Being Well Prepared Can Make Or Break Your Trip.

Tips & Tricks

Airplane Attire

We’ve learned a thing or two since our first big trip with the kids. I think if they’re really little, jammies are great, but for our kids, since they were about 3, we’ve done “cozy airplane outfits” where they either get a new matching cozy set (Zara and H&M and sometimes even Target are great for these) or we pair something together ahead of time that is cute, but also super soft and comfortable. Long pants, a sweatshirt and a tee underneath for climate control. Always pack a full of change of clothes (with underwear and socks) for each child in a ziplock in your bag. We’ve spilled juice, stubbed a toe which got blood all over her pants and had a kid puke, TWICE, so this is a non-negoitable in our family! I also had the guy in the seat in front of me sit down too forcefully and shake my tray table spilling red wine all over my lap. So yep, everybody: change of clothes. I like the ziplock cause it contains them well, and protects them from various moisture sources and also offers a quarantined place for you to put soiled clothing. The benefit of the cute cozy set over jammies is when you land, they look somewhat put together and if you can’t check into your hotel right away, you can at least grab lunch and not feel wildly underdressed.

Car Seats

If you have small children, and are not wanting to travel with carseats, there are options! This inflatable car seat is reasonably priced and will work with any child over 30lbs. It packs down small so you can just blow it up and deflate as needed. Alternatively, these safety harness seatbelt adjusters are incredibly portable and safe - but significantly more expensive. Throughout our International travels, a car seat has never been required by Taxi or RideShare - so it’s up to parental discretion (rental cars however do require them for children under certain height/weight limits - but you can often pay a fee for them to be included in your rental).

Airplanes and Ear Pressure

If the baby is little, plan on a bottle/nursing during take off and landing when the pressure changes are most severe. If your child is too old to nurse but too young for gum, lollipops will be your saving grace. I’ve handed them out to screaming toddlers I don’t even know and the mom’s have looked at me like I’m an angel when it soothes them enough to quiet them down. Even now, as my girls have packs of gum in their snack bags, they still like the lollipops for take off and landing. We take about 15 per kid on long flights (they double as treats when they’re about to lose it as you’re waiting in customs lines too). Convenience stores all over the world usually have some kind of lollipop, so you can buy more wherever you are traveling for your return flight.  I like to start with these lollipops since they don’t have sugar (or fake sweeteners). 

Jet Lag Tricks

We don’t give our kids melatonin at home, but it’s a hormone your body produces and it gets messed up while traveling so I view it as a gentle “body clock nudge’ that is worth getting. We love This Baby Melatonin to help beat the jet lag. We give our kids one tablet after dinner is served on the flight there (if a red eye) so they get some sleep on the plane, and then one the first night we’ve arrived if their adrenaline kicks in at bed time. After that, they seem to regulate pretty well. We do the same routine after we get home, giving them one tablet the first night, as flying East to West seems to screw up the body clock even more severely.

* I have a trick I absolutely swear by for beating jet lag on arrival *

We usually land in the morning, after the red eye and by the time we get from the airport into whatever city, it’s about time we can check into our hotel. We go up to the room and take a ONE HOUR NAP. No more. Then we force ourselves to go out and about and we make the kids to stay up until at least 8:00pm (could be earlier if the child is very young). A normal bedtime for each of you, the first night in the local time is crucial to get on their clock. You might sleep for 14 hours that first night and feel like you wasted the next morning but then you’re acclimated! (We’re sorry to say there is no trick we’ve found besides melatonin for jet lag upon returning.) Disclaimer: We aren’t doctors and this isn’t medical advice.

Activities 

A pack of sticky notes, fidget spinners, those bendy fidget sticks, window cling stickers, and a brand new tiny toy are usually all we bring. We always have coloring books and washable markers too. Our kids are old enough now where the tablet rules all, but if the child is younger and tends to be fidgety, some activities are handy! Those little drawing pads that come with a pen and clear themselves with the touch of the button are great too! We also make our kids take their shoes off when they’re seated on the plane, as a socked (or bare) foot is less likely to kick the seat in front of them. We love slip on shoes like crocs for easy potty trips on the flight.

Baggage

The biggest rule for traveling with little kids is if you have it: YOU will have to carry it at some point, so pack light. Up until the girls were 5 and carrying backpacks to school everyday: we traveled like this and it’s worked for us: Each adult checked a large roller bag, (we share one, and the kids share one). I also have a tiny digital scale that travels with us for weighing purposes. I put my makeup bag in the girl’s suitcase since their clothes were so light and tiny and my lotions and potions weigh a ton. Then each adult has a backpack. The girls are only responsible for their one stuffy they get to bring on board the plane (they have a second one they get to bring in our checked in bags). Our backpacks hold a change of clothes for the girls, the inflatable seat extenders, chargers/passports/essentials/tablets and headphones for us and them, a face mask for me, and plenty of treats, lollies and snacks for the girls on the flight incase they don’t like the food (they never like the food - except for Virgin Atlantic - huge shout out to their chef). We get our bags at baggage claim and that way even if one child has a break down at any point (and they will) we can carry all of our stuff - plus them - and still get where we need to go without it all falling apart. When the girls were little enough for a stroller we had the Bugaboo Ant Travel stroller (we got it off Craigslist) and we were obsessed.  It’s been discontinued since but this new version looks like the closest replacement - we bought the wheeled board that clips in behind as well, so both kids could ride on it! It fits easily down an airplane aisle and in the overhead bin.

