Top tips for travelling with kids without losing your sanity

1. Plan your travel times around your children, not just the price

It is so tempting to grab the cheapest flight, but with little ones, timing can be everything.

Think about when your child is generally happiest. Are they early birds or do they cope better later in the day? 

Avoid extremely tight connections. A “short” transit with tired kids, queues and a long walk between gates can be a recipe for stress. 

Consider how your child copes with being woken up very early or kept up very late. Sometimes paying a bit more for better timings is worth every penny for your sanity.

When I help families, I always start by looking for routes and timings that fit the children’s natural rhythm as closely as possible.

2. Pack a “survival kit” for each child

Think of this as your secret weapon bag: small, lightweight and full of things that buy you calm during key moments.

Ideas to include:

• A refillable water bottle and a few favourite snacks 
• Age‑appropriate activities: colouring, stickers, puzzle books, card games 
• A small cuddly toy or comforter 
• Child‑safe headphones and a device pre‑loaded with programmes, films or audiobooks (download before you leave home)

For younger kids, it can help to wrap a couple of tiny surprises in tissue paper. You can “reveal” these at take‑off, during a delay, or on a long transfer. The unwrapping itself becomes an activity and can diffuse tension beautifully.

3. Think seriously about space and sleep

Tired children plus cramped space is a classic holiday stress trigger.

When looking at accommodation, consider:

• Would interconnecting rooms or a separate living area make bedtimes easier? 
• Is there a way to create a dark, quiet space for naps? 
• Are blackout curtains or shutters available? 
• Can adults still sit up, talk or watch a film once the kids are in bed?

This is one of the areas where a bit of extra budget can have huge impact. A slightly larger room, a balcony, or a separate sleeping area for the kids can turn evenings from “trapped in the dark” into “relaxed and actually enjoying a drink together”.

When I’m matching families with hotels, I look carefully at the room layouts and descriptions, not just the headline images.

4. Don’t over‑schedule: build in slow days

It’s natural to want to “make the most” of a holiday, especially if you have travelled a long way. But packing in an activity every day is often a fast track to over‑tired, overwhelmed children (and frazzled parents).

Instead:

Alternate busy days (excursions, sightseeing, theme parks) with slow days (pool, beach, gentle exploring nearby). 

Keep at least one “nothing fixed” day where you can follow everyone’s mood. 

Accept that sometimes the kids’ favourite memory will be the hotel pool, not the famous monument.

A good rule of thumb: aim to come home feeling tired in a happy way, not counting down the hours until school starts so you can recover.

5. Prepare kids for what to expect

Children often cope better when they know what is coming.

Before you travel:

Talk them through the journey step by step: taxi to the airport, check‑in, security, waiting, flight, arrival, transfer, hotel. 

Show them pictures of the plane, airport, and hotel so things feel familiar. 

Explain any new rules: for example, why they need to sit with a seatbelt on during take‑off, or why we use “inside voices” in certain areas.

Involving them in the process, even in small ways, can make them feel more secure and cooperative. Let them help pack their own little bag, choose a special toy to bring, or pick a “holiday outfit” for travel day.

6. Protect your own energy too

Happy parents usually equal happier kids.

A few simple things can help:

Eat and drink regularly yourself, not just the children. It is easy to forget when you are in “logistics mode”. 

Share responsibilities if you are travelling as two adults. One handles check‑in while the other keeps the children occupied, then swap. 

Lower expectations about perfection. Delays, spills and tears will probably happen at some point. That does not mean the holiday is ruined.

It can also help to have one or two non‑negotiable mini‑moments for you during the trip: a quiet coffee on the balcony before the kids wake, a solo swim, or even just ten minutes with a book.

7. Use your travel advisor (Me!) as your “calm in the chaos”

You do not have to figure everything out alone.

When you work with a trusted travel advisor:

We help you choose flight times, routes and transfers that work for your family. 

We look closely at room types, child policies, kids’ clubs and facilities, instead of just the glossy photos. 

We can suggest destinations and resorts that genuinely understand families, from highchairs to early meal times and baby equipment. 

If plans change or things go wrong, you have one person to contact, not a different call centre for every part of your trip.

The goal is simple: you spend more time making memories with your children and less time juggling logistics or worrying about what you might have missed.

Final thoughts

Travelling with kids will always have its unpredictable moments, and that is part of the adventure. But with thoughtful planning, the right expectations and a few sanity‑saving tricks up your sleeve, you can turn potential stress into a smoother, more enjoyable journey for everyone. If you would like help planning a family holiday that actually works for your children’s ages, routines and personalities, I would love to chat through ideas with you and take the pressure off the planning.