Traveling with Kids – How to Keep your Sanity

Before moving to Costa Rica in March 2021 with our 3 toddlers, we really thought traveling with kids was just something those cool people on Instagram did but we would never accomplish.

We may have gained a few grey hairs moving our small family to Costa Rica from the United States, but now that we are here it was 100 percent worth it!

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Read below for our best tips on how to keep your sanity traveling internationally with kids!

• Be Prepared. Keep all of your important documents, passports, and papers organized in an expanding file folder like this one. This will just make your life easier when everyone screams and cries at the same time while waiting in line at the airport. Trust me!

• Have a great kid friendly tablet. We were always “low tech” parents with our toddlers, but this adventure changed that. Having kid friendly Amazon Fire tablets was super handy on the airplane, and long drives to keep the peace between 3 little gremlins. I really appreciate that you can control what gets downloaded, so these can be tapered to your preferences. We not only used them while traveling with kids on the airplane, but now they come in handy as learning tools for homeschooling, and when the kids have to wait a long time at a restaurant.

• Get zipper pouches for the kids backpacks! These are amazing to organize puzzles, toys, snacks, etc. We like these ones here from Amazon because they are waterproof and come in different colors!

• SNACKS. I can’t stress this enough. Pack ten times more than you think you will need. Aim for the least messy snacks possible, so a sticky hell won’t be created on everything the kids touch.
• Backpacks for the kids. Let them pick out their travel backpacks so they think it’s cool to carry all their junk. Otherwise, they might whine and complain and ask you to carry their backpack and be their sherpa. This is not ideal. Our 3 boys all picked out the same Paw Patrol backpacks, and now they want to carry them everywhere. It’s a win because it’s less junk for me to have to haul!

I hope this list of suggestions helps you while you travel with kids! Embrace the chaos, and know that all the stress will be worth it when you arrive to your destination.

Pura Vida! ~ Lauren

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