International travel, at least for Americans, usually means air travel. And with a large family, a long airplane flight, multiple connections, and differing needs of varying ages in the family — it can be a bit overwhelming just thinking about it.
Before you change your mind about those travel plans, let me share some tips I put together based on our most recent trip to Europe.
We traveled with all 5 of our kids, ages 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. Some things about our travel went really well, and others not so much. But we learned from it, especially what not to do!
1. Make passports early
When you know there’s an international trip coming up, you first need to check whether the kids’ passports are up to date.
Unlike adult passports, which are valid for 10 years, children’s passports are only valid for 5 years. And you don’t renew an expired child’s passport, as you would your own. You need to complete the process as if you’re making one for the first time. Use this form.
Also, be aware that both parents or guardians must go into a passport office with the child to apply or else fill out a waiver of consent.
Plan on the processing time taking 6 to 8 weeks. If you have a trip scheduled in July, you’ll want to apply for your child’s passport no later than May.
2. Consider layover times when booking tickets
The first time we took an international trip with our kids, my sister-in-law booked the flight for us. Apparently, she wasn’t paying attention to the layover time because we ended up with a 12-hour layover in Vienna.
With two kids under the age of 3, it was torture to sit around in the airport that long after a night of little sleep on the plane, waiting for our next flight. We vowed never again!
On our most recent trip, we carefully selected our tickets to have a layover of just the right length. Long enough to have time to get through customs and reach our next plane without stress, but not so long that there’s a lot of time to kill.
Two and a half to three hours seemed just about the right length.
But there’s another side to it. If we were traveling with teenagers who can handle disrupted sleep and have more thirst for adventure, I could see the benefit of a longer layover.
We saw tickets with a 22-hour layover in Paris. What fun it would be to get a free stop in Paris for a few hours of touring! Maybe that will appeal more when the kids are older.
3. Check your luggage – it’s worth it!
It used to be that almost every international flight came with at least one piece of free checked luggage. These days, many tickets don’t include checked luggage, meaning that you have to pay for your luggage separately.
On this past trip, I was sucked into the trap of trying to maximize the free carry-on and personal items for each traveler to save the cost of paying for luggage.
It worked out okay on the way over, but it turned out to be a huge mistake on the way home.
On the way to Europe (leaving from Canada), our airline staff saw the alarming mass of small suitcases clustered around our group at the gate and offered to check them all through to our destination. We only had to manage one backpack per person through the flights and connections.
I naively assumed it would be the same story on the way home, but it was not.
Upon check-in at the counter, we were told that the carry-ons were over the weight limit and we would have to pay to check each one unless we could somehow bring the weights down.
Thankfully, a relative lived close enough to run over a larger bag to repack our over-stuffed carry-ons, so we would only have to pay for one checked bag instead of seven. But that still meant that we were left to manage seven pieces of small luggage and seven backpacks through our flights and connections.
The littlest couldn’t manage their own bags, which meant the parents and big siblings had extra bags to haul or carry. This was a huge burden to pile on already over-tired kids (and stressed parents).
Next time around, I’m planning to skip the carry-ons altogether. Maybe one or two backpacks total, if the big kids insist on wanting their own. (See next section)
We’ll splurge for a few pieces of checked luggage, if only to remove the hassle of expecting kids to get their own luggage through the airport.
The days of carry-on only travel may be realistic when kids are teens and up, but until then, plan to check a major portion of your luggage.
4. Don’t overpack carry-ons and personal items – especially for the littles
This is related to the previous one, but it warrants a little more discussion.
Many airlines (except some of the extreme-budget European ones) include a free carry-on and an additional personal item.
It’s tempting to want to bring a backpack filled with each kid’s own snacks, activities, extra clothes, etc. For the older kids (let’s say around ages six and up), this may be appropriate. They’re big enough to carry and keep track of their things, and it’s good to have them practice responsibility and independence.
For younger kids (let’s say five and under), the reality is that you, as the parent, will end up carrying the backpack. If you bring a backpack for the littles, keep it as small and lightweight as possible.
5. Plan activities to fill the downtime
I’ve just filled two large sections warning against the dangers of overpacking your carry-ons and personal items. But when traveling with kids, you need to come prepared with entertainment! Doesn’t that mean packing more stuff?!
The delicate balance here is all about strategic planning. A few well-planned items can go a long way towards beating boredom.
Of course, you can always hand kids a phone or tablet with games and videos, but we like to employ more brain-engaged types of entertainment as much as possible.
A brand-new coloring or activity book and a new box of colored pencils, while old-fashioned, can feel fresh and interesting when opened for the first time at the airport or on the plane. My kids especially like miniature-sized coloring books for some reason, which is even better for space-saving when packing.
A compact travel journal is also a fun way for kids to create their own keepsakes from the trip. Look for travel journals with plenty of activities, writing prompts, and free space for journaling or sketching.
Instead of bringing along a stack of books (not realistic, at the rate my kids devour books!), consider bringing a Kindle or other reading tablet.
