Traveling with Children: Best Tips for Flying, Riding Buses, Trains and Private Transport

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New to traveling with children or just looking for a refresher? We share below our best tips below for flying, riding buses, trains and other types of private transportation while traveling with children.

Check out our in-depth guide to planning family travel abroad for more information on preparing to travel with kids.

Flying

1. Arrive at least 3 hours before your flight departure time. This allows ample time to find your check-in counter, go through the check-in process (including checked bags, if any), go through security (this can be quite a headache with kids!), find your departing gate (this can be a long walking distance or even train ride away!), take a pitstop, and for you to calmly pick up any last minute snacks and water before your flight. When checking-in, always ask if they have any bulkhead seats available. If they do, they’ll assign it to you without any upgrade seat charge that people normally pay when they select that seat in advance (similar to emergency row seats, which you can only request if you have older children 15+). This is a great way to snag an upgrade if they haven’t given those seats away yet, another reason to get to the airport early!
2. Take advantage of your priority boarding status “Traveling with children”. If you’re not flying first/business class or have status with the airline, make sure to take advantage of pre-boarding. Remember to stay close to the front where boarding passes are checked. After boarding first/business class and anyone with status, they will then offer pre-boarding for those with children or who need assistance. We didn’t understand this perk until we started traveling with our little ones and the airline staff would see us and usher us to the front of the line, including in security and customs lines (always look for the family symbol). This doesn’t always happen as we’ve seen families hang out in the back waiting for their turn according to their boarding number/letter. We have no shame using it and have never had any issue taking along other travelers on our itinerary with us (my brother and his girlfriend, my sister, my parents).
3. Make sure you have easy access to essentials, toys, entertainment, snacks etc while seated. As soon as you board, get your kids secured into their seats (especially if you have a carseat or Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES) harness** to set up). Then make sure that you put anything you need easy access to in your under-the-seat carry on, not your overhead bin bag. During take off and landing (which can feel like an eternity with a crying child), you cannot take anything out of your overhead bin bag.
4. Wear layers and make sure to pack a change of clothes (or two or three for littles ones). If you packed only carry-on, you’re all set since you should have all your clothes with you. If you checked-in luggage, always make sure to pack a change of clothes (or a few changes) for your little one and yourself in case of any accidents. We also highly recommend preparing yourself by wearing layers. Temperatures onboard change quickly – often a bit stuffy when everyone is boarding, then starts to drop and feel cold once in the air. This allows you to adjust your clothing until it feels good, otherwise you could be stuck choosing to stay in a t-shirt (too cold) or wearing a thick jacket (too hot).
5. Go for a walk. When the plane has reached a stable altitude, the captain will turn off the seat belt sign. If you’re on a long flight, make sure to take your child for a walk every now and then (we all need to stretch our legs!). Especially if it’s their first flight, they will enjoy seeing the other passengers (especially children!) and flight staff and discovering the plane.
6. Be prepared for ear pain. Due to the change in pressure in the cabin when taking off and landing, your little one may experience discomfort. A pacifier or baby bottle can help (you can also breastfeed if your little one doesn’t have his/her own seat and is a lap infant). You can also try giving him/her something to nibble/chew on or bring a paid of earplanes** to try. Not all children will want to keep these earplugs in!
7. Don’t stress about other passengers if your little one is crying. When you’re in a restaurant or a store, often parents take their children out – When you’re in a plane, there’s nowhere to go. Don’t panic! Take care of your child and don’t worry about the other passengers. Sure, you can try fun travel toys and entertainment, take them for a walk (if it’s not during take off or landing), help make them comfortable, but sometimes you just can’t console them, especially if he/she has ear pain. This happened with both our kids when they were babies. Luckily, we were always seated by understanding people (some even offering things to try).
8. If you want to learn more about traveling with a lap infant and/or safety restraint choices while flying, check out our tips in this blog post.

(mini) Bus

We love riding buses/mini-buses with our little ones! Though it can sometimes be slower (though not always), buses are a fun way to travel. They have big windows so kids can take in the new surroundings and are roomier than a car/taxi. 

1. You don’t need to worry about needing to find or pay for parking, but you do need to know where the bus stops / stations are and the frequency of stops in advance (you can always ask your hotel/accommodations). That way you can make sure to arrive in plenty of time if the stops are infrequent so you don’t miss it and are stuck waiting for the next one. If you don’t have a local tourist map indicating where the stops are, don’t worry, Google maps shows them!
2. There is a large storage compartment underneath the bus for your luggage. Make sure to remove all valuables and place them in a day pack that you are comfortable keeping with you on the bus. Most times there is an overhead bin, but if it’s a small bag, we recommend you keep it at your feet, on your side (if you’re in the window seat) or on your lap, especially if it’s a long ride and it’s possible you’d fall asleep. 
3. If you’re taking a long haul bus, make sure to ensure they have heating/air conditioning (if needed) and an onboard toilet. Since there was not one on a 5 hour bus ride when we went to Costa Rica, we opted for a private shuttle as our kids had just turned 1 and 3 at the time (one still in diapers and the other had just potty trained!).

Train

Similar to buses, trains are fun for kids, especially if they’ve never ridden one before (and even more so if you’re doing a sleeper train!). 

1. Again like buses, you’ll need to know where the train stops / stations are and the frequency of stops in advance (you can always ask your hotel/accommodations). That way you can make sure to arrive in plenty of time if the stops are infrequent so you don’t miss it and are stuck waiting for the next one. If you don’t have a local tourist map indicating where the stops are, don’t worry, Google maps shows them!
2. Ask your child if they want to hand their ticket to the collector once he/she comes around.
3. If you’re riding a long route, take your child for a walk to explore! Some have bars and it’s fun to be able to order a drink/snack.
4. If you can book your seat in advance, make sure to book a forwards facing seat (not a backwards facing one) and check if they have seating arrangements with a large table to share, and not just a tray table.
5. Be prepared, set an alarm in advance if you intend to sleep as you want to make sure you’re able to tidy up and get your kids ready to leave the train when your stop arrives.

Car Rental/Taxi/Private Transport

Though we love public transportation, sometimes it’s easier, faster and more convenient to take private transportation, especially if you’re tight on time.

1. If you’re traveling without a carseat and need one, make sure to arrange this request with the company in advance (Taxis and Private Car transports have never charged us, but depending on which car rental company you go with, there may be a daily surcharge). Regular taxis you hair on the street will not have a carseat. 
2. If you want to bring a lightweight carseat that you can carry around and move from taxi to taxi, consider getting the Trunki booster seat** we mentioned earlier for ages 3+ (this goes to the Amazon UK website since it’s not available on Amazon US. It’s the only portable seat officially approved for use as a proper carseat booster in the EU) or the blow up Bubblebum** for ages 4+.
3. If you decide to book a shuttle service, make sure you know and are paying for what you want (make sure it’s private and not shared transport like a minibus).
4. If you want to do a private tour, look for a safe driver/tour guide combo.
5. If you rent a car, make sure to get the required insurance (unless you have something like the Chase Sapphire Reserve that covers Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver).

Looking for more? Check out our in-depth guide to planning family travel abroad for more information on preparing to travel with kids.

If you want to learn more about what type of accommodation to book while traveling with kids, check out this blog post.

Learned a trick or want to share a tip you’ve learned while traveling with your kids? Please share with us in the comments below. We love hearing from you!

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