Now that they’re bigger, they carry their own backpacks with their tablets, snacks and a change of clothes. We also got them the travel scooters from micro and they’re great, we just collapse them as we board the plane. It makes long walk days easier as they can go much farther without tiring out on the scooters. However, you must really trust your kids - as it takes effort and awareness for them on busy streets to not race around/into people and/or get in their way. Once on our way to dinner, one of my kids ran right over a pile of dog poop, so…you know… awareness is key.

Packing List

Some parts of the world are very forgiving if you forget things, other parts, less so. We try to be as prepared as possible, knowing that above all, flexibility is always required.

• PowerBank:  Your phone will die. Especially if you’re using maps (and you will be). Charge it each night and throw it in your backpack with all your other daily essentials. (This must be in your carry-on, per the FAA).

• Purse/Bag that zips: Pickpockets are real. But they don’t usually prey upon the prepared (and prepared just means you don’t have stuff hanging out of your bag or a bag you can easily reach into). I like both of these bags Option 1 and Option 2 because they are crossbody but small, zip closed and are sleek and stylish enough they don’t look like they came from your local camping store. They also aren’t removable straps which gives me extra piece of mind (not that anyone has ever tried to yank my purse off me). If you’re carrying a backpack make sure you keep the zipper zipped down so they can’t easily maneuver it without you noticing. Also, we don’t talk to strangers in markets. They can be nice but could also be part of a team of pickpockets attempting or examining if they can take your stuff while they distract you. I’ve had friends get their passports stolen this way.

• Passports: Have photos of your passports in your email. It will make getting a new one easier if something does happen. We just leave our passports in the hotel - no need to carry it around unless you’re going somewhere new. You’ll never be carded except for lodging and flying. We have a family passport holder and love it. It keeps everything organized and I don’t have to dig around trying to find loose passports in my bag. 

• If your children are 5 or under: Inflatable seat extenders for the plane (economy seating). We have these and they make it so much better for sleeping and spreading out. They pack down to nothing. You blow to inflate (but careful, you can’t use them in aisle seat). Because they’re not “all airline approved” we don’t inflate them unless we have a window seat and we’ve reached cruising altitude so the flight attendants don’t really notice. We deflate before landing as well.  (Since we’ve bought these they also have started selling sling extenders that fit over the seat and go straight out and attach to the tray table, they look interesting and they might be another good option). 

• Foldie bag: doesn’t have to be that brand but a collapsible bag you can fly home with as a carry on or checked bag because you’re gonna want to buy a bunch of stuff. 

• Tablet with good headphones. You can be a stickler about screen time anywhere besides a flight. Nothing else really meets the level of entertainment that a tablet provides, and this is the one occasion when all rules go out the window. If they’re little and can’t sit through a whole show, download some coloring apps or the PBS Kids app (they allow offline game downloads). Once your child is 3 or so, download their favorite shows. There are obviously seat back entertainment systems too, but our kids get very annoyed/fussy when the pilot or flight attendants make announcements and it interrupts their show. We much prefer the performance of an old iPad to other tablets, the other kinds often take significantly longer to load and when you’ve got a frustrated kid in a tight space, you want stuff to work quickly.

• Laundry sheets and a clothesline: We typically choose lodging about half way through our trip with laundry or laundry services so we can do it and pack half the stuff we would otherwise have to. You’ll want this especially with a young kid. Europe has done many great things but Euro dryers are TRASH and will not dry your clothes and it’s maddening. Just bring a clothesline (or a chord of any type really) and do your laundry a day or two before you leave your lodging so it has time to dry before you check out. I like using laundry sheets because they weigh nothing and can’t explode and ruin your stuff. While you’re at it, make sure you have a tide pen handy for all the spills.

• A Roll Of Painter’s Tape: This one is weird but just trust. You can use it for so many things: covering up blinking lights from fire alarms or mini splits or covering outlets so your kids can’t reach inside or taping shut knife drawers so they can’t reach in, it’s so useful, leaves no marks and peels off easily. Painter’s Tape is a miracle and you will need it.

• Noise Machine/Black out Curtains/Monitor: We have a travel noise machine that we love so much we use as their primary one now.                                                             

  Most places have decent black out situations but if your child is very sensitive you might want to bring a portable black out curtain.

• After many failed wifi baby monitor attempts that turned into iPad FaceTime calls from the hotel bar with our phones on mute, we’ve found the Ring Security Camera is reliable on a closed or open network and notifies you of movement - and really the best bang for your buck. 

