One of the questions we get asked regularly is how to travel with kids, particularly young kids. Let’s outline how we got ours prepared for a life of travel.

Updated October 25, 2025. Added section for traveling with infants and how to broaden kids’ horizons.

Preparing for travel with kids

If you have a young child, how much stuff do you actually need to travel with kids? I would start with how much you’d think you need to bring for a long day at a local park. And then add on a few key items for sleeping. Some parents may think they need to bring a lot on their trips, such as a crib, strollers, pump and bottle system, toys, a case of diapers, and a full wardrobe of clothing. If this is you, you’re probably packing too much.

I’ll admit this was closer to us at the start. We believed we needed to bring a lot of stuff, and then proceeded to pack extra just in case something went wrong. We had to remind ourselves that we can always buy things if we run out and the hotel likely has what we need (crib) if we ask in advance. If you’re panicking about a big international trip, try a short domestic trip just to make sure you know you have enough hands to carry everything you need to bring.

Do you need car seats?

Speaking of things to bring, car seats may or may not be important for your trip. I try to avoid riding in cars internationally, opting instead for public transportation. One big motivator is a potential avoidance of having to lug that big car seat around.

When I’m not so lucky and need a car seat, I might not want to bring my own–sometimes airlines might damage it or it can just be difficult with everything else we’re bringing. Some car rentals might not charge for a car seat, but many do. It could be cheaper just making a quick run to Walmart (or equivalent international store) to pick up a cheap model rather than paying the car seat rental fee.

We got the feel of it over time, but it is difficult to resist the desire to overpack.

Is there anything special needed for lap infants?

On domestic flights within the United States (and potentially other countries), lap infants are free. For those with children under the age of two, that’s awesome and a real motivator for some to get out and travel. Of course, not all airlines are created equal in terms of how the rules are enforced.

Adding an infant to your ticket could be as simple as logging into your reservation online and adding a child after booking. Or, you could add your child during the booking process, which is perhaps the easiest method. Back when we had the excellent Southwest Companion Pass and a lap infant of our own, we would frequently need to call to add the lap infant.

As soon as you know you’re going to bring along a lap infant, you should let your airline know. Only one lap infant is allowed per row (that’s why four oxygen masks fall out of the overhead compartment for every cluster of three seats).

We would always carry a copy of our child’s birth certificate (not the original) when flying with a lap infant. Some airlines, like Southwest, requested to see it every single time we flew with them. Others were hit or miss. But we never wanted to risk being at the airport without proof of age. A passport also works, but not everyone has that for an infant.

Entertainment during transit

You should bring your own entertainment along for the ride. That’s true whether you’re on an airplane, a train ride, or a long car ride. There have been quite a few flights we have taken where the entertainment system either

• Didn’t exist,
• Wasn’t functional, or
• Just simply didn’t have enough variety to entertain the kids

You also want to be prepared in case the airline decides to collect headphones early before landing. Try explaining that one to a child and then hoping for patience from them for the last half hour.

Now, I’d also argue that you should bring more than just electronic entertainment because of the risk of overstimulation. We ask our kids to along bring their favorite book, a journal for them to write down their notes or creative ideas inspired by the trip, and something to color. In a pinch and want something more artsy to have the kids do on the plane? Those (unused) barf bags on a plane actually can easily become a paper bag puppet.

Conquering jetlag when you travel with kids

Before getting into how to handle jetlag for kids, it’s probably best to first identify how to handle it for adults.

How to handle jetlag for the parents

When I was younger, I always thought the best way to handle jetlag was to gradually shift my sleep schedule to my target destination. While that might not fully be a bad strategy, it’s a bit difficult to do this while living a normal life and having a job during normal working hours. Good luck doing this as a parent!

Lately, I feel like beating jetlag is easier for parents with:

• Proper napping on arrival
• Timing of meals

Let’s say you’re headed to Europe on a flight from the US, which typically land in the morning. Regardless of how much rest you get on a plane, it may be difficult to survive a full day at your destination. So just relax and take a nap of no more than an hour. You want to feel recharged for the rest of the day but not get so much sleep that you’ll be up all night.

But how do you ensure you have a room when landing? You could try asking the hotel if early check in is available (elite status helps). Or you could book the night before, making sure to let the hotel know so they don’t treat you as a no-show. You could even book an airport hotel at a day rate, if you have the start and end dates equal each other when booking.

As for meals, adapt when you eat meals to the destination. If I have an option of when to time meals on a flight, I time it with the destination’s time zone, and not when everyone else gets their food. I find it’s easier to adjust to a new time zone if I feel hungry at normal times. It’s tough to go to sleep on an empty stomach, when local restaurants might be closed.

