We went to France! It was a wonderful trip - great food, beautiful scenery, perfect weather, and best of all, time spent with grandparents, aunties, uncles, and cousins. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to travel to Europe with our kids this summer. We spent two weeks in southern France in a little village called L'Isle-en-Dodon with my parents, siblings, and my siblings' families. Isaac had just turned three (we had a birthday party for him there), and Autumn was 15 months, and while we know they won't remember this trip, we will! And the time spent with their extended family lays an important foundation for building relationships down the road, especially when we're back in the lower 48 and have more opportunities to get together.
Our trip was not without stress. Any travel is, eh? Whether you have kids or not, whether your kids are older or younger...there are a lot of moving pieces when you get on a plane (no pun intended). On this trip we learned a lot about long-haul travel with toddlers, and thought we'd share our biggest takeaways for those of you who are thinking about traveling with littles, or just for those of you who want a chuckle at how ridiculous (and lovely) it is to travel abroad with kids.
1. Packing for two weeks with two kids
We recommend packing light and planning to do laundry. With that said, you need to choose a home base that has a washing machine. We brought these Tru Earth detergent strips because they take up no space and won't leak in your luggage (and they're great for the environment).
Carry-on Bags 3 backpacks, one small duffel bag, and (only on the way home) one canvas tote bag Isaac and I carried on small backpacks with essentials - light snacks, books, toys, water bottles, headphones and tablets, etc. Derek carried all of his clothes and shoes for the whole trip in a carry-on backpack. Thinking about all the travelers this summer who have lost luggage or had to spend an extra night somewhere because of a canceled flight, we also made the last-minute decision to bring another carry-on bag with a few extras for the kids and me. We chose a small duffel bag to carry two extra outfits, pjs, raincoats, bathing suits, and diapers & wipes (for our 15 month old) for three days. We brought our sweatshirts on the plane, and wore pants (so that we'd have at least one pair for colder temps) and our sturdier shoes.
On the way home we ended up bringing a canvas grocery tote with us, too. This was fantastic as a "catch-all" for stray cups, stuffed animals, snacks, etc. It was easy to stow under the stroller or around the car seat carrier handles. I will have this on hand from now on.
Checked Bags
1 backpack, 1 duffel bag
In my checked travel backpack (the AMAZING REI Wome's Ruckpack 60+), I packed all of my stuff and the rest of the kids' stuff: two more "outfits" for the kids (although they wore plenty of clothes multiple days so "outfit" is a stretch) plus a couple of dresses for Autumn, another set of pjs, another bathing suit, and another pair of shoes. We decided to go crazy and checked an extra duffel with a puddle jumper for Isaac, a floating tube for Autumn, this great travel potty, and a few more diapers (we have a brand we really like). It was great to have these as soon as we arrived so we could jump in the hotel pool, set up a familiar potty, etc. without having to find a grocery store.
Note - we did NOT check a pack and play or second car seat. We rock.
2. Getting there, getting back
We flew on Condor Air because they have a nonstop flight from Anchorage to Frankfurt. It is a 10-hour flight which was super challenging, but in the end probably better than dealing with a connection. At least as soon as we took off we felt confident that we would be in Europe when we landed. If our flight to Toulouse got canceled, we could take a train or even rent a car if it came to it. We then flew Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Toulouse. Both airlines were very kind to families/children. We were grateful!
We got seats for everyone, even Autumn who isn't required to have a seat yet. The idea of trying to hold a toddler for 10 hours was too overwhelming. We brought a lightweight stroller and a car seat & travel cart to help us get through the airport.
Lesson #1: Take it slow with toddlers. We decided not to connect immediately when we landed in Frankfurt. Instead we stayed the night at the comfortable and very accommodating Hampton by Hilton Frankfurt Airport. This gave us peace of mind in case of flight or luggage delays and a chance to sleep after an overnight flight where none of us slept much (and Autumn almost not at all). We then flew to Toulouse and again stayed the night, this time at the lovely Zenitude Hôtel Résidences Toulouse -Aéroport, before renting a car and driving the hour south to L'Isle-en-Dodon the next day. The two extra travel days meant fewer vacation days with family and more expense with hotels, but it also meant a lot less stress while traveling. If you are traveling to Europe from anywhere in the U.S besides Alaska or Hawaii, I think you could feel this same lower-stress, slower pace with only one extra day.
Lesson #2: Bring a car seat (and car seat travel cart) on the plane for children under 2.
Lots of families keep their kids in car seats on planes well past two, and plenty of parents don't bring any car seats on a plane ever (plenty also try to hold their toddlers until they have to buy them a seat at two years old). We're somewhere in between. We think the cost of an extra seat on long-haul flights is worth it, and the car seat is extra helpful for little little kids for both containment and sleep. We travel with this car seat, and use this car seat "trolley" (essential!) to bring it through the airport. This set-up also creates a second stroller (or bag holder), which means you don't have to bring a double stroller (or if you have one small child, you don't have to bring a stroller through the airport at all).
