option everywhere. I would not suggest this for a cruise or at an all-inclusive resort. I do suggest looking at a map to see where the closest shop is to your hotel before your trip.

Another thing to make sure of is checking the hours of the shop to ensure they are open on the day or during the time you are planning to purchase important items. This includes checking public holiday dates at the location you are going to.

While you may think it would be easiest to just pack it all, carrying everything is hard, and why struggle at the very beginning of your trip?

My rule is, don’t bring more than we can carry.

That means we have to be able to carry our bags and deal with our kids alone.

If we are getting straight into a car, I am more likely to bring a larger suitcase. When we use public transportation, I want to make sure that the adults can carry all of our luggage up the stairs.

Of course, older kids and teens should be able to help carry their suitcases, depending on their abilities.

When I am on a solo trip with the kids, I pack extra light as I won’t have help. The kids love to wheel the suitcase when they want, but at the end of the day, I am left with carrying everything.

Additional Family Travel Packing Tips:

• Bring over-the-counter medication, especially if you are not going to be somewhere where it will be easily accessible. It is easier to bring the basics than search for them when you need them, especially if you are traveling solo with young kids.
• Put Band-Aids in your day bag.
• Packing cubes are worth it. They help you stay organized and allow you to pack more in small spaces.
• Bring sunscreen. Getting a sunburn on day 1 is the worst.
• Make a list and check it. Most often, we leave behind phone chargers, toothbrushes, and deodorant, which aren’t packed til the last minute.

Everyone Chooses at Least 1 Activity

I started this rule on a trip to NYC with my mom and my brother’s family.

With so many people, I wanted to make sure everyone got to do what they wanted to do the most. I was in charge of planning this trip because I lived in New York for over a decade, and also because I enjoy planning trips.

Before we went on that trip to New York City, my family went on a road trip to Helen, Georgia. We met my entire family there, but my little family took a few days to drive up and explore. Partway through, my daughter was upset that we weren’t doing what she wanted to do, just what we wanted to do.

Of course, I was confused as we stopped at playgrounds, let the kids run through sprinklers, and even let them play in Wescott Fountain at Florida State University. What else could she want to do?

We were just arriving in Athens, Georgia, so I found a brochure and gave her a couple of choices. She decided on an art class, and luckily, we got in before they closed. She got to paint, my son got to play, and everyone was happy.

My biggest tip for letting children decide what they want to do is to read them books about the places they are traveling to. Try to get a book from the library, or show them something online. Mark showed the kids a picture of the Fairy Pools in Noosa National Park, and that is why M insisted we go.

Bigger kids can research for themselves and decide what they most want to see.

Lanie’s Tip: Add a budget to each family member’s activity if you are worried about the price.

Not Every Person Needs to Participate in Every Activity

An easy way to save money on vacation is to have one adult not participate.

I am not saying that one adult skips everything because it is a family vacation, and the point is to spend time together.

However, when it makes sense, have one adult (and maybe even a kid) do something else.

Some of our examples include

• The boys didn’t go to tea with Eloise at the Plaza. It is expensive, and Z was too young to enjoy it.
• Mark didn’t join us in the glow worm caves or rock fossicking. I could handle the kids on my own, and we saved that money for other adventures.
• One parent takes the kids to a playground or hotel pool while the other goes to a museum or shopping.
• One parent didn’t go to the Lego Discovery Centre. The kids didn’t mind that there was only one parent there, as they were busy the entire time.

We tend to plan excursions for the kids, but there are occasional places that we haven’t been to before where we want to see something meant for adults. There is no reason to take the kids and be miserable (if your kids whine like mine).

Our kids are almost the same age and are into the same things. If you have kids with a wider age gap, plan to separate them for at least part of the trip so that everyone can enjoy their day.

One thing that my kids hear a lot from me is “There are 4 people in this family, and we all get to have fun.“

I try to let them know who the event is for so that they don’t complain. They are nicer if they know that their dad wants to go to the rum factory for his birthday. They usually keep quiet as they know that the next thing will be for them.

Check Out Tours for Kids at Places Meant for Adults

There are lots of fun children’s museums, and of course, my kids love to visit them. It is fun to watch them play, but sometimes I want to go somewhere meant for adults!

If there is a museum that you are interested in going to, see if they have tours or workshops geared towards children.

When M was almost 4, I took her on a children’s tour of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. The boys stayed home as Z was too little, and Mark had been to the Dali Museum. She loved the tour and talked about it for months after. I learned a lot, too, and got to view the art a lot easier than I would have if we had just gone on our own.

We took the children’s tour of the Sydney Opera House and the family tour of the Sydney Observatory. Again, I learned interesting information, and the kids weren’t bored.

Many of the big museums in New York City have tours for children and families. Be sure to check the museums in the cities you are visiting. You never know which ones have a kid-friendly tour option.

Companies like Watson Adventures even host scavenger hunts in museums, which is a fun and unique way to view a museum.

Bring Snacks

Most parents of young children know to bring snacks for fewer meltdowns.

I tend to pack enough for the plane ride and at least a few days of vacation. I pack more on road trips, but if we fly, I will just stop at a store. It is cheaper and more convenient to pack snacks than to stop and purchase them.

Of course, when you are traveling somewhere like New York City, where you want to try a bunch of things, I encourage stopping for snacks. Even in this situation, I would pack snacks. My kids want their snacks NOW, and then we can share a purchased snack as well.