Now turning the attention to kids

With that all in mind, what about jetlag during travel with kids? Younger children aren’t going to fully understand the concept of jetlag, and even if they aren’t aware of it, they’re not going to have the willpower to resist their bodily functions.

I have been known to try to wake kids from their slumber, but once they go down, you’ve already lost. It is tough to get an overly-tired child back awake. Remember that a nap is still fine, as long as it is early in the day. But once the time creeps into the middle of the afternoon, the goal then is to keep the child active as long as possible. Some ideas:

• Use the power of the sun, as it’s hard to take a nap with the sun beaming down on you.
• Go outdoors, perhaps to a local park, to a beach, or go shopping. Be active!
• Do not stay indoors. Watching TV or relaxing in the room will get you in trouble.
• Eating a snack or two might help shift meal time just enough to get them better set up for the destination.

Infants generally can follow the same advice as other young children, though it’s a bit more difficult to make sure they’re active. Naps will likely be more often, as they would normally be at home, but you might need to make sure they don’t oversleep and the sun can definitely help get them back awake. As a parent, you might know of other ways to help keep your infant awake and interested to help shift their sleep schedule.

Slow it down

I think the biggest change we had between travel on our own and travel with kids was how little we did each day and how much more tiring it felt. Kids need more breaks throughout the day and they might want to stay longer at certain attractions, so we’ve made it a priority to not schedule more than one main and one side attraction per day. And we’ve found it more enriching when we slowed it down.

As the kids get older, it might be possible to layer in some other smaller things to do during the day. But remember that while their stamina might improve, yours might decline with age. Perhaps the real takeaway is to find balance with what works for you. Don’t get caught up in what others are able to cram into a day. Their needs and abilities don’t match yours or your children’s. Go at your own pace.

A big reason we bring our children is to help enrich their lives during their formative years. If we rushed through all the attractions, we wouldn’t be helping them with that goal. Life is short enough as it is; don’t rush through it.

Broadening their horizons

The easy thing to do is just to get the kids to eat the same foods they always eat. But when we travel with kids, we use it as an opportunity to introduce new foods.

Going to a country where the kids haven’t tried the food before? We’ll introduce the food first at home, perhaps with takeout from a local restaurant serving that cuisine. Then we’ll take them out of their comfort zone a bit and physically bring them to that restaurant. The point is to get them to find something that works for them. When we get to the destination, we’re going to change things up a bit.

• Not every meal will be in the local cuisine, but some will be.
• When eating at local places, not every dish we order will be the “safe food” they’ve already identified. It’s not supposed to be a crutch.

I grew up very picky, and I don’t want to see the same thing happen to my kids. Our guiding philosophy here is quite simple. What if they discover a favorite food of theirs that they didn’t know existed? Wouldn’t it be better to know that food sooner in their life so that they could enjoy it for as long as possible?

What about cruising?

A small conundrum is what happens when you’re on a cruise. You won’t be eating local food at each destination and sometimes there aren’t any local options. If you are able to eat local, that’s great! Our son Alex realized he really loves jerk chicken after getting out at Ocho Rios, Jamaica. But some days you’re just stuck on the ship.

For those days where eating local isn’t possible, we always tell the kids we want them to try something new each and every day. This could be as simple as just adding something to their buffet plate that they wouldn’t normally get. Maybe there is a salad that interests them or a cut of meat they haven’t tried. Importantly, we don’t dictate to them what specifically to try so that they can remain open-minded about what interests them.

Stop trying for perfection

Perhaps the biggest thing in all of this is to go ahead and plan all you want, but things will inevitably not go the way you planned. This feels especially true with kids, who might be on a different schedule or not understand everything you have lined up. Or perhaps despite your best efforts, the kids are more jetlagged than expected. Improvise and come up with something else that makes everyone happy.

When you worry about things not going perfectly, you’ve stopped enjoying the trip for what it is. That’s added stress just for the sake of adding stress to your life. So your flight is delayed four hours and your plans at your destination the first night are ruined. Or your breast pump breaks at your first destination, rendering it useless for the whole trip (yes, this happened to us). Does that mean your whole trip is ruined? Only if you allow it to rain on your parade.

We’ve gotten in the habit of seeking imperfection–not because we planned an imperfect trip, but more that we know something will go wrong and we invite it. Getting over the hurdle of a mishap will allow you to clear your mind faster and adapt. The best part is that your kids won’t even know it’s not perfect!

Do you have any other tips you’d like to share on how to travel with kids?

Suggested reading:

• Our Favorite Essential Baby Travel Gear For Easy Adventures
• The Travel Gadgets That Make Our Travel Easy
• Overcome Your Travel Fears and Enjoy Life
• Flying First Class with the Family in Economy
• The Best Options for Airport Lounges for Families