If you’re reading this it probably means you are planning, or at least contemplating, a trip with your kids. If you’ve not done it before I can assure you it can be some of the most rewarding travel of your life. With some careful planning and preparation, you can plan an enriching trip you and your kids will remember the rest of your lives.
Planning a trip with kids can also be a daunting task raising all sorts of questions. How do I keep them busy on the plane? What are the best activities for the whole family? How much do I plan each day? Not to worry! Follow the Tips for Traveling with Kids below and you’ll be sure to have an amazing time.
Our first trip abroad with the kids at The Tower of London
Why Travel with Kids?
We have traveled extensively with our kids. Both crossed their first international border into Canada well before their first birthdays. We flew to the UK with them when Chelsea was 7 and David was 5. That was followed by extended travels to Thailand, Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, and more. Traveling with them has continued into their adult lives.
Making travel a priority in our family has given us countless cultural experiences and memories and helped shape our children into the adults they are today.
Taking a gondola ride in Venice during an epic European trip
How to Keep Kids Entertained While Traveling
One of the things I think stresses people out the most about traveling with kids is what to do on those long plane rides and travel days. Our kids became road warriors in their earliest days on our road trips from our home in Texas to our cottage in Quebec every summer. A total of 36 hours in the car! We passed the time by reading, listening to audio books, playing games, etc.
One of Betsy’s best tricks was a bag of Trip Surprises. She would bring a canvas bag full of mystery items to dole out throughout out the trip. When the kids started to get a little antsy, she would pull a surprise out of the bag. It could be a Mad Libs or coloring book, a toy or puzzle, or just a snack. It was the mystery of what and when these items were awarded that made it fun. From those early days, Trip Surprises have been a staple of our travel together.
On long plane trips movies are always good entertainment. Sometimes we will all watch the same one together from our own screens. On the long flight to Thailand the kids must have watched the same Harry Potter movie 6 times!
More recently the choices for your on-flight entertainment have increased dramatically. There are often fun, educational films about your destination or even “fly over” videos with lush scenes of your target country.
Taking a break during a hike in the Swiss ALps
Adopt the Local Culture
Wherever you travel, we encourage you to live like the locals as much as possible. Eat the local foods. Visit things you can’t see at home. Get out and hike in the countryside. It makes no sense to travel to a foreign country and eat at McDonalds, go to a water park, and stay close to your hotel when you can eat a sundried octopus in Greece, take a mountain coaster in Switzerland, or explore a chambered cairn in Scotland.
This can cause some problems. In Spain and especially Greece it is hard to find a restaurant that opens before 8:00 for dinner. But introducing your kids to the concept of marenda, the southern European late afternoon snack that fills in between lunch and dinner, is a great way to expose them to a new culture. Of course, in Italy the afternoon is always a good time for a gelato!
Taking a gelato break on a hot day in Rome
Here are a few more tips from some of our friends in the Travel Beyond the Obvious Network.
Stefanie from Eurotravels By Design, a travel planning company creating custom itineraries across Europe.
One of the best tips for traveling with kids is to take a class or workshop from a local. Kids can get pretty tired of all the walking, sightseeing, museums, and history lessons that can go along with traveling. Taking a class can provide a welcome break with many benefits.
Some of the classes that we have enjoyed include pasta making in Italy, pierogi making in Warsaw, tile painting in Portugal, gingerbread making in Torun, painting in Greece, perfume making in France and flamenco dancing in Spain. There are so many options, it is easy to find one your kids will be interested in. It is fun for the adults as well.
One of the most significant benefits of participating in local classes is the opportunity for children to connect with people on a personal level. Instead of merely observing from a distance, they actively engage with locals, learning firsthand about their way of life. Sometimes, when you are traveling, it is difficult to meet and get to know those actually living in the country. Taking a class is a great way to talk with locals and make personal connections.
Another benefit is the classes provide a unique educational experience, allowing kids to learn about the history and heritage of the place they're visiting in a hands-on manner. The kids get a history lesson without even realizing it. They are learning about the traditions, history, and culture of the country you are visiting in a fun and interactive way.
But it's not just about mental stimulation; attending local classes also offers physical and creative outlets for children. Whether they're kneading dough for fresh pasta, mastering traditional dance steps, or shaping clay into works of art, these activities encourage kids to move their bodies instead of walking and listening to tour guides or reading in museums.
We have found that these classes are some of the best memories from trips with our children. They may not remember a church or museum you saw but they will always remember making pierogies or learning flamenco. Sometimes you even get a souvenir to take home. If you are taking an art class or a perfume class for example, the things you create become the best kind of souvenirs.”
Adeline from Soak and Savor, a travel company focused on creating bespoke travel to Japan.
Traveling with babies and toddlers is so fun and rewarding, but it can definitely be challenging as well! My top tip for traveling with little ones is to slow down and lower expectations.
I have solo traveled a lot with my 2 daughters and I love to keep our days mostly open, with some rough ideas that we can adjust based on the weather and how we’re feeling. In Ireland, we explored castles and wandered in fairy gardens; in Switzerland, we went hiking and played at the coolest playgrounds; in France, we rode on carousels and ate cheese.
We didn’t see many major sites or set foot in a museum on these trips, but we all had an amazing time. Most importantly for me, my daughters love to travel! They have been exposed to different languages, cultures, and food. I know they won’t always be this little, and there will be time for other types of travel as they get older.
Eva from Germany Travel Company, who creates custom trips to Germany with a focus on culture and adventure.
Eva from Germany Travel Company
I have found that striking a balance between activities that appeal more to adults and those that appeal more to children can go a long way in keeping everyone happy. A museum or cathedral visit may be sweetened when the next stop on the itinerary is a playground or a trip to the gelato place. Older kids might be enticed with interactive and immersive experiences such as selfie museums or virtual reality adventures. More and more, cities offer these and families a chance to connect with a city in this way.
Depending on the children’s age, there are also several ways to tweak activities and make them more child-friendly:
If you have small children, or if you live in an area with limited transportation, then simply taking cable cars and subway trains in a city, can be exciting. Some kids also love the hop-on, hop-off bus service.
Active families may choose to do a sightseeing tour via bicycle instead of on foot. Have young children in tow who can’t ride? Rent a tandem bike.
Audio Tours in museums can be an entertaining way of making artifacts more tangible - some museums even offer audio tour for kids in particular.
Set Expectations
Finally, prepare your children by discussing all the sites and differences you may encounter on your trip. Make it something to look forward to. Get them excited about the culture you are going to visit and when it becomes reality, they will be more likely to embrace it.
Traveling with your kids can be one of the most enriching and rewarding experiences you will share together. Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to have wonderful memories you’ll talk about for the rest of your lives.
Christmastime in Copenhagen
Are you planning a trip somewhere in Europe with your kids? We can help with that! Remember that we are always available to you and your friends and family for custom trip planning to Italy, France, Ireland, England and all of Europe. Feel free to reach out via email — I'm always available to talk about travel!!
Greg Ball – Greg is co-founder and partner of Euro Travel Coach (ETC), which crafts custom European vacations for independent travelers and leads small group tours to Europe. In his previous life he taught Woodwinds and Jazz at the university level for 30 years. As a professor he took his bands to England, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, and England. Since “retiring” in 2017, he and his wife/ETC co-founder, Betsy, have been traveling through Europe for up to nine months of the year. Together they have visited over 40 countries and counting! He loves cooking, hiking, listening to and playing music, and wine. Greg holds a Level 3 certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.
There is no time like the present. Planning a trip to Europe now means that you will experience it now, before it changes. Return later and see what's new! This is a reflection piece on why the Best Time to Travel to Europe is Now.