Travelling With Kids Under 10: Everything I Wish Someone Had Told Me
Max had a meltdown in the Lisbon airport because his stuffed dinosaur went through the X-ray machine without him. He was convinced the machine was going to eat it. He screamed for 4 minutes straight while the security officer tried very hard not to laugh.
We've now established a pre-security dinosaur briefing protocol. Teddy goes through first. Max watches. Teddy comes out the other side. Everyone is happy. Took us 3 airports to figure this out.
This is family travel. It's messy, loud, occasionally embarrassing, and honestly the most rewarding thing David and I have ever done. Lily has now been to 9 countries. Max has been to 7 (he was too young to remember the first 2). And both of them approach the world with a curiosity that makes me see everything differently.
Here's everything I wish someone had told me before our first international trip as a family of 4.
The Biggest Mistake Parents Make
Trying to do too much.
Before kids, David and I would cram 3 cities into 5 days. Wake at 7, museum at 9, lunch at 12, temple at 2, dinner at 7, bar at 10. Efficient. Exhausting. Fun.
With a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old? Forget it. Two activities per day, maximum. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, with a massive break in between for lunch, rest, and whatever chaos the kids decide to create.
Our best days in Portugal involved one planned activity (a tram ride, a beach visit, a castle tour) and the rest was improvised. Max found a cat to befriend. Lily discovered she could climb every stone wall in Sintra. David and I sat at a cafe and watched them be kids.
Those "wasted" hours were the best hours.
The Packing Reality
Packing for 4 is a logistics exercise. Here's what we bring:
For the Kids
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| 5 outfits each | They will destroy at least 1 per day |
| Swimsuits x2 each | One is always wet |
| Lightweight rain jackets | Mandatory, even in summer |
| Comfortable shoes (1 pair each) | No "nice" shoes. They won't wear them. |
| Stuffed animal (1 per kid, MAX 1) | The dinosaur is non-negotiable |
| Tablet + headphones | For flights and emergencies |
| Colouring book + pencils | Screen-free entertainment |
| Snacks (SO MANY SNACKS) | More than you think. Then double it. |
| First aid kit | Kids-specific: plasters with characters, children's ibuprofen, rehydration salts |
| Sunscreen SPF 50 | Applied every 2 hours, fought every time |
For the Parents
Standard packing, plus:
- Extra patience (not available at any store)
- GOAN eSIM on both phones (navigation, booking, emergency contacts, and entertainment hotspot for the kids' tablet)
- Portable charger (your phone is now a map, translator, restaurant finder, and kids' entertainment system)
See my full family packing guide for the complete checklist.
Flights With Kids (The Survival Guide)
I've done 12 international flights with Lily and Max. Here's what I've learned:
Before Boarding
- Burn their energy. Find the play area at the airport. If there isn't one, walk laps. A tired kid on a plane is a sleeping kid on a plane.
- Pre-download everything. Netflix episodes, games, audiobooks. All downloaded to the tablet over Wi-Fi before leaving home. Don't rely on airline Wi-Fi.
- Pack a snack bag per kid. Granola bars, dried fruit, crackers, one "special" treat they don't usually get. The treat is deployed only during takeoff tantrum emergencies.
Seat Strategy
- Bulkhead rows give you extra legroom and floor space. Worth paying for on flights over 4 hours.
- Window seat for Lily (she likes looking out). Middle seat for Max (between two parents). Aisle for David (easy escape route for bathroom trips and pacing with a restless kid).
- Never separate the family. Pay for seat selection if you have to. A 4-year-old sitting alone next to a stranger is everyone's nightmare.
The Entertainment Rotation
We rotate activities every 30-45 minutes:
- Tablet (30 min)
- Colouring book (30 min)
- Snack break (15 min)
- Window watching / walk to bathroom (15 min)
- Tablet again (30 min)
- Stickers (20 min)
- Sleep (pray)
This rotation gets us through about 3 hours. For longer flights, repeat and add a movie. For the 12 flights we've done, this system has a 75% success rate. The other 25% involved crying, apologising to neighbours, and promising ourselves we'd never fly again (we always do).
Accommodation: Hotels vs Airbnbs
Airbnbs (Our Default)
- Kitchen (cook meals when restaurants are impractical at 5pm kid dinner time)
- Washing machine (you will need it by day 3)
- Separate bedrooms (kids sleep at 7:30, parents get an evening)
- Living space (kids need room to exist that isn't a bed)
- Usually cheaper for 4 people than 2 hotel rooms
Hotels (Occasional)
- When we're only staying 1-2 nights (Airbnb check-in is harder for short stays)
- When we want a pool (kids will swim for 6 hours straight, giving parents peace)
- When we find a great deal with breakfast included (family breakfast at a hotel buffet is genuinely one of the highlights of travel with kids)
Finding family-friendly accommodation requires research, which requires data. I scout options from my phone constantly: on buses, in cafes, after the kids are asleep. Having a GOAN eSIM means I'm not limited to hotel Wi-Fi for this.
The Daily Routine (Flexible)
| Time | Activity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 6:30-7:30am | Kids wake up (they don't care about timezones) | |
| 7:30-8:30 | Breakfast | Cafe or Airbnb kitchen |
| 9:00-11:30 | Morning activity | Beach, market, museum, walk |
| 11:30-1:00 | Lunch + rest | Find shade, let them decompress |
| 1:00-2:00 | Max naps (sometimes) | Lily reads or draws |
| 2:30-4:30 | Afternoon activity | Pool, playground, gentle exploration |
| 5:00-6:00 | Dinner (yes, 5pm, don't judge us) | |
| 6:30-7:30 | Wind down, bath, bed | |
| 7:30+ | Parent time | Wine, planning tomorrow, being adults |
This schedule looks rigid on paper but it's actually liberating. Knowing the framework means we don't waste energy deciding "what now?" every 2 hours. We just fill the slots with whatever the destination offers.
Phone as Parenting Tool
I'm not ashamed to say it: my phone is essential for travelling with kids. Here's how:
- Maps: Finding the nearest playground, pharmacy, or kid-friendly restaurant
- Translation: Explaining allergies to restaurant staff ("he can't eat peanuts" in 4 languages, saved in my notes)
- Entertainment: Tablet hotspot from my eSIM when the hotel Wi-Fi can't handle Netflix
- Emergency contacts: Paediatrician's phone number, hospital locations, our travel insurance helpline
- Photos: Capturing the moments (Max's face when he saw the ocean in Bali, Lily reading a map upside down in Kyoto)
- Booking: Changing plans on the fly when the weather changes or a kid gets sick
All of this requires data. Not "when I find Wi-Fi." Right now. A sick kid at 11pm doesn't wait for you to find a cafe with internet.
David and I both have GOAN eSIMs on the family group plan ($29 each for 20GB). Both phones work everywhere. Both phones have real numbers for calling doctors, hotels, or emergency services.
The Magic Moments
For all the meltdowns and logistics, there are moments that make every stressed airport sprint worth it.
Lily seeing the ocean for the first time in Bali. She stood at the edge of the water and said "it goes forever." She's right. It does.
Max making friends with a kid in a Marrakech souk. They didn't share a language. They shared a ball. That was enough for an hour of joy.
Both of them falling asleep in a tuk-tuk in Bangkok, heads leaning on each other, while the city buzzed around them.
These are the memories that matter. Not the perfect Instagram shot. Not the Michelin restaurant. The real, messy, beautiful moments of showing your kids the world.
Start with a destination, a plan (loose), and a phone that works everywhere.
