Traveling with kids is no joke. Gone are the days of sipping vino and catching up on the latest movie in flight, napping beachside after lunch, or staying out late having post-dinner cocktails. For now, with little ones, trips are different. But they can still be enjoyable and relaxing if you help yourself out by doing a little strategic planning. Having a few years of kid-in-tow-travel under our belts, here are 5 tips to make it easier the next time you’re planning a family getaway.
1. be strategic with flights
This is a no-brainer, even for a first-timer, but you want to book flights at nap time if possible. We were able to do this and our child fell asleep like clockwork, until about 10 months old. Admittedly, there’s a busy-kid-little-attention-span phase from about 10 months-2 years where you just cross your fingers they’ll sit still. For that time, pack lots of snacks and toys and dole them out slowly to .We found, that wound 2years old, our daughter finally was interested in watching a show or a movie for the flight which was a lifesaver.
2. book rooms with a view
Kids need to nap and parents need the nap break, especially on trips. For beach vacations, we love booking rooms as close to the pool/beach as possible, so that during nap time, the baby monitor will reach. If this isn’t possible, we try to book rooms with a nice balcony so we can sit outside and relaxing while baby naps.
3. talk to the hotel before arrival
Be sure to reach out to the hotel (or airbnb, etc) and see what type of baby/kid items they have on hand. Most properties have cribs or pack and plays and some will even provide a car seat with their airport pick-up services. The more they have, the less you have to lug!
4. make use of Sitter nanny services
We know not everyone is into this, but for those who are, it’s amazing. Many luxury properties or vacation clubs (like Inspirato) offer a trusted sitter service. This means, they have a list of babysitters they have already vetted and done back ground searches on and who work primarily with guests of the hotel. By making use of this service, you could have a date night while on vacation!
5. account for time to adjust to jetlag
When we traveled to Europe last year with our 14month old, it took about 3 full days/nights for her to adjust to the time change. Luckily, our trip was 2 weeks long so allowing for the adjustment wasn’t a problem. In contract, a trip to Hawaii with a 4 month old took only a day or so to adjust because we flew there overnight and she slept the whole way. Some people recommend bumping naps and bedtime for a few days before you leave, to make it easier once you’re there. That probably works too but we haven’t tried it!
