Tips for Traveling with Kids

Start Small and Build Their Confidence

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is booking a 12- or 15-hour international flight for a child's very first trip. Instead, let them learn how to travel gradually. Our family's progression looked like this: Cabo (1.5-hour flight), Hawaii (5-hour flight), Europe, and eventually trips around the world. Each trip built confidence — not only for our children, but for us as parents as well. Travel is a skill, and kids learn it just like they learn anything else.

• Cabo (1.5-hour flight)
• Hawaii (5-hour flight)
• Europe
• Eventually, trips around the world

If Your Kids Sleep on Planes, Fly Overnight

If your children are good sleepers, overnight flights are your best friend. We change our kids into pajamas before boarding, brush their teeth, and try to keep the bedtime routine as normal as possible. If they sleep through most of the flight, everyone arrives happier and much more adjusted to the new destination.

The $50 Walmart Tradition That Saved Our Flights

When our kids were little, one of the best ideas we ever had was stopping at Walmart before every trip. We'd spend about $50 filling a bag with inexpensive surprises. Every 30 to 45 minutes, if they had been patient and respectful, they got to open another surprise. It became one of our favorite family traditions. Ironically, they became just as excited about the flight itself as they were about the destination.

• Sticker books
• Small toys
• Coloring books
• Little games
• Candy & special treats

Vacation Is Not the Time to Worry About Screen Time

At home, you may have strict rules about electronics. Vacation is different. Long flights are one of the few times I completely relax those rules. If anything, I'll intentionally limit iPad time for a week before we leave so it feels exciting again. Cartoons, games, and movies can make a ten-hour flight feel surprisingly short. Sometimes surviving the flight is more important than sticking to your normal routine.

Choose Destinations Kids Will Actually Enjoy

This is probably the biggest piece of advice I give parents. When children are younger, choose destinations that include activities they genuinely love. Don't build an itinerary that's nothing but museums and historical monuments. Your children won't enjoy it — and eventually neither will you.

• Beaches & pools
• Boating
• Nature & parks
• Outdoor adventures

Balance Sightseeing with Play

Europe can be incredibly hot during the summer. Kids simply aren't built to spend ten hours walking through crowded cities. Whenever we're traveling in Europe, we intentionally schedule pool time almost every afternoon. We'll explore in the morning, take a swim, grab gelato, then head back out in the evening when temperatures cool down. That balance makes an enormous difference.

Focus on Experiences, Not Checklists

Our daughters are now 10 and 11 years old, and until now we've intentionally kept museum visits fairly limited. Instead, we fill our trips with experiences they'll actually remember. Years later, those are still the stories they tell.

• Beaches & boat days
• Bike rides & hiking
• Food tours & outdoor markets
• Playgrounds & local restaurants
• Shopping for souvenirs

Give Every Child a Shopping Budget

Each child gets a small shopping budget to spend however they want. They love wandering little streets looking for souvenirs, handmade crafts, Christmas ornaments, local toys, and small treasures. Watching them carefully choose something meaningful often becomes one of the highlights of the trip.

Adventure Trips Build Confidence

Some of our very favorite vacations have been adventure-focused. Costa Rica remains one of the best family trips we've ever taken. Our girls went ziplining, rode horses, went canyoning, floated down rivers, and explored the rainforest. Adventure travel creates confidence that simply can't be taught in a classroom. Our most recent trip to Corfu introduced the kids to scuba diving for the first time — an experience they'll remember forever.

• Ziplining
• Horseback riding
• Canyoning
• River floating
• Rainforest exploration

Save Heavy Cultural Trips Until They're Older

One conversation I have over and over again: 'We took our kids to Paris — they hated it.' Then I ask what they did. The answer is usually the Louvre, Notre-Dame, multiple churches, museum after museum, and long sightseeing days. It's a lot to ask a six, seven, or even ten-year-old to appreciate the Mona Lisa while standing shoulder to shoulder with thousands of tourists in the summer heat. Art, architecture, and history become much more meaningful when children are teenagers. Until then, let them fall in love with the destination itself.

