Tips for travelling with baby & toddler

A holiday with a baby is best prepared carefully

Planning is everything:

Take time to prepare the holiday and inform yourselves as much as possible about travel and the destination. That way you can make the trip more relaxed.

Getting used to travel:

Take a trial trip, for example for a long weekend to friends or relatives. This way your baby gets used to the situation and you know what to pay attention to on the big holiday.

Packing list:

If you have a baby, you travel with a lot of luggage: make a packing list in good time with everything you need for your child and don’t hesitate to remove unnecessary items.

Travel documents:

Children also need a passport, and travel health insurance for the whole family as well as vaccination records are advisable. Note: Parents who have a different last name than their children may have to present copies of the birth certificates when flying.

Travel time:

The advantage of a holiday with a baby is that you are not tied to school holidays. If possible, you should travel outside the peak season; that is more relaxed for everyone involved and usually much cheaper.

Choosing the destination – not so easy

Where should the first holiday with a baby go? Choosing a destination is difficult for many parents – often their own wishes and demands conflict with the child's needs. But a trip with a baby doesn't have to be a compromise. Just use the holiday for new perspectives and, above all, to relax together.

Traveling without stress:

The top rule for traveling with a small child should be: as little stress as possible for everyone involved. Therefore, for a start a nearby destination is recommended. That way you won't be on the road for too long and can be back home quickly in an emergency. Especially along the German Baltic and North Sea coasts and in southern Germany there is much to experience and above all well-equipped hotels and holiday apartments for families with a baby.

Off to the sun?

Many parents simply want a relaxing beach holiday <Link> with a sun guarantee. Of course holidays in the south are also possible with a baby. Ideally you should choose a destination that is only a few hours' flight away and has a good infrastructure. Not everyone likes club holidays, but a hotel or holiday complex with childcare services and full board can contribute significantly to relaxation. If you prefer to rent a private holiday home in the south, make sure that the necessary baby equipment is available. Last but not least, sunbathing for hours with a baby is difficult to impossible. Therefore choose a holiday location that has more to offer than just the beach so you can vary.

What's the best way to travel with a baby?

Car:

Traveling on holiday with your own car has many advantages for parents with a baby. You are flexible regarding travel times and can take breaks as needed. In addition, a car makes you mobile at the destination and you can easily take day trips or drive to a doctor in an emergency.

Everyone who has traveled on the highways during holiday season knows the disadvantages of the car: crowded roads and stressed drivers, plus the journey usually eats up a whole vacation day. A tip for traveling by car: drive at night, then the roads are clear and your baby will sleep through most of the trip.

Train:

Traveling by train is relatively relaxed because parents have time to attend to their children and because you can move around freely on the train. This makes a longer journey manageable even with small children. Some trains have special compartments for toddlers; on ICE trains there is often Wi‑Fi and entertainment offerings.

Anyone traveling by train on holiday should definitely reserve seats in advance and choose a time outside the holiday periods. Being on the move with a toddler and luggage in a completely overcrowded train or waiting for delayed connections is nerve‑wracking and not a good start to the holiday.

Bus:

Coach trips have the advantage of being inexpensive and that the bus networks are very well developed, at least in Germany. Nevertheless, a longer bus journey with a baby is not recommended – the space on the bus is too cramped and breaks are too infrequent. Baby seats or changing facilities are also usually not available on buses.

Plane:

Air travel is ideal for more distant destinations – after only two to three hours of travel time you can be in the sun. When booking online you can even get surprisingly cheap flights within Europe.

Most airlines are well set up for families, so a flight with a baby is not a problem. It is important to apply for a passport for your baby in good time and to allow enough time to avoid rush at the airport.

For the first holiday as a trio: the baby hotel

Reisen mit Baby und Kleinkind | Mutter genießt mit Baby am Strand

Start the holiday stress‑free:

Only taking the essentials on holiday, maybe even boarding the plane with just hand luggage to the next exciting destination? Hard to imagine with a baby – too many things must be considered, too much packed. For many parents with small children this is an obstacle in holiday planning, because when bottles, car seat, diapers and stroller have to be taken along, you quickly feel like a moving company on the trip. A very relaxed solution is therefore special baby hotels or family hotels.

What are baby hotels?

Baby hotels are specially designed for the needs of families with small children. This is evident in the hotels' equipment, but also in the service:

Child-friendly hotel rooms with family bed or baby cot, changing table, baby bath and bottle warmer
Playrooms for the very little ones with ball pit, toys <Link> and a cozy corner
Child-friendly outdoor areas with lots of play opportunities
Children's menu and a wide selection of baby food
Guest kitchen for preparing baby food
Wellness offerings for babies and parents (swimming <Link>, sauna or baby massage)

In Germany there are now many baby and family hotels; there are also offers in Austria, Switzerland and other European countries.

Family-friendly and suitable for families:

What many parents appreciate about baby hotels is not only the equipment, but above all the fact that they don't have to take childless guests into account. Instead of having to apologize for a baby's crying or food stains on the lunch table, parents can take the day relaxed. Babysitting services are often offered so parents can do something together on their own from time to time.

Essential: the travel medicine kit for the baby

Prepared for every eventuality:

Anyone traveling with a baby will quickly notice that the days of light luggage are over: everything from the changing bag to an extra supply of baby clothes to the buggy <Link> or even travel cot <Link> must be brought. In many cases you can also manage at the destination – many hotels and holiday apartments have baby cots, baby chairs or even loan buggies.

What belongs in the travel medicine kit?

One thing you should definitely not do without in your luggage is the travel medicine kit for your baby. Babies' immune systems are not fully developed, and they can be very sensitive to changes of all kinds. It's not uncommon for a baby to have diarrhea or constipation in the first days at the holiday destination or to develop a slight fever. You should prepare for such cases, and tried‑and‑true remedies for coughs, insect bites or teething pain also belong in the baby travel kit.

Doctors and medication on site:

Of course you can also get medications for children in most holiday destinations, and doctors and hospitals are often on site. But if the child wakes up feverish at night or you don't feel confident explaining diarrhea or cough in a foreign‑language pharmacy, it's better to have a "basic supply" with you. That way you can also be sure that your baby tolerates the medications and that they are age‑appropriate.

More information about the baby travel first-aid kit

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