With a young child, a car is by far the most restricting mode of transportation.  For their own safety, children must be strapped into a car seat.  This makes nursing next to impossible, and some children get tired of being constrained fairly quickly.

On a train (and to a lesser extent - an airplane), the child has some freedom of movement, can be carried around, nursed, and easily fed.  Trains have larger seats than airplanes, no middle seats, bigger aisles, and dining or lounge cars that one can go to at any time to get a change of scenery.  Some of the nicer European trains even have special rooms for young children.

Speaking of which, European trains are very rarely full, and most of the non-high-speed trains have compartments.  On many trains, you’ll find that your family can easily get a compartment to yourself.  This is ideal, since it allows children to run around and play with small toys on the floor on on seats.

Train travel requires fewer security checks (if any), significantly shorter connection times, and you can arrive at the train station just minutes before the train arrives, and not worry about making it on time.  If you’re traveling to a large city, the train station is almost always right in the heart of the city, with all public transportation options available from there.

For covering huge distances, air travel is a necessity, but for short to medium trips, consider train travel.  You’ll be glad you did.

In my experience, airlines will sometimes try to put children under two and their parents in the bulkhead row - the first row of the coach section.  We were actually put here against our will on an international flight one time.  I can’t speak for everyone, but for my family, it was the worst possible row to be placed in.  It was the furthest from the flight attendants and from the bathroom and it had no storage space under the seat in front of you because there was no seat in front of you.

All of our daughters diapers/water bottle/toys/etc. had to be stored in the overhead bins, and we couldn’t access them until the seat belt light was turned off.  On this particular flight, we were 2 1/2 hours into the flight before the light was turned off!  Also, the lavatory was at the rear of the plane, so if we needed to take our child there, we had to deal with the food carts in the aisle.

The tray tables and televisions came out of the armrest, and there was no way to have our daughter in our lap with the tray table in place.  Fortunately, there were two adults and we were able to switch off eating and holding.  I’m not sure how we would have been able to eat otherwise.  The only positive was that she could sit on the floor between us for part of the flight and play with some toys.

Different families have different traveling needs, and perhaps some would prefer the bulkhead row.  For my family and me, we prefer the rear of the plane where it’s often more quiet, near a restroom, and better suited to our child’s needs.

It’s a soft carrier that can fold up pretty small, but it has a few plastic clips, making the whole thing very quick to put on, and it feels very secure.  You can wear your child on the front or back, and it only takes a bit of practice to figure out how to get your baby on your back by yourself.  It’s much easier than it looks.

Almost any age of baby can travel in an Ergo, all the way up to multiple years old.  For newborns, there’s an adapter - We used a pouch sling for our daughter when she was a newborn, and then started using the Ergo when she was about 4 months.

We’ve traveled on subways, across entire cities, through Redwood forests, and even up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, all with our daughter in the Ergo.  Most airports will let you leave the baby in the Ergo going through security, which is a plus.

I highly recommend any non-framed baby carrier to anyone.  It allows for closeness between parent and child and it extends your ability to go anywhere and do just about anything.

Paris is a city of parks and playgrounds.  No matter where you go within the city, you’re sure to be close to one.  This is a great way to break up the day for your child, and a really fun way for your whole family to immerse yourself a bit into French culture.  The language barrier doesn’t stop children from having fun together on a playground!

If you want to see some museums, the Paris Museum Pass is a must!  This pass skips you to the front of the line at almost every attraction that it covers.  It gives you unlimited access to most of Paris’ most popular museums, including the Louvre, Notre Dame tower, Saint Chappelle, the Musee d’Orsay, the Centre Pompidou, and several others.

This works out perfect for museum-visiting with children - you won’t have to wait in lines, you can pop in and out of museums at anytime!  You can easily break up your day with park visits and cafes and still see everything you want to see.

Speaking of cafes, Paris is known for their cafe culture, and one can spend hours just sitting outside and people-watching.  Babies might be too restless to stay at a cafe for hours, but if you choose one on a pedestrian street or near a park, your child may be entertained by children playing, dogs running around and pigeons flying through, allowing for a restful break for everyone.

Visiting Paris with your children is a great way to introduce them to a a rich and historic culture, and have a great time while you’re at it!

Hostels are as varied as the people who stay at them, and not all hostels are good for children - but many are just fine.   You may find that some of your child’s best travel memories (as well as your own) are thanks to staying at a hostel.

Hostels in Europe have been around for nearly 100 years.  They actually started out as a way for children on school trips to have a place to stay.  These days, you’re still likely to find plenty of young schoolchildren, traveling with their classmates and teachers, staying at a hostel.  These types of class trips are especially prevalent in Germany.

Most hostels offer double and triple accommodations which can be perfect for small families.  For those that don’t, or if they’ve all been booked, you may find that you can book all of the beds in a room (many rooms have four beds) for a decent price.

Of course, if your children are good sleepers and can be trusted not to be loud or disruptive in the middle of the night, you may choose to be adventurous and book a shared room.  My wife and I wanted to stay in a tiny town in the Swiss Alps a few months ago, and the only affordable accommodation was a hostel.  The hostel catered to a young adult crowd, and we knew that going in, but we were a bit surprised at the rooms.  They consisted of about 10 sets of bunkbeds pushed up against each other, so the only way to enter each bed was from the foot of the bed.

