International Travel With Toddlers

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Tips on international travel with toddlers and how to pack minimally, stay organized, and prepare for a longer travel time.

We had an amazing opportunity to travel from Hawaii to Jordan as a family of 4. Myself, my husband, our 3 year old son, and our 1 year old daughter. The flight time going there was 50 something hours with 2 long layovers, and the return was close to 40 hours. Needless to say, we wanted to be intentional with our packing and planning, so I thought I would share some tips that really helped our international travel with toddlers.

International Travel Basic Organization Tips:

1. Keep passports safely in one place throughout the trip
2. Make two or three paper copies of all passports and keep them in two different locations
   • One in each parents carry on suitcase for example
3. We also made copies of birth certificates and took those two, even though we have never needed them thus far.
4. Keep cash in a zipper pouch in a secure location
   • We also split our cash up between each parent and kept in our backpacks in a zipper compartment
5. Keep necessary medications in your carry on luggage in case your checked luggage gets lost or delayed
6. Take medical documents as needed
   • For our son, who has spina bifida, we always take copies of his brain MRIs in the case of an emergency, so that the local medical providers will have access to those to compare to
7. Get travel insurance and call about the available add ons
   • We went with IMG global because we primarily wanted to have good medical insurance in case our son needed an emergency medical evacuation or treatment there
   • We learned later that there is an option to add on coverage for lost or stolen personal items, which would’ve been helpful since I lost my phone on the flight there!
   • Looking back, I wish I would have called to know exactly what I was getting and also know what other options are available to ensure that we really had what we were looking for.
8. Make a list of important numbers and addresses
   • I made a list in my phone and then also a laminated list that I kept in my backpack
     • For us, we needed to have a neurosurgeon connection for Jack in case of emergency
     • I wrote down the travel insurance/medical travel insurance we had in case of emergency
     • I also had the US Embassy number written down, since we were traveling to the Middle East during the current war
     • I had the number of the pastor of the church we were staying with and the address
     • I also wrote our local numbers on that list since we got a sim card for an old phone there

Compact Travel Stroller

1. BABYZEN YOYO2 Stroller $449
   • This stroller is really great! It is lightweight and compact, fitting in the overhead compartment of the airplane.
   • The coolest feature of this stroller is the option to make it a double stroller. You can buy a second stroller (the yoyo connect) that has a piece in the front that connects to the other stroller.
   • The only reason we didn’t get this stroller was because we would have spent close to $800 for the two strollers, and we weren’t in the position to do so. But this might be an option we consider in the future! But honestly, the stroller we got for way less was a great stroller! (see option 2)
2. Mompush Lithe Lightweight Stroller. $129-139
   • Compact One-Hand Fold Travel Stroller for Airplane Friendly, Reclining Seat and Large Canopy, with Rain Cover & Travel Carry Bag & Cup Holder
   • This is the stroller we ended up getting. Mostly because it was an inexpensive option that was better than an umbrella stroller. We loved it. It was smooth and light and really hit all the needs for our trip. We have now continued to use it as our regular stroller.
   • This stroller fits in the overhead compartment, so we could wheel the kids on for most of the flights
3. Inglesina Quid Stroller $299
   • I don’t have experience with this stroller, but happen to see it online while I was looking, and it seems like a great option too. It comes in different colors, so if you wanted an option other than black, check this out!

Helpful Packing Items

1. Compression Packing Cubes
   • I really loved these. They kept our clothes in order throughout our trip, so everything didn’t end up in one big mess in our suitcase
   • These also made it easy to find certain clothing items for each family member when navigating different climate needs
   • I used two different packs for our family of 4:
     • Pack #1: Bagail 6 set Compression Packing Cubes
     • Pack #2: BeeGreen Compression Packing Cubes
2. Tobiq Tiny Washable Duffel Bag $199
   • I really felt like this was a game changer for our trip. Its a big pricey, but the convenience might make it worth it! There are 4 compartments on this bag, which helped me stay organized on the flights, layovers, and throughout the trip. We had 50 hours of travel time, with some longer layovers, stayed in a few different places, and also had some car travel time. This bag allowed me to keep certain toys, snacks, and electronic devices in their own compartment, so I could find them quickly no matter where were were. It also becomes a backpack and is really comfortable to wear and has a sleeve that slips over the rolling bag. I am in love with this bag!
3. Collapsible Snack Cups
   • Loved these! They were great for airplane and car ride snacks.
4. Collapsible Silicone Food Storage Container
   • These were also great for day trips. This is a 4 pack, so I could fill these with different snacks for the day. They also collapse down pretty compact, so were great to just throw back in the luggage for our return home.
5. Snack Spinner
   • I didn’t get this, because I didn’t think my son would get the concept yet, but I think this is a brilliant idea and would be great for those longer plane rides!
6. Noshinku Hand Sanitizer
   • These are slim and compact, making them perfect for travel. They are made from natural ingredients, perfect for our littles, and you can also refill the containers.

