Little Legs, Wanderful World

I have always said that I absolutely love to travel; I just hate the traveling part. So what can we do to make it easier on us when we have littles in tow?

*Links below are not affiliates; I just think they’re cool products.*

Topics Covered:
Airplanes
Trains
Autos
Buses
Public Transport
Things to Do

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✈️Airplanes

We very much screen regulate at home, but that flew out the window about an hour into our 12 hour flight. Apart from screens (they had Dora and Bluey which we let him watch), here are some things I learned!

• Luggage for Kiddos
  If your kiddo likes a little responsibility, get them their own suitcase. My kiddo absolutely loved his little penguin suitcase and wheeled it all around the house for weeks before we left. He loved having the responsibility of his own luggage just like all the adults. It was also handy for extra storage space and making sure at least his stuff arrived to our destination on time. Unfortunately this suitcase’s protective plastic coating started coming off a few days into our first trip, so you might consider something a bit more durable.
  
• Bring all the snacks!!!
  I did not do this and when he slept through the main meal, I realized we were in trouble. Seriously, just pack the snacks. Oaty bars, fruit bars, meat sticks, pretzels, dried fruit, fruit snacks…
  
• Use the family pre-boarding!
  This is going to heavily depend on which airline you are using, but United let us board when they offered family pre-boarding. Even though they said “families with children aged 2 and younger,” the gate agents enthusiastically let us board early when we asked. This was SO NICE because we could take some time getting situated and not feel rushed.
  
• Invest in a decent pair of noise cancelling headphones.
  I don’t think these necessarily qualify as “great,” but they worked well and were comfortable.
  
• Ask the flight attendants for some airplane wings! They’re so cute! I’ve also heard you can ask when you board if you can go up to the cockpit, so I’m going to try that next time we fly.
  
• Screen time still needs to be limited. Mine got so sucked in, he didn’t want to nap.
  Have you tried the Yoto Player? It reads stories to your kiddo. The only downsides are that it is a bit bulky and you need to make sure all your cards (books) are loaded onto the player before you leave your house (wifi). I can’t stress this enough! We even tried to load it at our first hotel and the wifi wasn’t strong enough to get it to work.
  
• Strategize about timings.
  Our first series of flights started in the afternoon and was overnight. We got in to our arrival airport at about 16:00 local time. Kiddo had a really challenging time with jet lag for the first few days. When we returned, we did a morning flight (10:00 local time) and ended up landing around 20:00 local time at home. Jet lag was significantly less. Maybe it was a fluke? Maybe it was coming/going? I’ll be conducting more research soon!
  
• At the time of our first trip, my kiddo was 4 years old and we weren’t planning on driving so didn’t bring a car seat. If you need to bring a car seat, make sure you know which seats on the plane you’ll have to use!

🚅Trains

Some of these will be very country specific, so do be sure to check with your specific carrier. Also, The Man is Seat 61 is a great resource for all things trains – with photos!

• Buy your tickets in advance – as early as possible.
  There are those who prefer to buy tickets at the train station. I am not one of those people naturally, but after our first train heavy trip I will always buy long haul tickets months in advance. I found with European trains in general that prices steadily rose the closer to departure date and I felt safer knowing I had seats and a route already planned in advance.
  
• Check for specific carriages when booking.
  Your train might offer a family specific carriage. I really appreciated being with other families and not having to worry about noise and energy levels. One train had children’s videos playing in a corner in their “children’s cinema” and I’ve seen others that were themed for promotions (e.g. Hello Kitty). Also be sure to check you’re not choosing seats in the quiet carriage!
  
• Reserve seats – it’s an extra cost, but totally worth it.
  There were a few times were we found ourselves completely exhausted, hungry, lugging around suitcases, and went to find our seats…only to find someone seated in them. Once we told them that we had reserved them, they moved without complaint but it reminded me that if you don’t have a seat reservation you might just get stuck moving around constantly or, worse yet, standing! We also discovered how great it was to be at a table. Any time we booked a train journey 2+ hours, we booked a table. It was also incredibly handy to be able to eat snacks and play Uno on the table.
  
  💁🏽‍♀️From a plus sized perspective, you will most likely fit in the table seats! There is a very sizeable gap between the table and the chairs and I was most pleasantly surprised that I had so much room to move around. I could even hold my son while he was sleeping between me and the table!
  
• You do not need to arrive significantly early to the train station.
  It’s not like the airport and most train stations don’t have anywhere to sit. We arrived nearly an hour early to the first train station and ended up standing around eating a sausage for…50 minutes. From then on, we always arrive 20-30 minutes early at most.
  
