How to travel with kids: expert tips for family trips

There’s nothing worse than being a prisoner to your baby’s naps on holiday. Separate sleep spaces don’t need to cost the earth; with a bit of creative thinking, you can make a nursery out of a walk-in wardrobe or even a bathroom. Think about where your baby monitor will stretch during nap times (and how far away you’re comfortable with being). Rooms with outdoor spaces, balconies, private pools or beachfront access are the ultimate parent pleasers. We love Château les Carrasses for spacious surroundings with hotel services and Monastery Estate Retreat for affordable private pools.

You don’t have to change your holiday style, just maybe the number of sights on your itinerary. Enjoy a more relaxed pace with plenty of snacking and playground pit stops, and everyone will be a lot happier.

Whilst travelling with only hand luggage may be a thing of your pre-parent past, there are definitely ways to get smart with your suitcase. Email ahead to check what is available for tiny travellers. So many hotels, villas and even Airbnbs offer a whole range of baby equipment, even if it’s not openly advertised. Hotels such as Almyra and Peligoni offer stress-saving packing services. Multi-functional and flatpack items are your new best friends. We love Babymoov’s range of pop up UV tents, the Kidly collapsible bucket and spade, and the Stokke Flexi bath.

The destination is always worth the journey – but the journey doesn’t have to be all that bad. Planes act as a giant white noise machine, plus your baby is never as loud as you think (especially as most people have their headphones in). Feed on take off and landing to help equalise your baby’s ears. Pack snacks, snacks and more snacks. The novelty of new toys provides a lot of entertainment, especially if wrapped like presents first (Facebook Marketplace, Flying Tiger and local charity shops are great for this). Don’t forget to pack a spare change of clothes for you as well as the baby. Bring your sling on board to help walk your tiny traveller to sleep, and if you’re flying long-haul, look to book bassinet seats.

Babies are creatures of habit, so try to stick to your normal routine as best you can. This doesn’t mean being militant about timings – you are on holiday, after all – but creating a home-from-home vibe. Take a pillow spray with you, so wherever your baby’s bed is for the night it always smells the same. If your tiny travellers reliably drop off in their car seat, consider some day trips. Familiarise your baby with their new sleep environment as quickly as possible by playing a few games in the travel cot – bonus points if you can make your baby laugh. Making them feel safe and secure in their new sleep space will do wonders for minimising those middle of the night wake-ups. SnoozeShades are a lifesaver for naps on the go, blocking out 99 percent of UV rays and sunlight.

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