Traveling with Kids: What Age? An Age-by-Age Guide to the Joys and Cautions
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"What age can you actually travel with kids?" I get asked this a lot. The short answer, from my own experience: each age suits a different kind of trip. Here's an age-by-age guide to what to enjoy and what to watch for, from infancy through the early school years.
What you'll learn
- Whether a one-year-old can really travel — what happened when ours did
- The idea of deliberately tiring them out at the airport
- Why the fussing around age two cannot be avoided
- What becomes possible from about five
- What each stage is like, and how the load on parents shifts
1. The honest answer: there is no age at which it gets easier
Asked "from what age can you travel with children", here is the honest answer.
There is no threshold at which it becomes easy. It is a matter of getting used to it.
That differs from the many articles that name a recommended age. But having taken two children to more than twenty countries, this is the most accurate thing I can say. Travel abroad every year from the age of one and it is almost never hard. Nothing suddenly eased with age; rather, both children and parents grew accustomed to travelling.
There is, however, one period to brace for. Around the age of two, the fussing and crying is unavoidable. That is separate from being travel-hardened; it simply arrives with the age. No technique removes it, so knowing in advance that this is the stage is the best preparation there is.
Beyond that, what age changes is less the difficulty than the distance. We took our elder daughter to Saipan at one, and our younger to Guam at one. A one-year-old on a short trip was easier than expected — with a flight of a few hours, it simply was not the ordeal I had braced for.
2. Around one to two: tire them out at the airport
The tactic that worked best at this stage was not an obvious one. Let them play properly in the kids' room of an airport lounge, and wear them out before boarding.
On the days we did that, they slept for most of the flight. Far more reliable than trying to settle them once airborne. Reframing the wait before boarding as time to spend their energy rather than contain it changes the whole calculation.
Not every airport or lounge has a play area, but where one exists it is worth going out of your way for. It is one of the few ways to turn the waiting into an advantage.
The other feature of this stage is that luggage peaks: nappies, changes of clothes, the pushchair. Moving is the work, so keep the itinerary short and stay in one place.
3. Two to four: safety first, and don't be greedy
They want to walk but cannot yet judge danger. Near crowds or traffic you will be holding a hand or carrying them, constantly.
At this stage, two plans a day is the limit that survives contact with reality. One in the morning, one in the afternoon. Add a third and something gives.
4. From about five: a tablet solves long-haul
This is where things changed clearly. From around five, downloading videos onto a tablet made long flights almost effortless.
Our recent trip to Italy — a dozen-plus hours each way — was comfortable on that basis. The important part is loading things they definitely want to watch, in advance, rather than relying on in-flight entertainment. Seat-back screens and onboard wi-fi are not to be counted on.
This is not "it gets easier at five" — it is that another tool becomes available. As above, the ease comes from familiarity. But the tablet starts working around this age, and with it the range of feasible destinations opens up.
5. School age: a companion who helps plan
They walk, they form their own interests, they take photographs. Once they can help choose where to go, the nature of the trip changes.
In terms of parental load this is the lightest stage. In exchange, school holidays start dictating the calendar, which means travelling only in peak season.
6. On food
One thing works at every age: bringing something you know they will eat. In our case it was an unexpected item — there is more on that in "Feeding Kids Abroad".
📌 Last updated: July 2026. This is one family's experience. Children differ enormously in temperament and stamina, so please read it as a reference rather than a rule.
FAQ
Q. Can you go abroad with a one-year-old? A. Somewhere close, yes. We took our elder to Saipan and our younger to Guam, both at one, and with a flight of a few hours it was easier than expected. Long-haul is another matter.
Q. When does long-haul become realistic? A. Less an age than a matter of familiarity — but from around five a tablet loaded with videos lets them occupy themselves, and a dozen hours stops being a problem.
Q. Any trick for getting them to sleep on the plane? A. While they are small, letting them play hard at the airport first worked far better than trying to settle them once on board.
Related reading
- Food → Feeding Kids Abroad
- Long flights → Long-Haul Flights with Kids
- Lounges → Airport Lounges with Kids
This article draws on our own trips with two children. Children differ a great deal, so please treat it as a reference.
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