Before becoming a mom, I remember I had some anxieties around what this change would mean for me. What will my daily life abroad look like now as a parent? Will I still be able to maintain my friendships and social life? How will I balance career and motherhood? Will I still have the chance to travel and continue to explore Europe? (After all, this is one of the biggest reasons why I moved abroad – the opportunity to travel and explore!)

As avid travelers, my husband and I had many discussions around how we wanted to raise our children and the type of parents we wanted to be. We talked about ways we can balance our social and family lives and still go on adventures and explores places we love as a family of three. Of course, our day-to-day life is completely different now than it was before having a child and there are certainly aspects of my “previous” life that I often mourn (the flexibility, freedom, and focus on career just to name a few). However, there are parts of my “old life” that I have managed to carry through on my journey through parenthood – like my love for traveling. Through thoughtful and thorough planning, we managed to explore 7 countries during our child’s first year (including Germany, U.S.A., Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, France and Spain). Helping me challenge any fears I personally had about not being able to travel anymore after my child was born.

A young woman hiking through Fuerteventura, Spain while holding her baby in a baby carrier while crossing a narrow bridge.

Fuerteventura, Spain

A young woman standing in front of a yellow castle in Varese, Italy. The woman is holding the baby in the front with a baby carrier.

Varese, Italy

While our adventures traveling abroad look different now with a baby and require more planning, I am happy we found our routine and collected a lot of learnings along the way for how to best travel with a baby. Here are my key takeaways and tips when traveling with a young child:

  • Coordinate important doctor’s visits ahead of time (for both you and your child): This helps with coordinating trips around important appointments and vaccinations.
  • Rent a travel stroller and car seat at our destination: This made it easier for us while in transit as this was one less thing for us to carry with us to the airport. When traveling to our destination, we used the baby carrier to get around. The stroller rental company we used in a few countries, was either conveniently located near the airport or they would drop off the stroller and car seat at the airport upon our landing.
  • Time any feedings (formula or breastfeeding) around your commute: If we needed to catch a flight/train/car etc. at a certain time, we would time these around my child’s feeding schedule. This allowed us to travel more relaxed and know when we needed to take breaks/have a layover.
  • When flying, consider early morning flights: For us, this meant around 6:00 – 7:00 am. I would dress my daughter in comfortable clothes the night before to avoid a full clothing change before we had to leave for the airport in the morning. Small things that made getting up early and getting quickly to the airport much easier.
  • When flying, consider feedings when flight takes off: I would breastfeed upon the plane taking off so that my daughter didn’t experience discomfort in her ears with the altitude change (same can be applied for bottle feeding).
  • Try not to pack too many toys: I would pack approximately 2-3 of my child’s favorite toys or books. Kids usually end up playing with random stuff like a paper cup at the end (true story for us!) 🙂
  • Consider an airbnb or hotel that had children’s crib and washer and dryer available: My husband and I would always contact our airbnb host or hotel ahead of time to see if they have a crib and washer and dryer available. When traveling with children, you will realize there is a lot to carry so having a crib available at our destination helped us avoid buying a travel crib. In addition, children’s clothing get’s dirty very quickly so having access to a washer/dryer for emergencies was helpful. Oftentimes, airbnb hosts would list these items in their property description.
  • Pick accommodations that are a bit outside of the city: This helped my family (especially the baby) get a restful night’s sleep after a long day of exploring.
  • Pack any baby medicine that you need that might be hard to get in another country: Also, pack the baby thermometer which is KEY.
  • When doing day-time activities, coordinate where the baby will nap: During the day, make sure you know where the baby will nap (either stroller or baby carrier) and always have this with you. Once the baby is born, you will quickly learn where he/she prefers to nap.

Traveling with a baby requires energy so step away from crowds when you and your family need a break and keep your itinerary flexible. We tried not to sign up for too many time-fixed activities since we never knew how the baby would feel at that time.

These are some of the things that come to mind when I reflect back on my experience so far of traveling with my baby. Any other things you would add to this list? If you have the opportunity to travel with your child at a young age – take the chance. For me, it has been a great reminder that life continues after you have a baby and that there are still things from my “previous” life that I can still hold onto – just in a different way!

children growing up abroadexpat families abroadexpats in Germanyparenting abroad