Traveling With a Party of 4: The Basics
Travel Breasy is your guide to make luxury family travel easy. Our basics post will help you navigate your first trip with baby, making it a breeze.
Hi I’m Jesseca, a mom of 2 that is super passionate about travel experiences. Of course this looks so different than my travel pre-babies. My goal is to create a community of families who love to adventure, and can do it stress free.
Pre-babies I had the opportunity to visit 37 countries across 4 continents. A lot of this travel happened in college on Semester at Sea, combined with 2 Europe trips. But the other half was as a 20-something who was curious and adventurous. I saved my money to explore places that were exotic to me, like 27 Charcos in the Dominican Republic, and the delicious food and delectable sights of Bangkok.
But these days between feed and sleep schedules, and the obscene amount of gear we think we need to travel, it looks very different!
Here are some basics we’ve learned from traveling the past 2 years with a baby.
Destinations
The most important advice I can share is your first trip with baby should be short, so it can be sweet. When traveling on a plane, you want the first go round to be less than 90 minutes in case baby doesn’t do well on the plane. And if you crave adventuring somewhere far away and have to bring baby with you, do it before they can walk! Containing our walking toddler on a 6 hour fight to Hawaii was not fun and I do not recommend it.
Consider family friendly resorts like Ojai Valley Inn so you don’t have to spend time in a car or traveling. This really minimizes the stress and the need for using the car seat and stroller.
Avoid crowded theme parks or places like the zoo until your kids are old enough to enjoy the experience. Otherwise you spend a lot of money (and stress) for something they could take or leave.
Do seek out destinations with kid focused museums, like OMSI in Portland or Discovery Cube in Irvine, and then build a trip around it by staying at a hotel the parents can enjoy.
If your kid(s) are water babies like mine, seek out a hotel with a luxurious pool and spend your entire vacation swimming and ordering yummy food and drinks. One of our favorites is Brasada in Ben, OR.
For our paid subscribers we share a new destination guide each month that includes family focused itineraries and location specific travel guides.
Checklist for Packing
Keep it light! Over packing will just make the trip stressful trying to transport, unpack, repack, find that extra pacifier you know you stashed somewhere etc. And if it’s disposable, like diapers, buy it when you arrive rather than bringing extra bags of stuff.
Portable baby monitor (put baby to bed and enjoy a beverage in your room!)
Eating and bottling supplies (don’t forget the bib for the carry on)
Snacks that are easy to clean up, including some for your room if you’re at a hotel
3 sets of clothes for travel in case they have a blowout, spit up, or both!
Swimsuit and swim diaper if there is water + sunscreen
Hygiene products including diaper cream
Minimal books and toys, exploring the destination will replace the need for toys, but I do suggest books for bedtime to help keep the routine familiar
Travel stroller that you can check at the gate and is easy to break down for security
Car seat
Want to leave all this gear behind? Consider using BabyQuip.com to rent it at your destination.
What Not to Bring
Pack n play - try booking a hotel or short-term rental that can provide a crib or pack n play (bring your own sheet to keep it familiar for baby)
Excessive toys that take up space in your luggage
Wipes and diapers - we bring enough for 24 hours, and buy more when we arrive
Are there travel essentials you love but don’t see here? Leave a comment to share with our community.