How to Actually Enjoy Traveling Internationally With Your Family 🗺️

Speaking from experience as a mother of four children, international travel can be wonderful. But it doesn’t magically happen the minute you land at Charles de Gaulle. It takes planning, a sense of humor, and snacks. Lots of snacks.

Here’s what we’ve learned from working our way up — from tiny day trips to long-haul flights and multi-country marathons — and how you can survive (and even love) traveling internationally as a family.

Start Small and Build Up

Before we ever braved a transatlantic flight, we practiced closer to home.
First came day trips. Then overnight stays an hour or two away. Then longer car rides with overnight stops. Only after we knew how our kids handled big days (and big feelings) did we start tackling long plane rides and trips that involved a lot of walking, sightseeing, and logistics.

The takeaway: Let little adventures teach you what works before you dive into long flights, time zones, and sightseeing marathons with your kids.

Know Your Docs (and Triple-Check Them)

Check passports early — kids' passports expire faster (five years, not ten!).
Many countries require that passports be valid for six months beyond your travel dates.


Also check if you need visas, proof of vaccinations, or entry forms well before you’re standing at the airport gate trying to hotspot your phone and crying.

Pack Like a Pro and Always Bring Comfort Items

We pack light-ish, but we never leave without:

• A full change of clothes for everyone on flights (yes, even older kids — turbulence is not your friend)

• Favorite comfort items like a cozy hoodie, small book, or stuffed animal (although we usually leave the most beloved of stuffed animals at home to make sure they are not lost on our travels)

• Pain relievers, Band-Aids, and a thermometer (trust me)

• Emergency snacks that don’t melt (granola bars, crackers, dried fruit)

Respect the Jet Lag

Jet lag is undefeated.
Don’t plan a jam-packed first day. Do lots of outdoor time, easy meals, and early nights to help everyone's body clocks adjust.


We’ve learned to love parks, beach walks, and casual strolls on Day 1 instead of trying to sprint through a museum while everyone’s soul is still floating somewhere over the Atlantic.

Keep the Itinerary Loose (and Plan Breaks on Purpose)

We usually aim for a couple of main activities per day — and keep the rest flexible.
There’s always a backup plan to slow down: an open playground, a shady café, a walk by the water. And honestly? Breaks aren't just for meltdowns — they’re part of the plan.
Sometimes you have to slow down and match your kids' pace if you want everyone to actually enjoy the day.

In Paris, for example, my older daughter and I spent a quiet afternoon wandering a museum while my husband took our younger kids to get gelato shaped like flowers and then to the Lego Store. It wasn’t the original plan — but it made the day better for everyone.
Balance, always. The memories you’ll love most often come from the slower moments anyway.

Embrace Food as Your Secret Weapon

When energy dips, we snack. When tempers fray, we snack.


French fries in Brussels? Energy reset.


Fresh pretzels in Munich? World peace achieved.


We also grocery shop early in every destination — stocking the Airbnb fridge with yogurts, fruits, sandwiches — to keep us fueled and flexible.

Always Have a Reset Button

We always pack a few travel "reset" tools:

• Audiobooks and headphones for downtime

• A book or small craft project for longer waits

• Portable games that the children can play together (card games are a favorite!)

Sometimes the key to surviving a long train ride or museum line is knowing when to whip out a sticker book without shame.

Let the Kids Lead (at Least Sometimes)

One afternoon on every trip, we hand over the reins. The kids pick the park, the café, or the souvenir shop. It might not look like a glossy travel blog itinerary, but it always feels like a memory we’ll laugh about later. We’ve wandered into incredible candy shops, eaten more cones of gelato than we can count, and somehow, that’s how we ended up with a pigeon plushie and a suspicious number of snow globes.

Family travel is messy, unpredictable, and sometimes a little louder than you'd like — but it's also absolutely worth it.
Your kids won't remember every landmark you dragged them to, but they’ll remember the time you bought pastries for dinner, got caught in the rain, and built Lego towers in a Paris hotel room.

Leave room for magic. Leave room for meltdowns. Leave room for more snacks than you think you’ll need. You’re not just visiting places — you’re building a lifetime of “Remember when we...?” stories.
And that’s better than any souvenir.