Take Kid-Friendly Cooking Classes

One of our favorite traditions is taking a cooking class in almost every country we visit. The key is choosing one designed for families. Our favorite so far has been making pizza and gelato in Rome. It's hands-on, fun, delicious, and gives children a genuine connection to the local culture.

Encourage Kids to Try New Foods

Children naturally gravitate toward pizza, burgers, and chicken nuggets. We still order familiar foods occasionally — but on every trip, we encourage each child to try at least one new local dish. Whether it's fresh seafood in Greece, pasta in Italy, or tropical fruit in Costa Rica, these experiences gradually expand their palate and help them become adventurous eaters.

Practice Fine Dining Before You Travel

If you enjoy Michelin-starred restaurants or elegant dining while traveling, prepare your children before the trip. Take them to nice restaurants in your hometown. Teach them restaurant etiquette, table manners, patience, and respect for staff. You'll enjoy your vacation so much more.

• Restaurant etiquette
• Table manners
• Patience
• Respect for staff

Learn a Few Words of the Local Language

Even simple words make a difference. Teach your children how to say hello, please, thank you, and goodbye in the local language. Locals genuinely appreciate the effort, and it's a wonderful way for children to connect with another culture.

• Hello
• Please
• Thank you
• Goodbye

Never Leave Home Without a Medical Kit

As a physician, this is one tip I never ignore. Having basic medications available can save an entire vacation.

• Children's Tylenol & Motrin
• Anti-nausea medication
• Constipation medication
• Band-Aids & Neosporin
• Thermometer & electrolytes
• Any prescription medications

Pack Carry-On Only Whenever Possible

People are often surprised when I tell them our family of five usually travels through Europe for several weeks using only carry-on luggage. Why? Because luggage gets lost. Dragging heavy suitcases through train stations, cobblestone streets, and airports with children quickly becomes exhausting. You can always buy something you forgot. You can't get back a stressful travel day.

Extra Space Makes a Huge Difference

If your budget allows, business class can completely change an overnight flight because children are much more likely to sleep. If that's not possible, consider calling the airline to see whether purchasing an extra seat is affordable. At your destination, prioritize space. Connecting rooms, family suites, apartment hotels, and Airbnbs often make traveling with children dramatically easier than squeezing everyone into a single hotel room.

Rent a Car Whenever It Makes Sense

Public transportation is wonderful — but not always with young children. Kids suddenly need a bathroom, a snack, a break, or motion sickness medicine. Having your own car gives you the flexibility to stop whenever you need to and travel at your family's pace.

Choose Destinations with Excellent Healthcare

When your children are young, stick with destinations that have excellent medical care and high hygiene standards. If someone develops gastroenteritis or travelers' diarrhea, you'll have peace of mind knowing good medical care is readily available. This is one reason Europe remains one of my favorite destinations for families.

Relax Your Rules

Even if you're normally strict about sweets, snacks, bedtime, or screen time — vacation is the time to loosen up. Say yes to an extra gelato, a late-night crepe, another cartoon, staying up a little later. The memories will last much longer than the extra sugar.

• An extra gelato
• A late-night crepe
• Another cartoon
• Staying up a little later

Travel for Your Kids — Not Your Shopping

One mistake I see families make is trying to recreate the vacations they took before they had children. Designer shopping in Paris or Rome may sound wonderful — but your six-year-old probably disagrees. If luxury shopping is your priority, plan a girls' trip or couples getaway. When you're traveling with your children, choose activities they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

Take Plenty of Photos — Then Put the Camera Away

Photographs become priceless over time. Take them. Capture the smiles. Record the adventures. But don't spend the entire vacation looking through a phone screen trying to create the perfect Instagram post. Be present. Laugh with your kids. Get in the pictures yourself. Children grow up far faster than we realize, and one day those photos will remind you that the greatest destination you ever traveled to wasn't a country — it was childhood.