• Watch for platform changes.
  These can change even five minutes before the train’s arrival. Listen to the announcements, make sure you have the train company’s app on your phone and have notifications on, and watch the schedule boards.
  
• Find at which part of the platform your carriage will stop before the train arrives.
  Admittedly, I think I am “carriage-blind” because I never see the number on the actual carriage. (My husband makes fun of me for this as he has zero trouble.) So I make sure to find one of the boards on the platform that shows the positions of the train and which number on the platform that carriage will be stopping. Is it perfect? No, but I’ve found that it’s a much better estimate than what the train app says which can be wildly inaccurate.
  
• Getting on/off
  This could be super easy or somewhat stressful. If the train was originating from our station, getting on was no problem! If we were in a small, rural area the train would leave as fast as possible so we were jumping on as quick as we could. Train etiquette means you’re letting those off first before attempting to get on. (This is also just practical as there really isn’t enough space for two people to move side by side in the aisle of a train.)
  
  To get off the train, we headed to grab our luggage and then waited by the door about 5-10 minutes before the train stopped. This usually worked out well although you may need to be a bit assertive as people trying to board might not be reading the same train etiquette book as you. We actually got stuck at one station trying to get off as people poured in; luckily one kind woman realize what was happening and made everyone behind her stop trying to board. She even held my son’s hand to get him down the steps onto the platform while I pulled our suitcases off. ❤️
  
• If you have train connections, be sure your connection is long enough to switch platforms with all your gear and kiddos!
  
• Some train stations have supermarkets, restaurants, and cafés if you need a snack or a break while others have underground levels with those spaces or none at all. Don’t plan on finding food at your station unless you’ve done your research!
  
• Lufthansa Express Rail
  Are you flying in/out of Germany? You can do a train and plane ticket together to make your travel plans smoother. I, personally, have not used it and can’t vouch for it but it does look like a neat option!
  You can connect via the following stations: Aachen, Augsburg, Basel, Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Dresden, Dusseldorf, Erfurt, Essen, Freiburg, Göttingen, Hamburg, Kassel, Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Mannheim, Munich, Münster, Nuremberg, Osnabrück, Siegburg, Stuttgart, Ulm, Wolfsburg and Würzburg.
  

🚗Automobiles

Driving around your destination? Here are some tips and tricks to get you planning that road trip!

• International Driver’s License
  Check the requirements of your visiting country to see if you need an international driving license. These are easily obtained through AAA or AATA either in person, online, or via snail mail. (More info about international driving licenses here.)
  
• European Alternatives to Uber
  Uber is not really welcomed in Europe (and other continents) for a variety of reasons. In some places, you will still find Ubers but they generally tend to be off duty taxis and you’re required to pay cash. Taxis, for the most part, are great in Europe and reasonably priced. If you don’t want to use a taxi, Bolt is your best bet (and it also has a platform similar to Uber Eats). Cabify is used widely in Spain and Latin America. Free Now is in Germany, UK, Italy, and Spain.
  
• Pickup From the Airport
  Need a ride from the airport to your lodging? There are a number of methods of transport possible. Usually there is some sort of public transport or bus (see Lufthansa Bus in the next section), but if you’d rather have someone drop you right off at your doorstep Welcome Pickups is a solid option and will meet you as soon as you come out of the secure area of the airport. We used them when we got in really late and they were great!

🚍Buses

Ditching the car and traveling between cities (countries!) by bus? Get in the know below!

• Buses vs Coaches
  For longer bus rides, you’ll often have a coach bus. I always think of Greyhound buses when those were a big thing back in the 1980s in the US when I hear the word “coach.” They’re plush seating, have storage underneath the bus, and are generally quite comfortable to travel in. This is what you’ll be using the get from city to city. If you have baggage, be sure to open the hatch at the bottom to store your bags before you board the bus!
  
• Book Ahead
  Similar to trains, ticket prices increase the closer to the date of your journey, so it’s always wise to book early. FlixBus or BlaBlaCar are solid websites/apps to use for booking those intercity tickets.
  
• Lufthansa Express Bus (Germany & France)
  Flying in/out of Munich or Nuremberg? You can use the Lufthansa Express Bus to travel from Nuremberg to Munich or Strasbourg, France. You can also travel between Munich and Innsbruck, Austria. This will all be on a coach bus and timed to your flight so you don’t have to worry about missing your bus departure time. You do not need to fly Lufthansa to take advantage of this service.
  
