8 Tips for How to Actually Enjoy Traveling with a Toddler

My friends and I always joke that traveling with a toddler is NOT a vacation because of all the extra work (both physical and emotional) involved with plucking your small child out of their routine. It is a TRIP. It’s hard work. It is the same struggle, but in a new place. For some people, that is enough of a deterrent that they choose not to travel with their kids until they are older. However, if you do find value in taking your toddler out to explore the world, there are some ways to make traveling with a toddler more bearable.

I debated whether not to post this since we have only traveled with our toddler a handful of times, so I would not consider myself an expert on traveling with a small child. But after returning from our most recent trip, I did have friends ask if we had any tips for traveling with a toddler. So perhaps the POV of someone who is still learning how to travel with a toddler can be valuable to others who are starting on that same journey. Keep in mind these tips are just based on our personal experiences, and they are just suggestions. So don’t come at me.

Join me in this mindfulness exercise as I remind myself that while I can’t control all the struggles of traveling with a small child, I CAN control how I respond to those struggles. Wooosaahhhh….Without further ado, I present to you my 8 tips for how to actually enjoy traveling with a toddler.

1. Lower Your Expectations

My friend says that she travels with her kids because they are going to tantrum whether they are home or traveling, so she might as well have something new and fun to look at while they are tantrumming. I think that’s the mindset you have to put yourself in when traveling with small children. Know that not every moment is going to be Instagram-perfect, and that they will still have tantrums, and that’s ok. My husband reminds me that small kiddos don’t ask to be taken on a trip with their parents, so it is an unrealistic expectation for them to enjoy every moment. And dang it, he’s right. 

2. Start Slow

Do yourself a favor and ease yourself into traveling with a kid, if you have a choice. Start with a long weekend trip, then move on to a longer trip in the same time zone, and work yourself up to an international trip. Pick easy travel destinations that eliminate a lot of the stressors of travel, like language barriers and safety concerns. Starting slow allows you to control some variables, like time zones, so it is one less thing that can trigger a meltdown.

If you’re in California and looking for some easy long weekend trips, check out my central California coast road trip, Monterey, and San Diego road trip for some toddler-approved trip inspo!

3. Prioritize Sleep

Sleep is important. Both for parents and especially for small children. Has your toddler ever skipped a nap? Then you KNOW that overtiring your kiddo is an open invitation for the rage monster lurking inside your adorable toddler to come out in full force. So to keep the rage monster at bay, bring everything you need to prioritize your kiddo’s sleep. Bring as much of the bedtime routine as possible so you can recreate the routine on vacation. If your kiddo naps, make sure that you find some time during the day for them to nap, whether that is a car nap on the go or heading back to your hotel for a nap break. It’s easy to want to do one more thing and delay the nap, but missing that nap window a couple times is enough to learn that it is just not worth it.

4. Stay Faithful to Routines

A lot of rules get relaxed during vacation. Screen time? Unlimited! Desserts? Ok! But it is worthwhile to stay faithful to some routines to avoid meltdowns, since toddlers thrive on routine, even while on vacation. Our toddler is a master staller when it comes to getting in the bath or starting his bedtime routine. It used to be a fight every night at home, until at least 45 minutes later, when we were finally able to coax him into the bathroom or into his bedroom. So at home, we started setting alarms with different sounds at the same time every night. It is like Pavlovian conditioning – once he hears the alarm, he knows it’s bath time or bed time. He still stalls, but not to the same extent as before.

When we went on vacation, we forgot about this little trick and thought it wouldn’t work because of the time difference. As a surprise to no one, the nightly stalling reared its ugly head again until we turned the alarms back on. Just because you’re in a different place, it doesn’t mean that you have a different child. So if something works at home to limit the struggles, it’s worth it to continue on vacation. 

5. One Activity a Day

If you’re here for these DIY travel itineraries then you are probably the type that likes to have a plan for the day and do all-the-things when you travel. (Hello, kindred spirit!) I used to be like that. I probably still would be if I wasn’t traveling with a being that has no concept of time or respect for schedules.

To avoid meltdowns from all parties, I now aim for only one must-do activity a day in my itinerary. I will still list some other activities in case we have time, but one activity a day is the goal. If we do any more than that, it is a bonus. One activity a day ensures we have enough time to nap, eat, and play every day. Because toddlers move at their own pace and (at least for our toddler) that pace is glacial. I feel most anxious while traveling when we are not keeping up with our schedule, so if I only have one activity for the day then I am more relaxed because we will always accomplish the one thing we planned on doing. 

6. Bring Entertainment

A bored toddler is a mischievous toddler. And we don’t need any extra mischief to add to the chaos of traveling. We made the mistake of not bringing enough new toys and books once on vacation and our toddler decided to make his own fun by opening every single cabinet in our rental home. It was not fun for us. We also assumed that we could keep our toddler entertained with screen time. But younger toddlers don’t actually have the attention span to stay engaged with a screen for long, and there are just too many new and exciting things to explore while on a plane or new house.

If you don’t want to waste precious luggage space carrying toys, my genius friend suggested just buying a new toy or book when you get to your destination. The novelty of this new toy will capture their attention for the duration of your trip (hopefully). Consider it a souvenir and it will be priceless if it buys you some independent playing time during your travels.

Another thing we learned is not to use up all of the new toys at the beginning of the trip. Save something for the trip home! The flight home is long too, and any toys you gave them at the beginning of the trip will have lost their novelty at that point. So keep something in your back pocket to entertain them on the way home if you want to end the trip on a good note.

7. Look for Toddler-Friendly Activities

I know it’s your vacation too and you don’t want to spend it doing kid things every day. I get it. And you know your kid – maybe your kid is totally fine with an hour at a museum. (Mine is not.) It will still pay off for your peace of mind if you sprinkle your trip with some activities that you know your kid will enjoy. Burning off that kid energy might buy you a nap on the go that you can use to do something fun for yourself (like eating a meal while it’s hot).

Even if it’s just stopping at a playground on your way home on a day where you are doing more adult-oriented activities, it’s more fun for everyone if your kiddo is having fun. The good thing is that many very regular things (like riding public transportation) are a lot of fun for toddlers! So it really isn’t that hard to work in toddler-friendly activities during the day.

Luckily, this blog is full of trip ideas that have just the right blend of fun-for-toddler activities and see-all-the-things activities. Check out this toddler-approved Banff and Jasper road trip or this Switzerland itinerary filled with playgrounds as an example! 

8. You Will Have a Different Child on Each Trip

This isn’t really a tip, but more of a fact to keep in mind. Kids grow and develop so rapidly that they seem to be a different person every month. But this growth that is so fun to watch also makes your kiddo very unpredictable when it comes to planning trips. What worked on one trip likely will not work on the next trip. Mentally preparing for that change is the key to success, because then you will be ready to be flexible.

Now look through some photos from your last trip with your toddler to remind yourself of the joy and wonder you see in them when they are experiencing something new. If that is not motivation to take yourself and your kiddo out of the comfort and security of home and get out there to explore the world, then I don’t know what is. Life with a small child is chaos already. You might as well experience that chaos in an exciting new place once in a while.

Or, if this has not convinced you that traveling with a toddler is worth it, then plan your next toddler-free vacation by copying our itinerary to Northern Spain and Portugal, where you can eat all the good food while it is still warm.