• Outlet Adaptor with SEVERAL USB ports - Each adult has one and we have one for the kids, they will save you when you need to charge your power bank and phone and watch and the kids noise machine and monitor and everything else. Oof. More hotels/airbnbs are equipped with USB chargers now so you may need less than 3 but I still like to have them. Note: Ireland, England and Scotland use the UK outlet but the rest of Europe uses EU.

• Activated Charcoal: I have never gotten sick (like tummy flu) in Europe but if anyone starts throwing up, activated charcoal will stop it in its tracks and save your vacation. You can pop the capsule open and mix it in juice for littles. I also like to bring emergen-c packets to boost immunity since travel can be hard on the body - but again, we aren’t doctors and this isn’t medical advice.

• I bring lightweight toys like playing cards/memory cards/etc for the kids so they have little games at each place but I’m not weighing my stuff down. And I always get them a fresh coloring/activity book with their own zipper bag of new(ish) washable markers for long dinners or train rides or if some reason the in-seat chargers don’t work and their iPads die.

If You’re Still Here You Deserve A Bonus

Things We Learned The Hard Way (So You Don’t Have to)

• Download the Google Translate App and download the translations you’ll need for offline use, that way if WIFI or cell service is non-existent, you can still use the in-app camera to scan the train map or dinner menu and get at least the basics of what it’s saying. I also do this with google maps for major areas so we can find our way home if something happens. The blue dot, even without service is reasonably accurate - and you can use good old fashioned observations/street names to help navigation. But having this stuff downloaded will come in handy, Imagine if you lose service on the train and aren’t sure which stop to get off on and can’t read the language, etc. 

• WIFI: you’ll want to sign into WIFI wherever you are (cafés, restaurants, museums, tour boats) so you’re off your data plan. International data allotments are never as good as they claim and you’ll blow through it and then get very slow service for the rest of the time you’re traveling unless you buy an international SIM card.

• Money Tips: We never take out cash beyond petty amounts. You don’t need it and ATMs (especially at the airports) are not accurate about current exchange rates from USD or Euro. Always pay in EURO - you’ll be asked if you’d like to pay in USD or Euro a lot, at the ATMs for sure , but even at shops/restaurants from the credit card machines. If you let the machines perform the exchange rate it will be higher and you’ll pay more, so let your bank handle that - The Points Guy (He’s an incredible resource, we’d recommend following him if you’re interested in traveling with credit card points) once withdrew money both ways and the amount charged to his bank on $200 at an ATM was $40 more expensive when he selected USD than when he selected the option to charge his bank in Euro. Just imagine how much more it could be over the course of a trip! Most good credit cards have no foreign transaction fees so make sure you double check which card in your wallet won’t charge you.

• We do bring a debit card to withdrawal a small amount of cash for tips/bathroom fees/etc but we pay for everything else with a credit card we’re sure has No Foreign Transaction Fees.

  Also if you have a higher end credit card (with a higher annual fee) they usually have a TON of travel protections so make sure you familiarize yourself with those as well. We have the American Express Platinum and it will reimburse us if luggage is delayed or lost, covers rental car insurance, gives us an annual airline credit for extra expenses, pays for TSA Precheck… it’s amazing. 

• CUSTOMS: We have a few family travel rules but one of the major ones is that you hustle to get to Customs. There are a lot of people who dilly dally and maybe use the bathroom right after the flight but if you’ve got a little kid and you’re in the back of the plane, you want to pass as many people as possible to get to Passport Control line first. A lot of European Gateway cities have dedicated family lines, but some don’t and we’ve seen them with one or two people working and it’s so frustrating when you’re finally off the ten hour flight to have to beg your little one to wait patiently for 1.5 hours while you stand in line. Pee before you land, race to the Passport Control line. God speed. 

  On the potty note: we always make our kids try to go before we leave any place we’re at (the hotel, the restaurant, the museum) - bathrooms can be hard to find and often aren’t available unless you’re a paying customer or have the right change in local currency to pay the bathroom attendant (or the machine).

  When you return to US, you can download the Mobile Passport App and scan all your passport info into it and skip the line - it’s amazing if you don't have Clear or Global Entry.

• Grocery Delivery: Some hotels/vacation rentals will stock things for you upon arrival. But if your accommodations don’t offer that, you still might be able to arrange it yourself. Check google maps for a nearby grocery store and they might have a website that will offer delivery - having milk/juice/yogurt/snacks on hand to offer jet lagged kids when you’re arriving is a game changer and makes everything feel easier.

• We have a family rule of Never go eat at a place where staff are standing outside holding menus, beckoning you in. We will be tired and vulnerable and have a destination we’ve carefully chosen that’s 6 more blocks away and feel like, “Oh this place is cute and they’re waiving us to a table, let’s just eat here”. But trust us: It won’t be good. The really good places are busy preparing food and serving customers, not standing outside. We have learned this REPEATEDLY. If we need to: we stop and rest, grab a drink, get the kids some chips or fries and move on, but we try to not waste a meal.