Try to pack a variety of snacks, including old favorites and new special treats.

While I do keep a bag of snacks for everyone, I have started to give each kid a bag of snacks for the trip. They can eat their snacks whenever they want.

Don’t Eat Every Meal in a Restaurant

Restaurants are hard with little kids, but I don’t like to cook on vacation.

The easiest option is to book a hotel that has a free breakfast, but that is not always an option.

While we have cooked on vacation, especially when they were toddlers, and we stayed in apartments, I prefer to eat out. I am now realizing that eating out does not have to mean sitting down in a restaurant 3x a day.

Sometimes the kids are exhausted, and we get take-out. Pizza is the easiest option, but see what is nearby. Often, Mark will just walk to pick up dinner while the kids and I relax at the hotel.

Picnics are another good option. Get takeout and bring it to a playground or park. My kids are much happier playing outside than they are sitting down in a restaurant.

We do eat at our fair share of restaurants, especially as they are getting older, but it’s nice to have options. Sometimes, it is cheaper to get takeout from a restaurant than it is to order that same item in the restaurant (as we found out by the Glow Worm Caves on Tamborine Mountain. We ordered to-go and had a picnic. We saved money, and the kids were happier sitting outside.

Leave Extra Time

Traveling alone, I could get anywhere on time. Traveling with kids means having to wait.

They have to go to the bathroom at the worst times. Kids get dirty. They throw fits.

Packing your day can be stressful. Make sure you leave plenty of time to get places, especially if you have a reservation or a flight to catch. The more time you have for the little things that show up, the less stressed you will be.

Lanie’s Tip: Plan out your transportation ahead of time if you aren’t traveling with a car. Find out which car services offer car seats if needed.

Pack a Change of Clothes in Your Day Bag

My kids can’t be the only ones who get dirty or wet at the worst times.

We try to have a spare pair of clothes for them in the car, and it is best to put some in your day bag before you head out for the day.

Yes, I have been in a situation where we are looking for the nearest shop for a clean dress, underwear, and socks. I have been in that situation more than once.

Sometimes it is due to an accident, and other times it is due to the child pouring ketchup, my least favorite food in the whole wide world, on her dress.

Kids’ clothes don’t take up much space. It is easier to pack a spare pair in a small bag and keep it at the bottom of your backpack than to buy a new one.

If you are going to be near a splash park, bring bathing suits.

This tip is for me, as I often forget: if you are going to be near a beach, bring a change of clothes! Kids will play in the sand and, no matter the weather, go in the water.

I often carry a wet bag with me for wet or dirty clothes. It keeps them from touching our dry items.

Bring Treats

My kids know that they get lollipops on planes. Not only do they help their ears, but it also helps them to sit quietly.

I often bring jellybeans, gummy snakes, or something similar on family trips. We don’t eat candy much normally, so these items are exciting and great for bribing. It is amazing how nicely my kids can behave for a few jellybeans.

Understand that Traveling with Kids is HARD. It (Usually) Gets Better.

Mark and I have done plenty of traveling between us, but we sure didn’t give birth to little pros.

While Little Miss 7 has greatly improved and shares our love of travel and adventure, she wasn’t always easy. Mister 5 sleeps better than before, and just that makes all of the difference.

M’s first plane ride was from New York to Florida at 3 months old, and she had multiple road trips by the time she was 5 months old, including a 10-day trip from New York to Florida.

Z is my 2nd child, and therefore, I forget everything. I believe his first plane ride was to New York at 1 (or North Carolina at almost 2), but he went on a bunch of shorter road trips before that. He usually makes it clear that he’d rather be at home.

He likes the daily adventures, but he just wants to return home at the end of each day.

We have been on trips to the beach, trips to the mountains, cities, and country towns. We have slept in hotels, apartments, cabins, and tents.

I have memories of being up all night, wearing the kids in a carrier, or walking them in a stroller.

There have been many tiring days.

As they became toddlers, they just flat-out refused to go to sleep. One night, Zach stayed up later than everyone else because, at some point, our exhausted bodies just fell asleep.

They stay up later than normal on vacation, but they do sleep now.

My advice is to wait on the big trips if you can. We planned our first big trip at almost 5 and 6 (Europe, which was canceled in 2020).

Some people say to travel more when they’re little, but shorter trips work better for us. I refuse to give up travel, so we do what we can handle.

Maybe the most important of our family travel tips is not to compare your family to other families! I have heard a lot of avid travelers say that the kids just need to be trained to be great travelers.

I can say from experience that just because you are a good traveler doesn’t make your kid a good traveler, no matter how much experience they have.

Sleep is the most important thing, and those who don’t agree are sleeping way more than my son allowed us to sleep in his first few years of life.

Other families may have a larger travel budget. Maybe they fly first class and can lie down on long-haul flights. They might have help in the form of extra family members or a travel nanny. Learn what works for your family on your budget.

Bonus Family Travel Tips

• Check the weather. Is it going to rain? Is there a heat wave? Be prepared.
• Less is more. That applies to luggage and activities. Make sure you have downtime.
• Take photos of your documents, just in case.
• The more expensive flight could be worth it due to the time. Waking up early is harder than arriving late for my family.
• Balloons turn into an easy game in the airport or hotel room, and they don’t take up much space.

What are your top family travel tips?

Please let me know your family travel tips! I am always looking for ways to make our family vacations run more smoothly.

I hope some of our family travel tips help you on your next family adventure!

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