Travel with young kids sounds magical in theory. In your head, everyone is laughing, eating croissants under the Eiffel Tower, and bonding over cultural moments. In reality, someone is always crying, someone else needs a bathroom right now, and you’re carrying more luggage than a Victorian steamer trunk.
Still, it can be done — and even enjoyed — if you know a few tricks. So here’s a guide to the best things that will make travel with small humans less chaotic and a whole lot more manageable.
1. Pack Like a Pro (Who’s Been Through This Before)
Yes, you need clothes. Yes, you need diapers. But what you really need is a strategy. Pack outfits in gallon-size zip bags, complete with socks and underwear, so you’re not digging through a suitcase like you’re on a timed game show. Bonus: You can use the same bag for the inevitable dirty clothes explosion.
Also, overpack snacks. Seriously. A child with snacks is a peaceful child. A child without snacks is a public safety issue.
2. Wipe Everything. Constantly. Forever.
Kids are basically enthusiastic germ collectors with sticky fingers and no sense of personal space. Bring antibacterial wipes like you’re preparing for a biohazard situation. Wipe down tray tables, hotel remotes, rental car handles, and possibly any stranger who gets too close to your toddler mid-meltdown.
Hand sanitiser is fine, but wipes give you the smug satisfaction of actually removing the mystery goo.
3. Embrace the Tablet. No Shame.
Yes, we know. In an ideal world, your child would spend long train rides playing word games and journaling about local architecture. But in the real world, you’re going to want Peppa Pig and Bluey downloaded and ready to go.
Load that tablet with shows, apps, audiobooks, and anything else that gives you thirty minutes of silence. Your fellow travellers will thank you.
4. Use Storage Services and Stop Hauling Everything
You do not need to lug four backpacks, a diaper bag, and a stroller through every museum, café, and cobbled street. That way lies madness and sore shoulders.
This is where companies like Radical Storage London come in. Services like this let you ditch your bags in secure locations, freeing you up to enjoy your day without looking like a travelling circus. Whether you’re between hotel check-out and a late flight, or just need a break from schlepping, bag storage is a gift from the travel gods.
5. Go Slow. Like, Slower Than That.
Pre-kids, you probably crammed ten sights into a day and still had energy for drinks. With children, two activities are ambitious. One is wise. None is still a win if nobody cried.
Build in downtime. Let them run around in parks. Plan for naps. Skip the museum and feed pigeons in a square if that’s what works. You’re not less cultured. You’re just not delusional.
6. The Magic of the Hotel Breakfast Buffet
There is something sacred about a hotel breakfast buffet when you’re travelling with small kids. It’s like a buffet of peace. There are scrambled eggs, cereal, fruit, and usually something oddly beige and fried. Most importantly, it’s already there, and you don’t have to cook it.
Let them eat four croissants. Let them make their own waffle and cover them in whipped cream. It’s fuel for the day and one less decision to make.
7. Stroller Selection: Choose Wisely
That massive all-terrain beast you use at home? It’s going to be a problem when you’re trying to squeeze through train doors or navigate a crowded market. Go for something lightweight, foldable, and possibly cheap enough that you won’t cry if you leave it behind at the airport.
Also, make sure it reclines. Because a sleeping child in a stroller is a rare and beautiful thing, and you’ll want to protect it at all costs.
8. Hotel Room Setup: Think Like a Spy
Once you’re in the hotel, it’s time to get creative. Separate sleeping areas if you can. Push beds together. Use furniture to create barriers. The goal is to stay up watching something on your phone with subtitles while your kids fall asleep at a reasonable hour, not lie in darkness at 7 p.m. wondering what life used to be like.
Pro tip: bring a white noise app. It drowns out hallway noise, sibling bickering, and questionable plumbing sounds.
9. Snack Diplomacy and Airport Survival
Airports are test zones for patience, and snacks are your primary bargaining chip. Pack treats you would usually reserve for special occasions. We’re talking the kind of snacks that stop tantrums mid-scream.
Also, let them run wild in the terminal before the flight. Tire them out. Think of it as the pre-flight chaos tax.
10. Don’t Overplan. Seriously. Just Don’t.
You will not see everything. You will miss things. There will be tears (possibly yours), and that’s OK. The trip is still worth it.
Travel with young kids is not about perfect itineraries. It’s about moments. Maybe it’s your toddler trying to say “bonjour” to a pigeon. Maybe it’s everyone singing in the backseat. Maybe it’s just sitting still for five minutes while nobody is crying.
Set low expectations, then be pleasantly surprised. That’s the real secret.
Bonus Tip: Always Pack a Change of Clothes for You, Too
You remembered the baby’s extra onesie. You packed backup clothes for your toddler. But did you think about what happens when a juice box explodes directly into your lap in the middle of a six-hour train ride? Bring a change for yourself. Trust us on this.
Final Boarding Call
Travel with young kids is not for the faint of heart, but it’s also not impossible. With the right tools, a good sense of humour, and a flexible schedule, you can make memories that don’t involve crying in the airport bathroom. Services like Radical Storage London, snacks by the dozen, and realistic expectations are your best allies.
It won’t be perfect. But it might just be amazing anyway — chaos, croissants, and all.
