Everything We Learned Travelling Europe With a Toddler

Travelling Europe with a young child can sound a little daunting. Long-haul flights, trains, rental cars, unfamiliar places, late nights, naps, restaurants, packing… and trying to squeeze everything into a suitcase while also keeping a tiny human happy.

But our experience travelling through Europe with Florence at 18 months taught us that it can actually be so much easier — and so much more enjoyable — than you might expect. We were incredibly lucky that Flo was such a good traveller. She loved being out and about, adapted pretty well to new places and was generally happy to go with the flow. So we definitely don’t claim to have cracked some secret formula for travelling with toddlers!

But there are a few things we did that made the trip much easier, and quite a few things we learned along the way. Our trip took us through Puglia in Italy, Lake Como, Ticino and Gossau in Switzerland, France for a family wedding, Paris and then Hong Kong before we flew home to Auckland.

It was a big trip with a very little person — and these are the things we’d do again in a heartbeat.

6. The Yoto Player was one of our best travel purchases

Our Yoto Player came with us and was brilliant.

Having familiar stories and audio for Flo gave her something from home when everything else around her was new. It was especially useful during travel days and those moments when she needed a little quiet time. We didn’t need to pack a huge collection of toys and books. A few familiar things from home were enough to keep her entertained.

7. Accommodation with a pool is worth it

This was probably one of our biggest accommodation lessons.

When travelling in Europe during summer, having a pool at your accommodation is incredible. And not just for the kids. It meant that when Flo was having her afternoon nap, we didn’t necessarily have to sit quietly inside our room.

We could relax by the pool, find some shade and enjoy ourselves while she slept. Then, once she woke up, we’d head out again later in the afternoon or evening when the temperatures had cooled down. It completely changed how we approached our days.

8. Don’t fight the summer heat

European summers can be HOT. And when you’re travelling with a toddler, trying to do a full day of sightseeing in the middle of the hottest part of the day isn’t necessarily going to end well. We learned to slow down during the middle of the day.

Instead of feeling like we had to be out exploring from 8am until dinner, we’d often have a slower afternoon around the pool or accommodation. Then we’d head out again later when it was cooler. And honestly? We loved it. We could have a relaxed afternoon, then enjoy dinner and explore into the evening.

Which brings me to another big lesson…

9. Forget the toddler routine — at least a little

We didn’t stick rigidly to Flo’s usual routine. And I think that helped enormously. At home, we had a routine. But while travelling, we were happy for naps to happen in the pram or car, dinner to be later than usual and bedtime to shift depending on what we were doing.

There were definitely days when she slept at odd times. There were late nights. There were naps on the go. And there were days when we completely threw the routine out the window. But she adapted. And so did we. I think sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to keep children exactly on their home routine while travelling that we forget we’re on holiday.

10. Travel days should be slow

This is something I’d definitely do again. Don’t make travel days sightseeing days. Moving between countries or cities takes energy — especially with a toddler. We found it much easier when we treated the actual travel as the activity for the day.

Get up. Have breakfast. Pack up. Get to the train station or airport. Travel. Check in. Get settled. And then, if everyone was happy and there was time, we’d go for a little explore. But we didn’t plan a huge itinerary around it. It made those days feel much less stressful.

11. Don’t try to see everything

This one is probably easier said than done in Europe. There is SO much to see. And when you’ve travelled all the way from New Zealand, it can be tempting to pack as much as possible into the trip. But travelling with a toddler taught us that quality is better than quantity.

We wanted to enjoy the places we were visiting rather than constantly be thinking about the next train, next hotel or next attraction. Some of our favourite memories came from the slower days — swimming, eating good food, wandering around little towns and just enjoying being together.

12. Build flexibility into your itinerary

We had a plan, but we weren’t married to it. And I think that’s important when travelling with young kids. Some days Flo was happy to keep going. Other days she needed a slower pace. Being flexible meant we could respond to how she was actually feeling rather than forcing ourselves to stick to a schedule we’d created months earlier in New Zealand.

We’d rather miss an attraction than have everyone miserable trying to squeeze it in.

13. Toddlers don’t need to be entertained constantly

This was another thing we realised. Flo didn’t need a kids’ activity planned every hour. She was fascinated by everything around her. The trains. The boats. The streets. The people. The animals. Swimming. Walking around new towns. Looking out the window.

Europe itself was entertainment. Sometimes we just let her explore alongside us. And I think that’s one of the lovely things about travelling with young children — seeing a place through their eyes.

14. Choose accommodation carefully

When you’re travelling as a couple, accommodation can just be somewhere you sleep. With a toddler, it becomes part of your holiday.

We started thinking about things like:

• Is there somewhere comfortable to sit during nap time?
• Is there a pool?
• Is there shade?
• Is there a kitchen or somewhere to prepare food?
• Is there enough space for a cot?
• Can we walk to restaurants?
• Is the location practical?
• Can we actually relax here?

Those things became much more important than simply finding the cheapest or most central accommodation.

15. You don’t have to stop travelling because you have kids

Probably the biggest thing we took away from the trip? Having a toddler didn’t mean we had to stop travelling. We just had to travel differently. Our trip wasn’t the same as it would have been if we’d been travelling as two adults.

We moved a little slower. We planned a little differently. We carried more snacks. We embraced naps in the pram. We had earlier nights some days and much later nights on others. But we still got to experience incredible places.

We ate amazing food in Italy, explored Switzerland, celebrated a wedding in France, wandered around Paris and finished our adventure in Hong Kong. And Flo was there for all of it.

She probably won’t remember the trip herself — she was only 18 months — but we certainly will. And looking back, we’re so glad we didn’t wait until our kids were “old enough” to travel.

Would we travel around Europe with a toddler again?

Absolutely.

We were incredibly lucky with how well Flo travelled, and I know every child is different. Some toddlers will sleep anywhere, others absolutely will not. Some love planes and trains, others don’t.

So I don’t think there’s one magic formula.

But if you’re wondering whether travelling around Europe with a young child is possible, our answer is a very enthusiastic yes.

Lower your expectations of how much you’ll see, leave room for naps and downtime, pack plenty of snacks, embrace the slower days and don’t be afraid to let the routine slide.

You might just find that travelling with your little one makes the trip even more memorable.