The Best Age To Travel With Kids – Infants, Teens Or Now!
Is There Ever A Perfect Time To Travel With Kids?
Having children does not have to put an end to travelling. Some families decide to pause the speed or frequency of trips, while others seamlessly add a baby and continue travelling with kids.
Our travels slowed dramatically when we had our first child. Three children later, we were back to frequent family travels. Road trips became our favourite way to travel, with some long-haul adventures and an epic year-long family gap year.
Deciding the best age to travel with kids does not need to be complicated. If you are like us, there could be 101 reasons to wait for the perfect age or time.
While there is no magic formula, having travelled extensively as a family for the last two decades, we know now is as good a time as any.
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The Best Age To Travel With Kids
Ultimately, the best time to travel with kids is when your family is ready. Adventures together can be found in day trips, short weekend exploration, weeks away or more. Travelling with kids does not have to be long-term or a nomadic lifestyle.
We put off a family gap year for 10 years, waiting for the perfect time! Some of our reasons being, to wait until the kids were older, after an exam, between jobs or even when grandparents were in good health. The delay did mean we had a larger budget, but the price of everything also increased over that time.
Children bring a fresh perspective to travel, we love seeing the world with their curiosity and wonder.
We believe that ceasing a moment to travel is better than waiting for the perfect opportunity, whether it’s an annual holiday, a special trip or an overnight camping trip.
Travel With Infants (0-12 months)
We feel travelling with infants can be a rewarding experience. It is a unique window of opportunity when maternity/paternity leave can allow for extended travel. Unlike older children, babies are portable and not bound by school schedules or extracurricular activities, allowing families more flexibility in their travel plans.
Travelling with a baby can also strengthen family bonds with extended time together during this stage of development. Infants are often fascinated by new sights, sounds, and sensations, making travel an enriching sensory experience.
As first-time parents, we found their frequent needs to be more challenging in unfamiliar surroundings. Whereas travelling with a baby was a different experience, third time round. Overall stress is reduced as they require less entertainment than our older children and slept for large parts of the day.
One big plus of travelling with a baby is that attractions, hotels and even flights are often free, making it the cheapest time to travel – trust us, we now travel with teens!
Travel With Toddlers (1-3 years)
Toddlers are one of our favourite stages due to their curious and energetic nature. Family travel becomes more exciting when you experience it through their eyes. Even simple outings to a park can feel like grand adventures compared to other ages.
Now we are travelling with teenagers, we appreciate how easy it is to travel with a toddler. They can be navigated easily through airports, hotels, and crowded attractions, either in a buggy or being carried.
However, unpredictable tantrums, disrupted routines, the need for constant supervision, and limited attention spans can be potential challenges when travelling.
We planned flexible, slow itineraries and prioritised activities that suited our toddler to maximise our travel experience. Family trips during this stage help lay the foundation for future adventures.
Travel With Preschoolers (3-5 years)
With more independence, preschoolers can be challenging, but fun to travel with. They still require supervision and support to participate in most activities.
We travelled a lot with our kids at this age before they started school. Preschoolers are flexible in adapting to new environments and curious learning from simple experiences, like going to a park.
Similar to toddlers, preschoolers gain from early exposure to diverse cultures, languages, and landscapes. Travelling at this age fosters a sense of curiosity and open-mindedness. We enjoyed watching social connections start to develop from this age onwards with our kids, local children and other tourists.
Potential challenges for travelling at this age can be increased tantrums and limited attention spans. Despite these minor hurdles, travel from our kids preschool years formed some of their earliest memories, which also became the foundation for their wanderlust.
Travel With Children (6-10 years)
School-age children can significantly benefit from travel. They are more likely to remember and appreciate the experiences than younger children. This is the age our kids really became interested in travelling, especially the love of language and trying different food.
We have met many families travelling with children for extended periods at this age. It can be a rewarding experience emotionally and educationally without the concerns of disrupting schooling at this age.
Families gain more learning opportunities by participating in educational activities, cultural experiences and exposing children to the wider world.
Travel With Tweens (11-12 Years)
Travelling with tweens can provide the ultimate family adventure. Families can engage in individual interests, dig deeper into cultural exploration, and everyone can participate in most activities.
This age is also an opportunity to travel for an extended period without disrupting school, extracurricular activities, or friends. Our daughter was eleven during our gap year and was not academically affected, although she did miss seeing her friends.
Tweens are becoming more independent and curious, enhancing your family’s travel experience. Our kids loved haggling in markets and were open-minded to new experiences and cultures. Tweens generally enjoy having more family time before finding their own way as teenagers.
Travelling allows tweens to develop life skills such as problem-solving, communication, and adaptability. To avoid resistance and resentment, we discuss our travel plans with our kids, considering their preferences and interests. This has meant we have had the opportunity to have some one to one trips.
Travel With Teenagers (13+ years)
Travelling with teens is our absolute favourite, as it presents an opportunity to bond, explore, and create lasting memories before adulthood. For us, each stage is unique, but teens are the most independent and capable of planning and participating all aspects of travel.
Teens can offer fresh perspectives and insights, enriching the travel experience for the whole family. We have a great mix as the eldest enjoys exploring cities and modern engineering, our middle teen is into history and extreme adventures, while our youngest teen wants to be the first to do anything different.
Balancing individual preferences and finding activities that appeal to everyone is sometimes more complex with teenagers. Being independent also opens the opportunity to complete an activity solo.
We do encounter a fair bit of sibling conflicts, mainly due to being in close company for extended periods, combined with mood swings, travel could be challenging. Despite this, our kids opt for adventures over staying at home.
Travelling with teenagers is definitely the most expensive age to travel as a family, but it might also be the most fulfilling.
Why Is Family Travel Worth It At Any Age?
Family travel is worthwhile at any age and offers lifelong benefits. Whether we are travelling with infants, toddlers, school-age children, tweens, or teenagers, the shared experience of exploring new destinations strengthens our family bond and creates memories.
Travel stimulates curiosity and broadens children’s understanding of the world at any age. As our kids have grown older, family travel has evolved, continuing to provide opportunities to expose the whole family to diverse cultures, landscapes, and experiences.
Whether it’s exploring a local park, embarking on a road trip, or jetting off to new destination, family travel is an escape from everyday routine and time together.
We have travelled with our kids from babies to teens, and while every stage has its challenges, each trip has been worthwhile.
FAQ’s: The Best Age To Travel With Kids
There is no reason to wait until a particular age to travel with children. The benefits of travel at any age outweigh the challenges you may have to overcome. When it feels right, plan a family trip, big or small; you won’t regret it.
There isn’t a best age for families to travel. The best time to travel will depend on family preference. Generally, once you feel ready to travel, children will adapt to new situations and environments.
Prioritising safety when selecting a destination is a great first step. Be aware of specific health and safety guidelines. Practice the safety measures you use at home, such as wearing seatbelts, helmets, and washing your hands. Children should always be supervised in unfamiliar environments, especially near water.
Family travel offers numerous benefits to children of all ages, from family bonding, cultural immersion, and educational experiences. Young children view the world with wonder, innocence and curiosity, while older kids can engage in more in-depth discussions and activities, making travelling with kids a great experience.
The Best Age To Travel With Kids
Ultimately, travel comes in all shapes and sizes. While some families are ready to travel with a baby, others prefer to wait a few years. There is no golden age for travel; it’s simply one that suits your family. Let us know if we’ve missed any top travelling tips!
Personally, we have loved travelling with our children at every age. The younger years were the most challenging for us, whereas tweens and teenage years are a perfect balance (but most expensive!).
Avoid perfection! Now is as good a time as any for a family adventure; you will not regret it!
