My wife and I have traveled with our two children, now ages 7 and 10, to 15 countries on four continents. The trips have ranged from a weekend in Vancouver to six weeks in Japan. Not every moment has been enjoyable: there was a meltdown in the Taipei subway, a lost stuffed rabbit in a Kyoto hotel, and a two-hour delay in a Bangkok airport that nearly broke my wife's patience. But the good moments have far outweighed the bad, and our children have developed a curiosity about the world that no classroom could replicate.
Picking the Right Destinations for Kids
The destinations that work best with children are the ones that offer a mix of activities: something active, something educational, something familiar, and something completely new. Japan is the best destination we have found for kids. The food is approachable (rice, noodles, grilled chicken), the public transportation is clean and reliable, the convenience stores sell snacks and toys that kids love, and the cultural attractions (temples, castles, museums) are visually engaging even for children who cannot read the explanations. Our children spent an hour watching the mechanical clocks at the Hakone Open Air Museum and declared it the best museum they had ever visited.
Costa Rica is another excellent family destination. The combination of beaches, rainforests, and wildlife keeps children engaged without requiring long Guide or complex logistics. The Manuel Antonio National Park, on the Pacific coast, has hiking trails that are short enough for young children, beaches with calm water, and wildlife (monkeys, sloths, toucans) that is visible without binoculars. A guided tour of the park costs about 15 dollars per person for a group tour, and the guide will point out animals that you would almost certainly miss on your own. We also visited the Monteverde Cloud Forest, where the children walked on suspension bridges above the canopy and saw a quetzal, which became the highlight of the entire trip.
For European travel, London and Amsterdam work well with kids. London has the Natural History Museum (free), the Science Museum (free), the Tower of London (about 30 pounds per adult, 15 per child), and the Harry Potter Studio Tour (about 50 pounds per person, book months in advance). Amsterdam has the NEMO Science Museum (about 17 euros per person), the Artis Zoo (about 25 euros per person), and canal boat tours that children enjoy more than you might expect (about 16 euros per person). Both cities have extensive public transit systems with elevators or escalators at most stations, which matters when you are pushing a stroller or carrying a tired child.
Flights with Kids: Survival Strategies
The single most important decision for flying with kids is the departure time. Morning flights are better than evening flights for children under eight, because kids are freshest in the morning and more likely to sleep on a late-afternoon or evening flight. Red-eye flights, which work well for adults because you sleep through them, are a gamble with kids: some children sleep soundly, others stay awake and cry for hours. I book the earliest morning flight available, arrive at the airport two hours before departure, and let the children burn energy in the airport play area before boarding.
For long-haul flights (over six hours), I bring a backpack for each child with the following items: a reusable water bottle, snacks (granola bars, crackers, dried fruit), a coloring book and colored pencils, a small puzzle or game, a tablet loaded with downloaded movies and games (no WiFi on most long-haul flights), noise-canceling headphones, a small blanket or stuffed animal from home, and a change of clothes in a ziplock bag (for spills or accidents). I distribute these items throughout the flight, introducing a new activity every 30 to 45 minutes to maintain interest.
Seat selection matters. For families with two adults and two children, booking two seats on each side of the aisle (one adult and one child on each side) works better than booking four seats in a row, because each adult can manage one child. For families with one adult and one child, a window seat for the child (so they can look out) and an aisle seat for the adult (for easy access to the bathroom and the overhead bin) is the best arrangement. Bulkhead seats offer more legroom but require storing all carry-on items in the overhead bin, which is inconvenient during the flight.
Accommodation That Works for Families
Hotels with two queen beds or a suite with a separate living area are the most comfortable option for families, but they are expensive. A more affordable alternative is an apartment rental through Airbnb or Booking.com, which gives you a kitchen, separate bedrooms, and a living area for roughly the same price as a standard hotel room. In Tokyo, we rented a two-bedroom apartment in the Shinjuku area for 120 dollars per night, which was less than the cost of two hotel rooms and included a kitchen where we prepared breakfast each morning.
Hostels with private family rooms are another good option. Many hostels in Europe and Asia offer private rooms with two to four beds and a private bathroom at prices well below hotels. In Lisbon, we stayed in a private family room at a hostel in the Alfama district for 60 euros per night, compared to 120 to 150 euros for a hotel room in the same area. The hostel also had a kitchen, a laundry room, and a common area where our children played with other kids from around the world.
Location matters more with kids than without. Being within walking distance of a park, a playground, or a beach gives children a place to burn energy after a day of sightseeing. Being near a grocery store or a convenience store makes it easy to buy snacks, drinks, and simple meal ingredients. Being near public transit reduces the need for taxis, which are expensive and stressful with tired children. I use Google Maps to check the walking distance from a potential accommodation to parks, playgrounds, and transit stops before booking.