Since my family went to bed earlier than the rest of the people in our shared room, I’d be surprised if any of our 18 roommates even realized that they were sharing the room with a 19-month-old.  Our daughter loved hanging out in the common area of the hostel, and we made lots of new friends.  The trip was months ago, and Lucy still talks about some of the people we met while traveling.

In short, hostels can be a great way to experience Europe without spending a lot of money.  Though some hostels may not be the best place to stay with children, there are still plenty of hostels that are perfect for young families.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of Bed and Breakfast Inns that remain kid-friendly.  Some go as far as to have special games and activities just for kids.  If you are traveling with children, and you’d like to try out a Bed and Breakfast along the way, check out this comprehensive listing of kid-friendly Inns.

I’ve stayed at a few of the Bed and Breakfast Inns listed on the site and have had nothing but wonderful experiences.  If you’ve stayed at a baby-friendly Bed and Breakfast, post a comment and let us know how it went.

If your child is small enough or if you don’t mind tight quarters when you sleep, couchettes are a fantastic way to travel. A couchette is basically a train car turned down for the night, with six small beds, triple-bunked in each compartment. It allows you and your family to not only avoid the cost of a hotel or hostel, but also lets you do your traveling while you sleep, so you can take advantage of every day. If you can travel by couchette, you won’t need to waste time on the train during daylight hours when you could be seeing the sights!

The couchette bed is a bit narrow for two people unless you have a small baby (maybe 10 months or younger), but it’s not terrible. If your baby doesn’t mind sleeping on your chest, it can be very comfortable for both of you. If your child is old enough to sleep in a bed on his own, consider getting a discounted eurail pass for the child at about half the price of an adult pass. Children four and younger travel free on Europe’s trains, but an extra seat might be worth it for a three or four year-old, especially at night.

Here are some common large baby items that are often unnecessary to take with you if you want to pack light:

- Stroller
- Pack-n-Play
- High Chair
- Loads of Toys
- Pack of Diapers

Stroller

Though a stroller can be nice for neighborhood walks and strolling the boardwalk at the beach, they can be extremely cumbersome. Strollers can easily be replaced by a sling or other type of baby carrier as a way to transport your baby or child. My favorite is the Ergo carrier, since it’s lightweight, very strong, and can hold nearly any size child from a few months old until he’s basically too big to carry. Though framed carriers aren’t always comfortable for children, they usually love riding in slings, wraps, and other cloth carriers. They go wherever you go. When they get tired, they can fall asleep right in the sling. When they aren’t riding in the carrier, it can fold up a be slipped in a backpack.

Pack-n-Play

Most travelers that bring a Pack-n-Play with them on a trip do so because they want the baby to have a comfortable place to sleep. I wonder what’s wrong with the bed. The easiest and most natural place for a child to sleep in a hotel room or hostel is in the bed with his parents. It’s comfortable, and Mom and/or Dad are right there to meet his every need. If you worry about having enough room to sleep, most hotels will send up a cot or fold-up bed, allowing ample room for the whole family to sleep. Falling out of bed isn’t as much of a concern as you might think, but if you’re worried, put some pillows on the side of the bed and tuck the sheets in tight. You can even move a chair or table over next to the bed to block a child from falling out. Even the smallest baby can easily share a bed with one or both of his parents, especially if it’s just for a few nights.

High Chair

Since most restaurants have high chairs, there’s little reason to ever need to travel with one. Small baby chairs that strap to existing chairs can be useful, but are unnecessary if you want to travel light. If you’re having a picnic or visiting a friend or relative, the baby can sit in a lap or be passed around among friends and family during the meal.

Toys

Many babies have “the toy”. You probably know what I’m talking about. It’s the one thing that they are always carrying with them wherever they go. Take that with you on the trip - maybe one other small thing, and a book or two if you’re baby likes to be read to. If you must have more toys, buy them along the way. Most babies can be entertained by just about anything, from a boarding pass to an empty plastic cup. You don’t need to bring baby’s toybox with you for him to entertained.

Diapers

Before you leave, count out how many diapers you think you’ll go through before you can get to a store at your destination. Add five, and pack those in a backpack Get a small travel pack of wipes, and a blanket and you’re set! If you want to get fancy, get a travel changing pad. These can hold a few diapers and wipes, and are usually covered in plastic, so they won’t pick up anything gross from where you lay the baby down.

Traveling with a baby doesn’t have to require a ton of “stuff”. Before your next trip, get together everything you plan to bring for the baby, and go through it one by one starting with the largest or heaviest item, and think “Do I really need this?” and “Is there something else I can use in place of this that would be easier to bring?”, and finally “Can I buy something like this easily and inexpensively at my destination?”

Happy Travels!

When my wife and I tell others that we’re traveling to faraway places with our toddler, we often get a reaction like “I hope you know what you’re getting into”, or “How could a baby possibly have fun being dragged from country to country”.

Even Rick Steves, the European-traveling guru who is all about taking the road less traveled claims that the best place to take your kids when you go to Europe is “to Grandma’s house on the way to the airport”. It’s this kind of thinking that really causes people to think that going to different states or different countries with kids is not worth thinking about. People everywhere are missing out on priceless adventures with their kids because they think they couldn’t handle it.

With this website, we hope to dispel this false notion, and give advice to those who do wish to experience the world with their kids, no matter how young they may be. So sit back, relax, and get ready for some fun and exciting adventures!