• Lufthansa Airport Shuttle (Munich, Germany)
  If you’re flying in/out of Munich, take this bus! It runs between Munich Hauptbanhof (main train station) and Munich Airport. It costs one way 12€ for an adult and 6.50€ for a child with options to purchase online for that price or you can purchase directly from the bus driver for an additional 1€. This was so much cheaper than having a taxi or car pick us up and while the metro would be cheaper, we appreciated having our luggage stored under the bus and out of the way. It was also super comfy and a nice way to see a bit of the city. You do not need to fly Lufthansa to take advantage of this service.

🚉Public Transport

The amazing infrastructure that is public transit in Europe is a fantastic way to travel. Learn how to navigate the city with my tips below.

• Mobility pass/City card
  Check to see if your accommodation provides you with a “mobility pass” or something similar in which you are allowed to travel around the city/region for free. For example, the state of Salzburg in Austria has the Salzburg Mobility Card which allows you to travel for free on any mode of public transit within the entire state – that includes trains!
  
• Buses/trams/lightrail
  Google Maps:
  The second tip might seem kind of “duh,” but Google Maps will actually in real time follow the bus that you’re on. So not only will it walk you right to which bus stop you need, but it will tell you which stop you are heading towards, at, and leaving all on your phone which is super helpful if you can’t see the reader board or missed an announcement.
  
• Bus Etiquette
  Besides refraining from eating while on any method of public transport except long distance transportation like trains, make sure you enter the bus from the front door and exit out the side door. This keeps the flow of traffic moving!
  
• Metro/Underground/Subway
  No matter what it’s called, this underground network of trains can seem really overwhelming at first. First, make sure you have a ticket! Most have an app so you don’t need to bother with physical tickets or cash. Look into multi-day deals; often these are offered for specific cities where you can travel for a few days out of so many.
  
  Second, hold your kiddo! That initial move away from the platform and the stop at the next platform can make for some unstable balance.
  
  Also note that there isn’t a lot of space for luggage, so if you’re bringing a number of suitcases it may be challenging to navigate as you’ll be holding onto everything and you might not be able to find a seat.
  
• How to Get to the Correct Stop
  First and foremost, you want the train going in the direction of your stop. I’m going to highlight one section of the Madrid Metro below. (Click here to view the entire metro map of Madrid, Spain, for some practice navigating. Have your kiddo name two stops and see if you can get from one to the other!)

Let’s say you are on the lime green line at stop Gran Vía (the big red star) and you want to go to stop Ventas (up and to the right). The metro is running in both directions, so how do you know which side of the tracks you need to be on? You need to look at the final destination your train is headed towards. (The end of the line are the big red arrows.) So if you’re going from Gran Vía to Ventas, you want to go in the direction of Alameda de Osuna. You will want to look for a sign indicating the Alameda de Osuna and not Casa de Campo. If you get on the train that says Casa de Campo on the front reader, you’re going to end up in the completely wrong direction!

I promise that metros/subways/undergrounds are not as daunting as they seem. Once you’ve navigated them a few times, it will feel like no big deal!

🖍️Things To Do

You made it to your transportation and now you’re sitting on the journey and the kiddo is getting bored. What do you do?

• Activity Books!
  I purchased a few different activity books, pulled various pages out of each one, and stapled them together to make my own thin/easily packable activity packets. I had mazes, word searches, Where’s Waldo finding scenes, tracing pages, etc.
  
• Coloring Pages/Books
  In one of the Bluey Advent calendars there were a number of super small Bluey coloring books and these were PERFECT for traveling as they fit inside my purse, backpack, and even jacket pockets. I had a little thing of colored pencils that I carried with me at all times so when we were hungry and waiting for food, I could pull out a little coloring book and we were off!
  
• Yoto Player
  We really loved that it could play stories that we adults read aloud, so my son could listen to stories when we were too exhausted to play.
  
• Uno
  I am a huge board/card game fan and I was surprised how everyone seemed to be playing Uno all over Germany and Austria, so I had to buy a deck from Germany. We played it all the time – on the train, in the hotel room, waiting for meals, etc. It was flat enough that it didn’t take up much room in my suitcase or backpack.
  
• The best activity ever…
  …was, honestly, just being together. We looked out the window, made up stories about people and places, told the most ridiculous jokes I could remember from my childhood, talked about our favorite parts of the trip, etc. I had been so worried my kiddo would get bored and there would be an eventual meltdown, but we just had so much fun enjoying each other’s company that we didn’t really need much distraction.

And this is your final reminder to BRING ALL THE SNACKS! After the time our train was delayed 20 minutes which turned into over an hour, we started making it a practice to go to the supermarket every single time we headed off on a longer journey. Cashews, fruit, granola bars…anything that was easy to eat we made sure to have it on hand.

Happy travels!