5 Best Tips on How to Travel with Kids

What an amazing trip to Jamaica this summer! It was a huge event after a year of no real travel. Worth every wild, flailing baby moment on the flights, friends. That 12 month marker begins a challenging travel year where they want to crawl/explore but aren’t quite ready to sit and watch a movie with snacks for an hour. I’ll talk about what we loved about this trip and some tips that help us when traveling with three kids.

1. Packing

We use one medium/large suitcase for the whole family to check. Inside we love these packing cubes. Each person gets a cube and one set of these was enough for all of us.

We pack enough for about half a week of travel and plan on doing a couple loads of laundry when we are there. Keep in mind that laundry machines outside of the US are often a lot smaller so we don’t do all of our laundry, just enough to get through the trip. 

Each big kid has a carryon, Chris rolls a roller carryon suitcase and I carry a giant tote of some kind that fits on the roller suitcase. This saves my shoulders and keeps my hands more free. We have a stroller as well as a baby carrier. I use the stroller as much as possible and then when we are on a layover during a nap time or fussy part, I toss on the carrier.

2. The flight

The big kids are totally excited about the flights because that is their time to get lots of iPad time! You can preload some Netflix shows and games to prep. Some flights have in-air wifi and movies you can watch from your own iPad. Bring headsets (I forgot this time).

For our one year old. I packed lots of snacks he has never tried before. Novelty is key for keeping our kids occupied. I also brought a little playdough. Sometimes a few minutes of distraction can carry you through a tantrum or transition before nap time.

I had a couple big kid and adult bars/snacks and lollypops for take off and landing (for ears adjusting to altitude changes). I nurse the baby on takeoff and landing or have a little water bottle with straw he can drink from.

One flight was super hot. I saw the bald guy across the way from me sweating a lot. Baby DOES not sleep in hot temperatures and was super fussy because it was time to sleep. Raging actually. Ha! We asked the flight attendant to cool it down and he went right to bed…and then we landed. 🙂 

I took this photo of Chris and the baby but that was about the only time they spent together. Ha! Really he was happier with me so I was happy to hold and entertain him. Chris is the BEST for always taking him back for diaper changes and the boys on bathroom breaks. HUGE help and relief.

We went in May and at that time we were required to take a PCR Covid test within a few days of the flight and present the negative results to the airline when checking in. Then the resort had a testing area for a few days before we left for home. Each country has different rules and things change probably daily so look into any additional forms or testing for your trip!

3. The vacation

The last couple of vacations we chose for the kids! When they are happy, are happy. We had been to the Beaches resort on Turks and Caicos the year prior and loved it. Jamaica’s Beaches was  a bit cheaper and we wanted to try something different. The Turks and Caicos location was definitely a lot nicer but no complaints and I’ll tell you why…

These are all inclusive resorts with tons of kid stuff to do! There is a water park, sailboats, kids club, tons of restaurant options from teppanyaki (Japanese cook at the table style). Mexican cuisine, Sushi, BBQ, Jamaican food and tons of international options at the buffet.

The resort was not super full so that was extra nice. Lots of free palapas at the beach and no waiting for a drink or meal. I loved grabbing a honey latte at the French cafe each morning. You get into your little rituals quickly there and the services is very good.

Have a schedule:

We woke around 6:30, had breakfast and then baby took is first nap while we all rested. Then we did the beach or waterpark and lunch. Afterwards, everyone napped during the sun showers in the afternoon. Confession, I did a lot of Etsy scrolling during “nap time.” It was bliss! After dinner we all went to be pretty early (even 8:30 for me one night).

We didn’t really do kids’ club this time because we had little baby and weren’t ready to have him at childcare. We loved doing everything as a family. We did more kids club time at the Turks and Caicos location last year when I was pregnant and the boys LOVED it. So did we! USE THE KIDS CLUBs! Go on a date!

Another thing that was nice about this resort was the size. Easier to get around in a smaller layout. The Turks location felt giant and a little confusing at first but they did have tons of restaurant options and even things like a wave rider pool in Turks.

4. Bring the expensive stuff

I totally forgot to grab baby’s little swim shirt from the dryer before we left and I ran out of sunscreen. $40 for a gift shop swim shirt and $40 for sunscreen. Ah! I remind myself that it’s worth the money not to beat myself up about forgetting to bring something. That’s part of the cost/conveniences of vacation! Travel guru, Rick Steves, always says “Pack little and bring lots of money!” So right. 

5. How to hAVE THE BEST TRIP

For me, it’s all about setting my expectations or moreso releasing my attachment to any at all! I have no idea how the kids will do on each flight. I am as prepared as as I can be with snacks and an extra set of clothes in case there’s a spill or someone gets sick but I’m ready to roll with whatever comes our way. 

Getting places early and always having something to eat on hand incase layovers get cut short or travel comes between us and mealtimes helps a lot! 

A smile and flexible attitude is a bonus and whenever I’m on vacation, I’m a much less rigid person. Chris teases that he barely recognizes me. 🙂