Tips for Traveling as a Mom (Without Losing Your Sanity)
- ashleemaez
- Sep 26
- 4 min read
Traveling with kids isn’t easy. There are meltdowns, missed naps, forgotten snacks, and those airport stares when your toddler decides to scream like a pterodactyl. But there’s also magic: watching them see the ocean for the first time, hearing their giggles on a train ride, or sharing a donut at sunrise before a long drive.
Over the years, I’ve learned a few things that make traveling with kids less chaotic and way more memorable. Here are my go-to tips:
1. Book Accommodations with a Kitchen
Hotels are fun, but when you’re traveling with kids, having a kitchen is a game-changer. Being able to whip up breakfast, prep snacks, or reheat leftovers saves money and sanity.
If we’re flying somewhere for a longer trip, we always do a Costco run before heading to our hotel or Airbnb. Diapers, eggs, pastries, snacks — all the basics to stock the house so we’re not scrambling or eating out for every meal. We usually plan for just one meal a day out to cut costs and keep the kids from melting down in too many restaurants. The rest we handle ourselves, which makes travel feel a little less chaotic and a lot more affordable.
And if you’re in a hotel with a baby on bottles, here’s a little hack: those plastic bins they send you home with from the hospital? We bring one along to wash bottles in instead of having to scrub out the bathroom sink every single time. It makes things so much easier and feels way more sanitary.
Also, don’t be afraid to just grab takeout and head back to your hotel or Airbnb. Honestly, going out with the kids has become more stressful than not, so we’ll pick something up, head back, and relax with a movie or let the kids play outside. Sometimes those quiet nights in are the sweetest travel memories.
2. Pack More Snacks Than You Think
If you think you’ve packed enough snacks, you haven’t. I’ve learned to bring more snacks than hours in the trip. Some of our go-tos from Costco are fruit snacks, Goldfish, and beef sticks. Balance is balance, and they’ve saved us more than once.
Snacks aren’t just for the plane or car either. They come in clutch when you skip a sit-down meal and opt for takeout instead. The kids can munch on something while we’re waiting on food, or it turns into an easy “movie night dinner” back at the hotel or Airbnb. One time, we survived a three-hour delay thanks to a single pack of fruit snacks I almost didn’t grab. Lesson learned: never underestimate the power of snacks.
3. Prep for the Airport Security Gauntlet
Airport security with kids is a lot. When Egan was still on breast milk, TSA had to thoroughly screen both my milk and his formula. Now that he’s still on formula, I anticipate getting stopped again every time we fly. Add in his heart defibrillator, and we’ve had more than one “extra screening” experience.
Once, the process took so long that we actually missed our flight because we hadn’t built in enough buffer time. We ended up hopping on a train to New York City for the day before catching a later flight home. Stressful at the time, but now it’s one of those wild memories we laugh about.
And a heads-up: TSA has tossed an ice pack on me before when it thawed, even though it was clearly for formula. My tip is to bring cheaper ones you don’t mind losing if they won’t still be frozen when you go back through. Pack liquids in a clear bag, know your rights (breast milk, formula, and ice packs are allowed through security), and be ready to calmly explain medical gear. It is stressful, but being prepared helps keep things smoother.
4. Entertainment Rotation
Bring a small bag of toys or activities that your kids haven’t seen in a while. I like to rotate travel toys so they feel new again. Coloring pads, stickers, and fidget toys are lifesavers for plane rides or long car trips.
Sometimes I’ll even grab something new on a Costco run before a trip, like a fresh coloring pad or a bulk pack of sticker books. Having something new, or at least new-to-them, can buy you pockets of peace you wouldn’t otherwise get. On one road trip, I pulled out a toy car Clementine hadn’t seen in months and it bought us almost an hour of quiet. Pure gold.
Screen time is a lifesaver on vacation. I always make sure we have tons of shows, movies, and games downloaded before we go. A tablet with headphones has saved us on flights, long car rides, and even during downtime in the hotel.
5. Comfort Items Are Non-Negotiable
Favorite stuffed animals, blankets, or pacifiers aren’t just for bedtime. They are lifesavers for airports, car naps, and hotel transitions too. Don’t underestimate the power of comfort when everything else feels new and overwhelming. For us, Clementine’s dog Sammy (who was mine when I was little) has to go everywhere with us. He’s practically part of the travel crew at this point.
And in general, wipes are the unsung hero of travel. They clean sticky hands, messy faces, spilled snacks, random surfaces, and pretty much anything kids manage to get into. I keep packs stashed in the car, in my carry-on, and in our day bag so we’re never without them.
6. Don’t Forget Yourself
It’s easy to get so focused on packing for the kids that you forget to pack for yourself. But your sanity matters too. I always make sure I have headphones, a good playlist or podcast downloaded, and my Kindle for a few minutes of reading when I can grab them. Even five quiet minutes with a latte at the airport feels like a reset before the chaos.
I also stash a few of my own essentials in easy reach, like snacks I don’t have to share and chapstick. Traveling as a mom means your needs can get lost in the shuffle, but the trip goes a lot smoother when you take care of yourself along the way.
Final Thought
Traveling with little ones is messy, magical, and everything in between. If you’re in the middle of planning, I hope these tips make your trip smoother and remind you that the chaos is part of the story. Adventure doesn’t end when you have kids, it just looks different.
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