Lesson #3: Rent a car. Rent a car seat.
The car was helpful for all sorts of reasons - getting to the airbnb, sight-seeing, grocery shopping, park hopping. We brought a car seat on the plane for Autumn, but rented one for Isaac. BEST DECISION EVER. Schlepping two car seats through an airport is awful, a lesson we learned on a trip to Michigan last summer. Never again. The cost of the car seat rental was not insignificant (it was about $100 for 10 days), but it was well worth it.
3. Finally on vacation!
Ideally, we recommend staying in a place that has a lot to do on site for toddlers and has a real grocery store nearby. Our place in L'Isle-en-Dodon had a pool, trampoline, small jungle gym, and plenty of space to run around. Within walking distance were trails through a corn field. Within a 10-minute drive was a hilltop "park", a significant grocery store, and a village with a pretty square, a weekend market, a beautiful bakery, and a river.
Toddlers nap. Toddlers have big emotions that sometimes lead to big break-downs. Toddlers take a lot of effort to get out the door and require a lot of stuff to stay happy when you're out and about. Our solution? Leave the big cities and big excursions for a time when the kids are older and instead spend time near your hotel or airbnb, outside as much as possible. Find parks! Let the kids be the reason you get to really get to know the area around you! When you don't venture too far, you get a much more intimate perspective of your new surroundings - the rhythms, the food, the social norms, the architecture, the history - something we love about travel!
Our one exception was a trip to the Pyrenees, specifically to Lac Génos-Loudenvielle, a two-hour drive away. We said yes to this whole-group adventure for two main reasons: One, everyone agreed to leave at a time that allowed our daughter to nap in the car, and Two, the entire time at the lake was spent outside where our kids thrive. We even got to take the Skyvall Gondola up the mountain; one of Isaac's favorite activities at our local ski resort in Alaska is the "tram" at Alyeska so this was a surprising treat! The Pyrenees day was probably my favorite day of the trip.
We think it is also crucial to stay in a place with toddler essentials - a crib or pack and play and a high chair. This saves even more space and achy shoulders when you're moving through the airport. This was our first trip without checking our own pack and play. It was awesome! We knew the house where we spent the bulk of our vacation had these things, but we made sure to book hotels that provided cribs as well.
4. Recovery
A 10-hour time difference is no joke. Jet lag was really hard on our kids, especially Isaac who has never been a great sleeper. I don't know what to say about this, but I do want to be honest...if we hadn't been doing this trip with my extended family, and knowing now what I know about how that 10-hour time difference affected our kids' bodies, well...I wouldn't go that far with kids this young. It was just really hard on all of us. They aren't old enough to keep themselves busy when they wake up in the middle of the night, so that means mom and dad are also up at that time. Then we can't really sleep during the day unless both kids sleep, and you're trying to turn them around so you don't want them to sleep too long. Anyway, it's hard to say how to deal with this, and I bet a lot of parents would disagree with me, but I stand by my opinion that a 10-hour time difference is too much for a three- and a one-year-old. We had a really good reason to go - time with family we love and don't get to see very often. I'm glad we went, we had an amazing time, and I wouldn't take it back. But without that reason, let's just say I think we'll be saving long-distance trips like this for when our kids are older.
Tips for getting over jet lag
We let the kids sleep whenever they were tired the first two days at either end.
We tried to be outside in the sun as much as possible to help with jet lag. We even found parks close to our airport hotels (Louisa Park in Frankfurt and the Parc du Grand Noble in Toulouse/Blagnac).
We tried to maintain routines around bed time, even if we knew the kids would only sleep for a few hours.
After those first couple of days we limited naps to two hours to try to encourage more nighttime sleep.
We had two rooms for sleeping everywhere we stayed.
I don't know if any of this was right, but we're all turned around now (it's been two full weeks). Phew!
In the end, let me reiterate our takeaways:
Travel rocks! Traveling with your kids lets you see new places (and places you've been before) through the wide eyes of a child who is amazed and curious about everything! It is a true joy and pleasure.
Pack light. Plan to do laundry, rent car seats, and book places with pack and plays/cribs.
Take it slow. Don't try to make too many flight connections (or any!) in a single shot. Just stay at an airport hotel. Look for parks nearby to get outside.
Plan for exhaustion, especially if you have more than a five-hour time difference.
A tablet, favorite snacks and activities, and a seat for everyone on the plane.
Once you arrive, don't plan to do too much - faraway excursions and full-day trips can make everyone grumpy when you're bringing toddlers along.
Find a place that has a lot to do with kids really close by, ideally in your backyard or within walking distance.
Rent a car.
And of course, make a plan, but stay flexible!
We'd love to hear how you travel abroad with kids. Drop your ideas in the comments, and don't hesitate to get in touch! For more about our family travels - from camper life to trips abroad to neighborhood playgrounds, subscribe to our blog and check us out on Instagram @brackenhaglerfamilyadventures.
See you out there!
Love hearing your adventires and adaptation! You guys rock!