Food: Keeping Everyone Fed and Happy
Food is one of the biggest sources of stress when traveling with kids, because children are often reluctant to try unfamiliar dishes. My approach is to offer one familiar meal and one new meal per day. At breakfast, we eat something familiar (cereal, toast, fruit) to start the day on a comfortable note. At lunch, we try something local. At dinner, we offer a choice: the local dish or a familiar fallback (pizza, pasta, rice and chicken). This gives children autonomy without forcing them to eat something they genuinely dislike.
Street food and market stalls are often more kid-friendly than restaurants, because the food is visible, the portions are small, and the atmosphere is casual. In Bangkok, our children ate pad thai, satay skewers, and mango sticky rice from street stalls with more enthusiasm than they showed in sit-down restaurants. In Mexico City, the taco stands in the Mercado de San Juan were a hit: the children could see the tortillas being pressed and the meat being grilled, which made the food more approachable than a dish that arrives on a plate with no context.
Carry snacks at all times. Hungry children are cranky children, and hunger strikes at the worst possible moments (in the middle of a museum, on a long bus ride, in a line for a popular attraction). I carry a small bag with granola bars, crackers, raisins, and a reusable water bottle for each child. In countries where tap water is not safe, I use a LifeStraw Go water bottle, which filters water from any source and eliminates the need to buy bottled water.
Pacing: The Most Important Variable
The biggest mistake parents make when traveling with kids is trying to do too much. One attraction per day is a good rule for children under eight. Two attractions per day is manageable for children eight to twelve. Three or more attractions per day will result in meltdowns, exhaustion, and resentment from both children and parents. I plan one "main event" per day (a museum, a park, a cultural site) and leave the rest of the day flexible for naps, playgrounds, snacks, and spontaneous exploration.
Build in downtime every day. After the main attraction, return to the hotel or apartment for a rest period of one to two hours. Children who nap should nap. Children who do not nap can read, draw, or watch a movie. This rest period is not wasted time; it prevents the late-afternoon meltdown that ruins the evening for everyone. After the rest period, venture out for a relaxed dinner and a walk through the neighborhood.
Be prepared to skip attractions. If the children are tired, hungry, or simply not interested in a particular museum or temple, skip it. There is no educational value in dragging a crying child through a museum. The best travel experiences with kids happen when you follow their interests rather than imposing your own itinerary. Our children spent two hours catching crabs on a beach in Okinawa, which was not on our itinerary but became one of their favorite memories of the entire Japan trip.
Health and Safety with Kids
Before traveling internationally with children, visit a travel clinic to discuss vaccinations and health precautions. Children's vaccination schedules may need adjustment for travel to certain regions. The CDC's travel health website provides country-specific recommendations for children. Carry a basic first-aid kit that includes children's pain reliever (ibuprofen or acetaminophen in age-appropriate doses), bandages, antiseptic wipes, thermometer, oral rehydration salts, and any prescription medications your children take.
Travel insurance that covers children is essential. Most complete travel insurance policies cover dependent children at no additional cost or for a small surcharge. Check the policy details: some policies exclude pre-existing conditions, and some have age limits for child coverage. World Nomads and Safety Wing both offer family-friendly policies that cover children under 18. The cost for a family policy is typically 50 to 100 percent more than a single-traveler policy, which is far less than buying separate policies for each family member.
Safety concerns vary by destination. In most tourist areas, the main risks are traffic, getting separated in crowds, and petty theft. Write your phone number and hotel address on a card and put it in each child's pocket. Take a photo of each child every morning before you leave the hotel, so you have a current image showing what they are wearing in case you get separated. In crowded areas, hold hands with younger children and establish a meeting point with older children. In cities with heavy traffic, teach children to look both ways and to wait for adults before crossing streets, even at crosswalks.
What I Wish I Had Known Earlier
The most useful thing I learned about traveling with kids is that the trip is for the children as much as for the adults. This sounds obvious, but in practice it means making decisions based on what will engage and excite the children rather than what the adults want to see. A trip to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is a great experience for adults, but for a seven-year-old, it is two hours of looking at old paintings in a crowded room. The Leonardo da Vinci Museum, also in Florence, has interactive exhibits that children can touch and operate, and it was a far better experience for our family.
Involve children in the planning process. Before each trip, I show our children photos and videos of the destination and let them choose one or two activities they want to do. In Japan, our daughter chose the teamLab Borderless museum (an interactive digital art installation) and our son chose a sumo wrestling tournament. Both choices led to memorable experiences that we would not have had if we had planned the itinerary entirely around our own interests.
Finally, accept that not every day will be perfect. Some days will be hard. The flight will be delayed, the restaurant will not have anything the children want to eat, the museum will be closed, and it will rain during your only day at the beach. These moments are part of travel, and they teach children resilience and adaptability in ways that a perfectly planned itinerary cannot. Our children still talk about the day we got lost in Kyoto and stumbled upon a small festival with food stalls and taiko drumming, which was not planned and turned out to be the best day of the trip.