For the not-yet-independent readers, I also like to have audiobooks downloaded on the Libby app from the local library. I try to find books at a variety of interest levels – some for the bigger kids and some for the younger set.
Kids’ podcasts are also a fun way to keep the crew entertained for hours without needing to tote around lots of stuff. I like to have a series downloaded on the phone so that we’re not dependent on a wifi signal or cellular data when traveling out of the country.
6. Pack snacks for the flight
When planning travel entertainment, don’t overlook snacks as a means of keeping everyone happy! When tummies are rumbling and it’s still hours before the inflight service, a snack will do wonders in keeping the peace.
I found it worked well to pack each kid’s snack individually in their backpack rather than carrying the snack in bulk to try to divvy up later.
For one thing, with our large entourage, not all the kids are seated close to me on the plane. For another thing, it’s nice for the kids to have that sense of autonomy in deciding for themselves when to have a snack and which one and how much.
For this to work, it’s best to have single-serving-sized packages of whatever it is. Our favorites are goldfish, pretzels, trail mix, and granola bars. I usually try to get a few comforting, carb-based snacks, and some that are higher in protein.
For this trip, I brought along homemade granola bars wrapped in foil. While they were delicious, they were a bit too crumbly. I’m embarrassed to admit that we left a trail of crumbs behind us at the airport. Next time, it will be prepackaged granola bars all the way.
About water. On our last trip, I had everyone carry a refillable water bottle. The kids seem to want to guzzle water like camels the minute it seems like water may be limited in availability.
My thought was that we could fill up the water bottles once we got past the TSA checkpoint. This worked in North America, where water filling stations are readily available.
It did not work as well in Europe, where some airports had places to fill water bottles, and some did not. Half the time, the kids were toting empty water bottles with nowhere to fill them, complaining about being thirsty.
It was frustrating that I had to buy bottled water anyway, at airport prices. And so much for trying to be green.
The best solution that I can think of for this situation is to use packable water containers so the empties aren’t in our way. Use them when we can, and just buy water when we can’t. That’s the plan for the next trip. I’ll let you know how it goes.
7. Bring familiar snacks and foods for your destination
Once you arrive at your destination, chances are people will want to eat again. I believe it’s a fairly recognized phenomenon that children don’t like to eat unfamiliar foods. And here you may have a dilemma.
When traveling in a foreign country, almost everything will be new. Even if it’s almost the same as at home, it’s just different enough that it’s not quite right.
I always encourage my kids to try new foods. Even at home, they have to at least sample something new, even if they don’t like it. But especially for toddlers, it’s a real challenge to fill up a tummy and nourish a body when every single meal is contested.
One way to help this situation, at least a little bit, is to bring some snacks and other foods from home that are a guaranteed hit. For us, it’s goldfish and boxed macaroni and cheese. Not healthy food by any stretch, but calories that I know the kids will eat.
If you’re going to be preparing at least some of your own meals during your travels, plan ahead to make some meals that are popular with the kids and simple enough that you’ll be able to find those familiar ingredients or bring them along if necessary.
When eating out, don’t be afraid to let those simple carbs be the basis of the kids’ diet for a little while. Filling up on bread, with a bite here or there of something more substantial, isn’t going to hurt them.
8. Bring Melatonin!
Melatonin gummies are so helpful for international travel, both for the flight and dealing with jetlag once you’ve arrived.
It’s not just for the kids, either. Both of us parents benefitted from that little boost of drowsiness when trying to fall asleep in what felt like the middle of the day.
We just brought one bottle of gummies formulated for kids, so we didn’t have to carry two. It just meant the adults got an extra gummy.
Travel pillows are also helpful for those sleepy heads but not essential if you don’t feel like packing them along. Kids, especially the little ones, seem to be able to sleep anywhere, in any position.
Expect that sleep will take a little while to adjust, and everything will feel upside down. Give kids permission to be a little bit grumpy, but push through to get back to the normal sleep schedule as soon as possible.
9. Discuss expectations, goals, and plans with the kids
“This is a great chance to practice patience and flexibility!” My kids hear me say this at least daily when we’re traveling.
We make a pointed effort to get the kids in on the planning aspect of our travel and take their preferences into account when possible. I also like to help them think about any goals they may have for the trip, and talk about some of my goals.
The reality of travel, however, is that things don’t always (read: almost never) go according to the plan. When making a plan, I always remind the family of that fact. When things don’t turn out as we planned them, then at least we had the expectation set ahead of time that change was a possibility.
I would like to help train my children to be resilient and adaptable. Travel is a perfect way to build those habits.
How we as parents respond to the challenges and disappointments that inevitably come during a trip, hopefully with good humor and problem-solving skills will set a good example.
But that’s not enough by itself. Having the conversations ahead of time to set reasonable expectations is important. Even more important is helping the younger set constructively process the feelings of frustration, exhaustion, or disappointment that can come along with the challenges of travel.
Don’t miss the opportunity to engage in these discussions with the family. They’re one of the essential benefits of traveling as a family.