The Travel Issue
Destination-specific travel guides, go-to travel gear, advice for travel with kids, and more!
I wanted to do a huge roundup of all my travel tips, favorite gear, destination guides, and more. Let’s do it!
DESTINATION-SPECIFIC BLOG POSTS
We’ve been traveling with Lucy since she was a baby and are catching up all the travel with Winnie after a few years of not being able to. Here’s a huge list of blog posts I have about different places we’ve visited. Most of them have specific recommendations on things to do, places to visit, where to eat, etc. and all have photos to inspire you to plan your next trip!
EUROPE
Switzerland 🇨🇭
Iceland 🇮🇸
Italy (four blog posts): Venice, The Dolomites + Lake Garda + Rome / Amalfi Coast / Capri 🇮🇹
France (four blog posts): Paris with a baby (2018) + Paris without kids (in 2016) + Provence + Antibes / South of France 🇫🇷
Croatia 🇭🇷
Belgium 🇧🇪
Greece 🇬🇷
London, England (in 2019) and also in 2016 🇬🇧
MEXICO / CARIBBEAN + CENTRAL AMERICA
Belize 🇧🇿
Mexico: Mexico City + Tulum + Puerto Vallarta 🇲🇽
AFRICA
Marrakech, Morocco (2022 without kids) and 2019 (with kid/while pregnant) 🇲🇦
SOUTH AMERICA
USA
MY TRIED & TRUE TRAVEL GEAR
FOR MYSELF / I’ve had my Away ‘Bigger Carry-on’ (in Black) for years and use it for almost every single trip. I also have the Medium ‘Checked’ suitcase but tend to use the carry-on size much more, as I don’t love checking luggage. I like to use Packing Cubes to organize suitcases and pack more efficiently! For the plane, I’ve been using my Black leather tote with a leather tote insert to hold my items including toiletries, a sweatshirt, cozy socks, water bottle, laptop, Kindle, etc. Recently I’ve also been wearing this (surprisingly roomy!) fanny pack for the essentials (phone, passport, wallet, chapstick, etc.)
FOR KIDS / I used to share a carry-on suitcase with my kids, but a year or so ago decided to get the girls their own suitcase to share. They have the Away ‘Bigger Carryon’ in Pink. In terms of the ‘big stuff’ — we almost always bring a stroller (either our single Mountain Buggy Nano or the Zoe Twin+ double stroller) that we gate check. Both are super lightweight, compact, and easy to fold. The Mountain Buggy Nano can be folded and fit into the overhead compartment of the airplane, though! When we need car seats, we bring our lightweight travel car seats - Lucy uses the Cosco Finale DX 2 in 1 and Winnie uses the Cosco Scenera Next. We’ve had this Carseat Bag for years and use it for both car seats. For cross-country or international flights, we also pack these Inflatable Foot Rest Pillows so the girls can sprawl out and *hopefully* sleep on the plane.
In terms of the ‘small but still important stuff’, now that we are out of the diaper bag stage (🙌🏼), I’ve been using this BAGGU Cloud Bag for the girls’ things for travel days. Inside, I keep their snack containers, water bottles, iPad x 2, these kid headphones x 2, coloring supplies, a small bag of toys, pajamas (if red-eye), etc. A few non-screen entertainment options that occupy the girls: these LED writing tablets , Melissa and Doug Water Wow, Melissa and Doug Puffy Sticker Sets, stickers, a small bag of crayons, mini notebooks, a small bag of animals/Paw Patrol characters and SO MANY SNACKS.
TRAVEL TIPS, HACKS, ADVICE, ETC.
Packing for 2 Weeks in Europe with Carry-ons Only - my most recent blog post sharing a very detailed packing list and how we managed to travel with carry-ons only for our Europe trip!
Flying with 2 Kids - Tips and Tricks - this blog post talks about the logistics of traveling with two kids vs. one, and also touches on pandemic travel
Roadtrip Tips - alllll the ways we survive long road trips with kids!
Long Flight Tips - specifically shares tips for cross-country and international travel, including how to deal with red-eyes, etc.
Flying with Babies and Young Toddlers - this blog post touches on traveling with babies and younger toddlers, including traveling with breastmilk/formula, baby-wearing, and more
Air Travel with Pets - Tips and Tricks - Jack has been on ~50 flights at this point!
4 IMPORTANT MINDSET REMINDERS WHEN TRAVELING WITH KIDS ✨
STAY CALM: kids feed off of our emotions and attitudes and can tell when we are stressed. Take a deep breath, remember the travel day/experience is temporary, and you will get through this. For me, when traveling with two kids, this means trying to not get anxious about someone crying or whining, not beating myself up for forgetting to pack something, and not letting a bad 10 minutes ruin the whole day.
HAVE LOW EXPECTATIONS: It’s best to go into the flight with low expectations — assume that your child will be fussy, cranky, annoyed, etc. I’m usually a glass-half-full kind of gal, but in this case, it really helps when I have realistic and LOW expectations for the day. The flight isn’t going to be the most joyful day of your life as a parent. Some days are pure survival mode and when you come to terms with the fact that babies will be babies/toddlers will be toddlers/the day isn’t going to be rainbows and butterflies, you will feel a lot more content with however the travel day turns out.
ASK FOR HELP: Usually, people are willing to help. Ask a flight attendant to help you get situated in your seat, ask someone to help you down the jet bridge (especially if you’re traveling alone with your kiddo), ask for help getting your bags above the seat, etc. I’ve found that people are often kinder and more helpful than I would expect.
BE FLEXIBLE: travel days are not the days to be rigid about schedules and routines. You can and should pack strategically and prepare, but even the best plans sometimes don’t work out. Things are OUT OF YOUR CONTROL and it’s best to just go with the flow.
I just found your newsletter and I am in love with everything you write! So excited to dive in!