Yes, I can’t believe I’m writing this post. You’d think that as a mom who doesn’t imagine traveling anywhere without her kids, I wouldn’t find anything I didn’t like about it.

What can I say mama? Traveling with kids it’s life-changing, meaningful, and so enriching but girl, it takes some real massive dose of patience, muscles, and energy. One day I read that to truly confirm how much you love something, you must be willing to eat the SH*T sandwich that comes with it.

Well, today I’d like to tell you all about that sandwich 😆

Is Family Travel something you’d like to try? Here are some of the most annoying things you can expect about traveling with children.

Carrying more things than you thought possible 24/7.

Just like the people multiplied, so will your bags and travel equipment and, since your little bundles won’t be carrying much, it will be up to you to transport ALL OF YOU from place to place. Some of the usuals you can expect to carry include but are not limited to Knocked-out kids, babies, babies in baby carriers, strollers, baby carriers without babies, snacks, luggage, kid toys, backpacks, more bags, etc.

The places where you’d most likely be carrying them are train stations and airports. Who am I kidding, you can expect to carry them pretty much the entire trip.

Never knowing if they will eat.

Because even if your child eats rice and veggies at home, nothing will guarantee that they’ll eat rice and veggies when traveling. Finding good food options for kids when abroad, it’s not as challenging as you may think but, making sure they eat it is a whole different story. Most of it has to do with the routine and sometimes time-zone changes. I say pack on the snacks and don’t feel guilty if lunch and/or dinner end up being chicken nuggets for a couple of days.

Wide awake kids in the middle of the night.

Thank you again time zone changes. Kids who won’t want to sleep is something that you can expect to happen on almost every trip. Sometimes it will be the change in schedule, and sometimes it will be the change of environment. Different beds, different daily stimulation, and different routine can all affect your children’s sleep cycle. The good news is that it doesn’t last very long. After having slept in more than 50 different hotels/Airbnb with our kids so far, I’ve come to the conclusion that at around the 2- 4 day mark, everyone will be more adjusted to the new schedule, including your kids. I say battle it out by exploring as much as you can during the day, so your kids are pretty tired when it’s time to go to bed.

Perfectly able to walk kids, refusing to walk.

Oh, the fantastic toddler stage. You can’t wait for your babies to start walking so you don’t have to carry them anymore, and then surprise! somehow you still end up having to carry them, only now they’re heavier 😂 On the bright side, this is something that you’d have to manage even when you’re not traveling so, why not make an adventure of it. In my experience, I’ve found that kids usually ask to be carried not necessarily because they’re tired. Sometimes they want to feel you care for them, sometimes they ask just because they know you’ll do it.

Getting your kids excited about where you’re walking to, telling a story as you walk, or doing something fun like chasing pigeons in the middle of your walk, can help you keep your little ones walking longer.

Having to unexpectedly find restrooms.

This can be especially annoying if it happens during an inconvenient time, say…while riding a Tuk-tuk in Cambodia but, since restrooms are something that we use all around the world, actually finding one shouldn’t be hard at all. The urgency of when you might need access to one will change based on your kid’s age. Babies will probably be the most flexible since you could do a diaper change basically anywhere; on the other hand, potty training kids will be the most challenging to handle. A good family travel habit is to stop at every restroom you find to “empty” your kids out at every chance you’ve got.

Answering the “Are we there yet?” question more times than you can imagine.

One of the most rewarding things about traveling with your kids is that Travel allows them to live more deeply in the NOW. But…sometimes this “now” might not be as exciting for your kids, especially if it happens during a long drive or flight, which may kickstart an intense round of “are we there yet?”. The best way I like to respond to this mind and patience workout is by creating a sort of imaginary roadmap for my toddler. Every time she asks, I tell her exactly where we are in the “map” and all the “stops” we still need to make.

Being tired. All-day. Every day.

In all honesty…I didn’t even know how tired I could be before I decided to travel with my kids. We already discussed all the carrying around but, add the activity level that most trips require, the daily getting ready and late family showers, the laundry, and all the decision making, yep. It is pretty exhausting! The only thing that I’ve found that helps alleviate this is “Slow Travel”. Giving yourself more time to visit and absorb each place, will let turn the intensity down on your daily activities, giving you enough time to rest and reset.

And there you have it. 7 of the most annoying things about traveling with kids. 7 Reasons that may keep you from exploring the world with your children.

Do you know what I say? I say do it anyway.

---

Learn more about how I started traveling with my kids right here.