Journalist Emily Siner went on a trip to Japan with her 8-month-old son and knew it would be daunting. What should she pack? What should she expect? Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR
Journalist Emily Siner went on a trip to Japan with her 8-month-old son and knew it would be daunting. What should she pack? What should she expect?
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR
Last winter, my husband and I made the ambitious decision to fly 13 hours with our 8 month old for a two-week vacation around Japan.
We knew flying with a baby would be daunting. What if he has a meltdown on the airplane? What gear do we bring? How will he adjust to the 15-hour time change? And ... will we actually get to enjoy ourselves?
Siner's husband and their 8-month-old son on the 13-hour flight to Tokyo. Siner says their baby loved watching other passengers on the plane. Emily Siner hide caption
toggle caption
Emily Siner
Siner's husband and their 8-month-old son on the 13-hour flight to Tokyo. Siner says their baby loved watching other passengers on the plane.
Emily Siner
Preethi Harbuck, author of the travel blog Local Passport Family and a mom of six agrees that taking a big trip with young children — that is, babies and toddlers under age 2 — isn't easy. But with the right preparation and mindset, it can also be fun for everyone. You may even be able to "connect with people and places in a new way that [you] wouldn't have been able to experience without kids," she says.
To help set parents up for success, Harbuck and Christine Sarkis, editor-in-chief of the travel website Family Vacationist, share tips on what to pack, how to overcome travel challenges and set realistic expectations.
Take a practice trip
Before you pack your passports for a big international trip, try a shorter trip that's closer to home so you can work out the kinks of traveling with a young child. Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR
Before you pack your passports for a big international trip, try a shorter trip that's closer to home so you can work out the kinks of traveling with a young child.
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR
The first step to preparing for a big trip is to take a smaller one, like an overnight trip somewhere close by. It can give you a sense of what it's like to travel with your little one and grow your confidence, says Harbuck. "Find what feels comfortable and keep practicing. It will become easier."
Luckily, my husband and I had a chance to take some shorter trips with our baby before going to Japan. When our baby was three months old, we stayed overnight at a cabin about a half hour away by car. A month later, we took an 8-hour road trip to Chicago to see family.
Life Kit
How to take better (and more distinctive) photos on vacation
From these outings. I learned how important it was to pack a sound machine, which helps my baby fall asleep, and a portable diaper changing pad. I also learned that I didn't need to bring too many toys. My kid loved watching other people talk, walk and interact with each other.
So when we went to Japan, I put those lessons to use. I packed the essentials, left half the toys behind and made sure to sit in an aisle seat on the plane so that my baby, who sat on my lap, could get a good view of the passengers and stay entertained.
Make plans your future self will thank you for
When traveling with a baby or a toddler, everything becomes a little more complicated. There's a lot more to pack (more on that later) and a lot more considerations to make (like naps and kid-friendly meals, perhaps). So the key is to prioritize decisions that will simplify travel, says Sarkis. "Anything you can do to smooth your way [will make you] so happy with yourself."
Here are some planning decisions that our experts recommend.
Put your kid in their own plane seat. Many airlines allow kids under 2 to fly in your lap for a very low rate, sometimes even for free. While that can make travel more budget friendly, Harbuck says it's worth buying your child their own seat. Placing them in a car seat is the safest place for them to sit on an airplane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Plus, having your own seats can make long flights more comfortable for the both of you.
Consider their developmental stage. Keep in mind that your child's needs will change as they age. For example, if your kid is walking, it may be harder to "keep them busy and happy" on the airplane, says Sarkis. So you might enjoy your trip more if you choose a destination that's closer to home. Anticipate what stage they'll be in at the time of travel and plan accordingly.
Add more adults to the trip. My husband and I traveled with friends for part of our trip around Japan. They helped us carry luggage and held our baby while we ate. "If you have someone to trade off with, that's really helpful," says Sarkis.
Life Kit
7 tips to help you keep the peace when traveling with a group
Book a vacation rental. If you are traveling with a little one who still naps in the middle of the day or has an early bedtime, you may not want to book a single hotel room. Sarkis says she made that mistake on a trip once and had to bring pillows into the bathtub just to have a place to read after her kids went to bed. "Whereas in a vacation rental I could have sat on a couch."
Plan solo time. Carve out time for you and your travel partners to do things without the baby. On our trip to Japan, my husband and I decided we'd give each other as much time as we wanted in the guesthouse onsen, the heated communal bath, while the other watched our sleeping baby. Another night, we hired a babysitter so we could go out together and sing karaoke.
Pack well ... and lightly
It’s hard to travel light with a baby. So opt for the travel versions of strollers, cribs and car seats — they are often smaller and weigh less than the usual gear.
Credit: Becky Harlan/NPR
Portable cribs, high chairs, playpens and sleep canopies? There's no shortage of recommendations when it comes to choosing travel gear for your little one. But the No. 1 takeaway is to make sure "everything you're carrying is worth the stress of carrying it," says Sarkis.
Life Kit
Planning a trip? Here's how to pack like a pro
Focus on the basic gear. At the minimum, your child will likely need a stroller or baby carrier to get around, a car seat for car trips and a safe place to sleep, like a portable crib. See if you can get travel versions of that gear, which are often lighter, smaller and easier to carry. Many airlines will let you check a stroller and a car seat for free, either before you go through security or at the gate. (If you do this, get some sort of carrying case to protect them.)
Cut down the big stuff ... There may be opportunities to leave some of that gear behind, says Sarkis. Check whether you can rent a stroller at your destination. Your accommodation may offer baby cribs. And some ridesharing apps may have vehicles outfitted with infant car seats.
... and the little stuff. "Kids live all around the world so you can access most of what you really, truly need" at your destination, says Harbuck. If your luggage is getting too full, consider buying diapers, wipes, formula or baby food when you land. In Japan, we did laundry halfway through our trip to minimize the clothing we had to pack.
Set your expectations
Traveling with young children alters the nature of the experience. It's important to set realistic expectations for your trip. Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR hide caption
toggle caption
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR
Traveling with young children alters the nature of the experience. It's important to set realistic expectations for your trip.
Photo Illustration by Becky Harlan/NPR
I'll be honest: There were a lot of moments on our trip when I felt overwhelmed and a bit disappointed. Like when my jet-lagged baby woke up crying at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and somehow again at 3:30 a.m. — for two nights in a row.
Both Harbuck and Sarkis acknowledge that post-kid travel is harder in many ways. But there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success.
Redirect your attention to the positive aspects of your journey. "If you're focused only on the challenges, you're going to miss the joys," says Sarkis. For me, it was delightful to witness my baby do new things in Japan. He ate new foods like udon, miso soup and smoked fish. He was mesmerized by the Ryoanji Temple's rock garden in Kyoto and even more mesmerized by the steady stream of tourists' faces to observe.
Life Kit
A flight expert's hot take on holiday travel: 'Don't do it'
See drawbacks as opportunities. If you have to go back to your hotel twice a day to let your child nap, see it as a moment to read, journal or "recharge for the next thing you do," says Sarkis.
Look out for special ways your child is helping you connect with the world. On flights, our neighbors told us about their own children or nieces and nephews. In restaurants, servers would come over to coo at him and make conversation with us in the process, despite the language barrier.
And finally, give yourself some kudos. For us parents, traveling was a big priority for us before he was born, and the experience made us proud to realize that yes — even with a small child, we can still see the world.
The audio portion of this episode was produced by Andee Tagle. The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and sign up for our newsletter.
