One Mom’s Tips

& Perspective

Guest post by Hannah E. White

Introduction

I would like to preface this with a couple disclaimers. The tips and recommendations below have worked for my family. Every family and every child is different. You know your child(ren) and their needs better than anyone. These are just some things that we’ve learned along the way during the past six years of traveling as a family.

We are a military family currently stationed in Vicenza, Itay! Our children are Liam (6) and Sam (3) and we have another little one on the way in Summer 2021. We moved to Europe before Liam turned 3 and Sam was only 5 months old. We hit the ground running immediately after arriving here, and now we have traveled to 17 countries and approximately 90 different cities, always with our kids along for the ride and we wouldn’t have it any other way! I wanted to answer some of the most popular questions that we get as a family all the time, in the hopes to share some tips that have worked for us and to encourage young families to get out there and see this beautiful world with your kids along for the adventure. Whether it’s in your own back yard or around the world, it is a gift to explore with your kids.

How do you survive a long international flight with little kids?

1. Take the Car Seat. My #1 suggestion for anyone flying internationally with little kids (particularly under the age of 4 years old) is to bring their car seat on the airplane. Not only is it a good idea safety-wise, but if you have kids like mine, sitting down for 8+ hours isn’t in their list of skills. A car seat has helped because it keeps them from being little escape artists and running down the aisle at lightning speed (maybe that’s just something my boys would do), and they can fall asleep (and stay asleep) more easily because they're in a place and position that is already familiar to them.

2. Pack a Good Diaper Bag and Know Your Options. If you’re traveling with a baby that is immune to all forms of bribery, your travel day might look a little different. There were a couple things that made our first international flight with a five month old a little easier. First, a good baby carrier to wear to pace the aisle of the plane if need be. Second, if you did not buy them their own seat, you can still request the airline provide you with a baby bassinet. Third, on take-off and landing, try to have them either breastfeed, take a bottle, or a pacifier. This helps them not have as much discomfort in their ears. Overall, it can be intimidating bringing a little baby on a long flight, but it tends to go a lot smoother in reality than our anxiety has built up in our heads.

3. Buy the Right Equipment. “How am I going get those car seats through the airport,” you may ask? For anything larger than an infant car seat that just snaps into your stroller, this can be intimidating and seem like too much of a hassle. For the sake of your sanity, get yourself a wonderful thing called a “car seat dolly”. It straps to your car seat of any size and you are able to roll it around like a suitcase!

4. Make it an Adventure! Try not to go into it dreading the entire travel day. Your kids will feed off of your energy. Make this exciting for them! Maybe buy them some new headphones (allow the children to pick them out). Get some new travel activity books. Get some fun snacks that you don’t usually let them have. Hype them up over how cool it is that they’re getting to go on an airplane. If they go into it with a positive attitude, your travel day will likely go a lot smoother.

“Buy them some new headphones. Get some new travel activity books. Get some fun snacks that you don’t usually let them have.”

Do you have any suggestions for lodging when traveling as a family?

We very rarely stay in regular hotels during our travels. We will almost always look for a full apartment, cabin, or house to stay in. This is because we want the kids to have a place of rest at the end of the day. We always look for a place with a kitchen so if we’ve had a very long day, we can go back to our apartment early, cook our own dinner, and then let the boys play and unwind before bed. Keepings things somewhat “normal” helps them relax. Having a kitchen also helps if we want to sleep in, and not immediately have to run out of the house in the mornings to try and find breakfast for a bunch of hangry kids. The kids can wake up on their own time and we can cook our own breakfast. This gives them a sense of familiarity and it's not so overwhelming by going 100mph all day every day while on vacation. The best way I find family-friendly lodging is by using the booking.com app and Airbnb app. You can go to the filter section in both apps, choose your budget, and then select the type of lodging you are looking for. I usually select “apartment, house, villa, and cabin” and it will filter through the hundreds of options down to exactly what I am looking for. My disclaimer for this would be that the majority of our travels have been within Europe where this type of lodging is extremely common and budget friendly. Though I believe this will easily work all over the world, for the most part.

Do all of your trips revolve around things to do for the kids?

Short answer, no. Not at all. A very common misconception about traveling with small children is that if it isn’t a trip to Disney, your kids won’t have any fun. While I love a good Disney trip, this is not your only option. Some of mine and my husband’s very favorite things about travel is seeing ancient history, hiking, enjoying amazing views, and finding great food.

So, what do trips with our kids look like in comparison?

Exactly the same (with a few tweaks). We seek out those castles, ancient ruins, and historic battlefields. We hike and hike and hike some more. We sit on a mountain-top while taking in God’s creation. Then, we find some really fantastic food. You know what has happened? Our kids have loved every second. We didn’t stop doing the things we loved just because we had kids. We’re sharing this love with our children and they have grown to love it just as much.