Compact Travel Learning and Play

Items and Reviews

1. Laminated Toddler Travel Cards
   • These are my very own toddler travel cards that I created for my kids
2. LCD Drawing Tablet
   • This was by far the best purchase I made for this trip! My 3 year old is really into drawing, so he loved this and used in throughout the trip. It’s very light and compact, so it fit easily into the seat pocket of the airplane and was easy to also take along with us for stroller rides, car rides, and times in the hotel. With one click of a button, it is wiped clean and the pen is also stored compactly on the top of the device. This also comes with 2, so both of my kids could have one. Really recommend this!
3. Wiki Stix or wax craft sticks
   • These would’ve been great if my kids were a bit older. They ended up just getting chewed on, lost, or destroyed. But I loved that they were compact
4. Dot Stickers
   • These were great. I only took a few sheets with us on the trip. They are fun to stick on paper, but they do stick to other surfaces and are hard to get off, so best to keep them on paper! If your child is creative, they may be able to use these to make different pictures.
5. Talking Flash Cards
   • These we used for the car ridges. My kids were not able to fully figure out how to insert the card into the device, but with my help, they were intrigued by it. It was also nice to have different pictures on the back of the cards to point out to my 1 year old. I would prefer real pictures instead of the cartoon figures, but still a neat, compact option.
6. Alphabet Watercoloring Flashcards
   • These were great as well. A picture is revealed with the use of a water pen, and then once it’s dry, it returns to just the white paper, so the picture can be discovered multiple times. My 3 year old really like this. These cards also have different photos on the back of the cards, so that was nice. A great learning tool. We used these mostly in the car rides, but they would work for the airplane as well.
7. Bandy Ball Rubber String Spike Ball
   • I thought this would be a hit for both my 1 year old and my 3 year old, but it only held interest for a few minutes if that! But if your child is into balls, this could be a fun option for travel.
8. Magic Capsule Creatures
   • I tried a few of these out at home before we left. I thought these might be a fun thing to do on the plane, but my 3 year old wasn’t too interested and my 1 year old just wanted to eat them! So I ended up just giving them away to our neighbors
9. LED Telescopic Suction Cup Giraffe Toy
   • My 1 year old was pretty into these. I took 2 of them, and we played with them here and there on the trip. They suction to a lot of different surfaces, so that was entertaining while waiting at the airport. They also light up which adds more entertainment, and you can stretch and compress the legs. I think it was a handy item to have.
10. Farm Animals Window Cling Stickers
    • I got these for sticking on the window if we had a window seat on the plane and also for car rides. This worked in the car since we didn’t use car seats in Jordan, but not sure if they would work if you plan on having car seats during your travel. But they could be entertaining on a sliding glass door if you have that where you are staying.
    • They do fall apart pretty easily, but overall they were pretty interesting to my 1 year old.

Other Travel Hacks for International Travel with Toddlers

1. Toddler Airplane Bed
   • I think this a great concept and really affordable. We tried this on our three flights over. We ended up not using it on the way back for some reason. Our kids just ended up sleeping on us and my 3 year old wanted to sit and not lay. I think it does give you some extra space, especially when you only pay for 1 seat and then you have an infant on your lap.
2. Travel Crib Blackout Cover
   • If you have a child who is used to sleeping in a dark room, I think this could be helpful. It’s affordable and easy to pack and may help during layovers if baby needs to be asleep in a crib in the dark. We didn’t end up using this, because my 1 year old sleeps in most spaces easily, and my 3 year old just doesn’t sleep no matter where you put him! But I had considered this in the past for naps outside of the home in general.
3. Universal Power Adapter
   • You can usually find this at the airport upon arrival, but it was nice to already have it, so that I didn’t have to worry about that right away and we were able to get to our destination and have our sound machine plugged in with no worries! Sleep is so important!
   • I didn’t like this one.. it didn’t seem to fit tightly, so would fall out of the socket if we had anything heavy plugged in.

Loved These Shoes..

1. Carter’s Every Step Unisex-Baby Roman-gp Sport Sandal
   • Got these for my 1 year old daughter and we loved them. They are light and easy and clean up pretty well!
2. Birkenstock womens Arizona Platform
   • I LOVED these shoes! I wore them everywhere in Jordan. I think I could’ve hiked Petra in them as well. They are so comfy and stylish. I ended up getting the sand colored (picture of me above), which they may only sell on certain websites.