My husband and I have been on the move since we met. We’ve moved every year (whyyy) and have traveled often for fun or work. Long before I was even pregnant, people would warn us: “get it all in now!” “Enjoy it as much as you can before you have kids!” And then, when I was pregnant: “Wow, your life is going to change so much!”
All of that is true. I am so glad we traveled as much as we did and embraced how lucky we were to have the flexibility and resources to see so much of the world and do the type of travel we wouldn’t do with a baby. And of course our life changed! We’re now responsible for a tiny human!
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Then there were the people that said, adamantly, at some times even pulling me aside to make sure I understood them clearly: “travel as much as you can while she’s little. It only gets harder from there, and if you start out doing it, it won’t be as hard.”
They were also right.
Finally, there was the largest cohort: the people who told me to say goodbye to travel, at least for the next decade. Most of them were well meaning, but wrong.
We have traveled a ton with our now 13-month-old daughter. Maybe too much. Mostly around Europe, which is fairly easy, and also the the U.S. twice (the hardest by far—the flight!) and Tunisia. At times it’s been challenging, but mostly it’s felt normal. Like, what else would we be doing?
En route to Albania at 4 months old
So, here are 24 things I learned in one year of travel with a baby. Two per month, which is almost as many trips as we did!
The number one lesson is the same as the number one lesson of all travel: things are not aways going to go smoothly. The sooner you accept the chaos, the happier you’ll be. And it will be chaos. Not all the time. But no, it is not the same as travel before. No matter how chill your kid is, there will be screaming on a flight at some point, food thrown on the ground at restaurants, blowouts, spit ups, etc. There will also be hilarious, sweet, amazing moments.
Bring backups (and backups) of clothes on every flight or plane ride.
When your child is acting up, before getting frustrated with them, remember that they did not ask to come on this trip. When I was pregnant, a stranger told me never to parent out of embarrassment. That stuck with me and I think about it all the time, especially if S isn’t acting exactly the way I want her to in a public setting. A few days ago on an hour-long bus ride, for example, she was antsy and was hitting a toy against the window, babbling loudly, and shaking the chair in front of her (there was no one in it). I was irritated and felt people around us were annoyed. But she wasn’t actually doing anything wrong. She was entertaining herself and being a one-year-old on a boring bus ride. In these moments, I have to remember that she did not ask to be here, and while my instinct (out of embarrassment) is to hush her and try to contain her more (which would only likely make her scream), most annoying behavior can be better handled with a redirect, being silly with her, or just letting her do her thing.
To that point: most people don’t care that your baby is crying. They really don’t.
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Europe is very, very kid friendly, especially Italy. Kids are accepted everywhere and it’s more common to see kids at nice restaurants and out late than it is in the U.S.
Pumping in airports is better if you have lounge access.
It’s ok if you forget something. You can buy most things in most places. Buying diapers in your destination saves packing space on the way there anyway.
Each month has its travel joys and challenges, but it’s all easiest before six months. Some things are easier now, and a lot is more fun, but it was all definitely easier when she was less than six months old. She was less mobile and took more, longer naps. It would be even easier if you’re breastfeeding (packing pumping supplies sucks, no pun intended). I think the hardest age was around 8-11 months, especially for restaurants and transit. She was a speedy crawler and hated being contained, but in order to move around had to have her hands on the floor and in a lot of travel situations that is just so gross. She couldn’t eat much at restaurants yet, but also hated sitting there without eating (understandable). Now, we can find something for her on most menus and don’t have to pack more baby-friendly food, and she can walk so if I let her loose I’m following her around, but her hands are in the air.
If your baby drinks formula, these formula tablets are a game changer for travel days.
You don’t need to make teething crackers a habit, but they are useful for plane and train rides. Cheerios are equally entertaining, but harder to contain.
Naps on the go are not going to ruin your kid and are crucial to enjoying a trip. If you never introduce a noise machine or nap routine, they won’t need one.
You don’t need that much gear. My daughter’s favorite toy is always whatever water bottle I’m using or my sunglasses. I never bought a real diaper bag and use various canvas bags or this or this. You can get by with just a travel stroller.
Carriers are essential. Take the stroller through the airport, gate check it and switch to a carrier for getting on and off the plane. Depending on how long you’ll be in the airport you can get by with just the carrier and no stroller. But you cannot get by with just a stroller and no carrier. A carrier makes carrying bags and boarding passes much easier, not to mention putting anything in the overhead bin. A lot of airports don’t give you your stroller right at the gate when you get off the plane, and instead put it with oversized items at baggage claim. Sometimes that’s a 20-minute walk from your gate. You want the carrier.
Get PriorityPass if you travel often. Clean bathrooms with changing tables, snacks, water, coffee (!!). It’s a perk of many travel credit cards but worth the fee on its own. There are more/better PriorityPass lounges in Europe than the U.S. because airlines haven’t pushed them out yet. If you primarily travel in the U.S., look into your preferred airlines’ lounge access.
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On that note: changing tables are not ubiquitous around the world. Get used to changing diapers in the backseat, in the stroller, on the ground. This mat is compact and functional.
Babies are a secret ticket to the front of the security and customs lines in Europe. Last month, we flew from Chicago to Venice and arrived late at night to a huge line. It would have taken at least 90 minutes. But when a security agent saw we had a baby, we were brought all the way to the front. This has happened numerous times in all sorts of lines. (In other words, don’t pay for FastTrack on Ryanair.)
Bassinets are free on most international airlines, but you have to call and reserve one ahead of time. Restrictions vary, but most won’t give you one if your child can sit up.
Book a hotel with a balcony or living room! Your child will likely go to bed before you and you will want to eat takeout, watch a show, read a book, talk with your partner, etc., and not have to worry about waking the baby. Accommodation matters more when traveling with a baby. You will spend more time there, so make it somewhere comfortable and ideally with a view.
Hotels are superior to rentals for trips under four days because you can check in/out and leave your bags, most offer cribs for free or a small fee (some have other baby gear as well), and most hotel rooms are actually pretty childproof. Longer than four days you’ll want to cook and a rental is better. If you’re going with a hotel, make sure it has a hot water boiler and refrigerator for bottle washing/storing.
In order to make it a vacation, do less. Pick one big activity each day and leave more open time for wandering, visiting local parks, or hanging out back at the hotel. Even better, trade off with your partner so you each get a few kid-free hours per trip to lounge at the pool, go for a run, shop, visit a museum, or do whatever it is you find restorative on vacation.
Your travel stroller can be your main stroller. I promise. You don’t need to buy two!
Lunches > dinners. Time lunches around your child’s nap so you can enjoy a leisurely meal. Even if they’re awake, temperament is typically better during the day. By dinner, there’s a higher chance your child will be too tired or overstimulated to handle being at a restaurant (especially in Europe, where places don’t open until 7 or 8). Plus, you’re more likely to get into popular spots during lunch. (Even before kids I was a fan of lunch and one of my favorite meals of the last decade was lunch at Les Apothicaires in Lyon.)
A lot of what I envisioned about traveling with a baby is true. A lot of it isn’t. The trips we’ve done over the past year are some of my favorite we’ve ever taken. 💖
And now we’re entering year two, and I can already tell I’ll need a whole new skill set for traveling with a toddler. Seasoned parents–-comment with your best tips, please!!
-Rebecca 💛