You will have to adjust your expectations. Maybe you’ll have to be sleeping soundly in your hotel by 8pm instead of going out to enjoy the night-life. Maybe you’re not going to cover the same amount of sightseeing in one day as you would when you are kid-less. Maybe your 2 year old will decide to have an epic meltdown in the middle of the Colosseum in Rome because he dropped a fruit snack (true story). But none of these things have to be viewed as a bad thing. Stuck in your hotel by 8pm? This is one of my favorite parts of our travel day. The kids are tucked in bed, and my husband and I will sit out on our hotel balcony listening to the ambiance around us, while reminiscing about our day and have quality time together. You didn’t get to see as many sites as you wanted to? No, but you took your day a little more slowly and stopped to smell every flower your 6 year old wanted to show you. Your child had an epic meltdown in public at some famous historical monument? A funny memory you will tell him all about one day, much to his dismay.

Adjust your expectations, and go!

What are some of your favorite trips you’ve taken in Europe?

1. Lake Bled, Slovenia

One of our favorite gems in Europe is Lake Bled, Slovenia. We took our first trip there when my 3-year-old son had broken his leg and could only get around by stroller. We wanted something 100% stroller friendly and lots of outdoor time. Lake Bled was the place to be. The entire path around the 6km lake is paved and perfect for the stroller. We spent every day walking round the lake, taking a row boat to the island in the middle of the lake, and exploring the Bled Castle (not stroller friendly, but my son was light enough to carry at the time). Lake Bled is always dreamy, but I highly suggest going during Fall time to catch the incredible Fall foliage. The 2nd and 3rd week of October are typically the peak of Fall colors for Lake Bled.

2. Scotland

Our favorite trip we’ve taken in the past few years was our 2-week tour of Scotland. We particularly loved the Isle of Skye. We spent several days hiking all over the island, but our favorite hike was the famous Quiraing hike. The scenery was otherworldly and there were many places that were safe for the kids to run around and play. The kids also really loved the hike around the Fairy Pools on the southern end of the island! In order to save some money, our lodging was off of the island, but it was a very doable drive onto the island every day. It was in a beautiful tiny town and we truly loved our stay there! It was a homey Airbnb called Thistle do Nicely and we highly recommend it for families.

3. Amalfi Coast, Italy

Our favorite place we’ve been in Italy is the Amalfi Coast. Beaches, hikes, and boat tours make for a fantastic week in the warm Italian sun. We loved our trips into Positano and Amalfi, but we found that both locations tend to be very expensive to stay in, especially if you are trying to find a sorrplace to fit several children. Though we didn’t stay in Sorrento, there are many very affordable options there. Sorrento is also where many different boat tours leave from, so it’s a convenient location to stay. We decided we wanted to be in the middle of the coastline though, so we stayed at this great apartment on a beach called Conca dei Marini. It is situated right between Positano and Amalfi. The perks to this apartment were the view, restaurants conveniently close (the food was fantastic), and a private beach right outside your door. If you’ve ever been to the Amalfi Coast, you know that sometimes finding parking or space on the beach can be time consuming and frustrating at best. So this was an absolute dream being able to walk right outside our apartment and onto a beautiful, little beach. The only negative to this location was the stairs. There are a great deal of stairs to get to the apartment. So if your child is too big to be carried and too small to really manage stairs well, it might be a bit of a hassle. Our kids were ages 2 and 5 at the time and did amazingly well. It was 100% worth the tiresome stairs to stay in this stunning location.

Is it really worth the hassle to travel with kids?

1,000x yes! Without a doubt, every single time. I could write a book about all the wonderful reasons you should adventure with your kids. But these are some of the biggest reasons:

1. Travel is educational. My kids have played in the ruins of Pompeii, learned about the Jacobite uprising in the Scottish Highlands, and have been exposed to a dozen different languages and cultures they never would have been otherwise. This has given them a love of things far beyond their years. Architecture, history, and music to name a few.

2. Traveling teaches flexibility. They’ll have that wonderful talent of being able to nap anywhere. Lack of routine and schedule won’t be nearly as much of a problem. They learn to go with the flow, and you know what? So will you! I’ve learned to not try and control every little thing, but to slow down and enjoy the little moments.

3. Traveling with family creates memories for a lifetime. You might often hear that there is no reason to waste the money on travel when your kids are little “because they won’t remember it anyway”. They might not, but I will. I will remember the feeling of pride I had at seeing my 3 year old hike around the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. I’ll remember my toddler taking his first wobbly steps in front of a castle in Ireland. I’ll remember my boys collecting dozens and dozens of seashells on the beach in Portugal and being so excited to show me every one of them. These travels and adventures are still shaping them as human beings, even if they don’t remember every single moment.

Traveling as a family has been one of the greatest joys of our life and we would never want to miss out on all the beautiful things this world has to offer.