Preparation, logistics and public transport when travelling with a young family

I’ve spent 7 years travelling with babies and young children, often on my own. I’ve braved buses, trains, the London Underground, and every London airport.

I’ve been writing about my top tips and must-haves for any journey with young children, particularly where a lot of distance is travelled on foot, such as around airports or train stations.

This page is full of advice focussing around the preparation and logistics of the holiday, and also tips for braving public transport with bags and kids in tow.

The intro and summary page to this whole travel section can be found here. Other detailed sections include:

• Suitcases and travel bags; recommendations for families
• Packing for the kids; How much to pack, how many changes of clothes? (Upcoming)
• Baby and child essentials to pack on holiday / vacation
• Long car journeys with kids – road trip strategies
• Surviving a family holiday sickness bug

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So here is my best advice, but obviously do take into account your own circumstances and preferences!

Disclaimer: Please note that I have not accepted any payment or freebies for this article. This is simply me telling you what I find to be the best kit for a journey with young children, after a bit of trial and error over the years with my own money.

Preparation

Before you go away, do try and research and plan your trip as much as possible. Not just the logistics of getting to the airport or hotel, but also some ideas of things to do when you’re there (or a full scale itinerary, depending on how structured you like your holidays).

If you’re not one for military precision when it comes to family time, no problem. However, even if you’re going where the wind takes you, it doesn’t hurt to have a note of some family friendly spots or potential outings in the area (indoor and outdoor options if you think there may be inclement weather). You may not use them, but you might, and if so you’ll be happy to have them.

Print out your logistics/route/outing notes, or download them to your phone so you can access these, even with no network.

How much are you taking?

I have a specific post which will be posted soon advice on what to pack and how much when travelling with a family of young kids.

Obviously this will also depend on how long you’re going away for, what facilities you have access to if any, where you’re going, and what weather you can expect.

That said, my preference is always to only pack hand luggage if you can get away with it.

It’s infinitely easier to get around a busy city, rush hour and public transport when your bags are more manageable.

I used to consistently over-pack by 30-40%. The kids are happy wearing the same stuff again and again if it’s a current favourite and it’s not completely stained or wet.

As well as saving on space, it’s a time- and stress-saver all round:

Also, you need some sort of essentials kit with you. I go into this in more detail here, but you need as a minimum, a bag handy that contains:

• Child entertainment (my go-to items are colouring, a book, a small toy, and their favourite teddy. My kids don’t have an ipad but I will lend out my phone when needed. I may throw in Dobble or Uno cards if it’s a long journey).
• Snacks for everyone (lots of snacks for kids & grown-ups. you will definitely need them and they’re extortionately expensive when you’re at any terminus)
• Drinks bottles (refill whenever you see an appropriate spot, you may not get another chance. Unless you’re on your way to the airport, then I travel with 1 full bottle for sharing, and leave all the rest empty as they need to get through security).
• Wipes and tissues (for spills and clearing up)
• A spare top for each child (some one will spill something. It’s the law.)
• Travel paperwork (tickets, passports, ID)
• Book/magazine/kindle for you (for when they inevitably borrow your phone)

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Logistics

I try and keep travel logistics as simple as possible.

The more changes and transfers, the more likely you are to encounter delays, arguments, stressed-out parents, lost bags… there’s nothing worse than trying to get somewhere under a tight schedule when suddenly you have to contend with toddlers staging a revolt from being bored/tired/grumpy/hungry.

Changes and transfers usually mean hanging around, and not in a “we’ve got 20 minutes, let’s get out the colouring or the ipad” way. It usually involves stress and lots of “come on, keep up”.

To try and pre-empt any whining, we deliberately choose options with the least amount of hanging around – hence my love for hand luggage only flights and meet & greet airport parking.

Cars

If you can drive, it’s nice to be able to go from door to door to your holiday location with your own car and your own interior setup.

I have a separate blog post here about various strategies to manage a long road trip by car.

For getting to the airport, or short trips on the holiday, cars and taxis are the alternative to public transport.

For our journey to/from the airport it’s a choice between 2hrs by public transport with 3 changes, or a 1hr car journey. Unsurprisingly, we prefer to drive if the parking costs aren’t massively more than public transport.

If we drive to the airport, it does mean we need to arrange parking. We pay the marginal extra cost for ‘meet and greet‘ parking – hands down the best value spend of the journey. It takes so much hassle and waiting out of the equation. Win.

If parking is too expensive, we take public transport. We won’t take a taxi as we can’t get car seats arranged. (For short city journeys this as an acceptable risk for us, but we don’t take a taxi for longer journeys or on motorways without car seats).

Public Transport

If you need to use public transport, try and make as few changes as possible. If it adds another 10-15 minutes, it’s still the better option if it minimises you walking up and down the station with bags and kids.

Research your changes. Are there stairs? Is there a step-free option? Will you be able to manage all that with a buggy and suitcases?

Apps such as Citymapper and Mumderground are useful for this type of research.

Note, however, that whilst there are several stations with step-free access or changes, the reality varies from a speedy same-platform change, to ‘step-free’ exit route via a complex network of three lifts and multiple corridors.

I know, for example, that on the Eastbound Piccadilly line I need to change onto the Eastbound District line for Victoria station. I have several options for which station to use for the change, but at Baron’s court the change is literally on the same platform. So no walking and no stairs. (Note, this example only works if changing between Piccadilly line and District line if you are travelling in the same direction for the change (e.g. both Eastbound or both Westbound trains).

Don’t forget, travelling with kids and bags massively slows you down. Not only do you have dawdling children complaining about tired legs, but you have factor in a longer route for step-free access, and also allow for accidental mistakes by stressed-out parents (be it a missed stop, or going the wrong way for a couple of stops).

Takeaway: research the route and changes, but still allow extra time.

Rush hour

Sometimes because of flight or train departure/arrival times, we have to take public transport in rush hour. So be it. But expect some dark looks when you take up lots of space for your suitcase / buggy / family, and allow even more extra time to allow for slow shuffling through crowds, waiting for lifts, and skipping the next one/two trains for a quieter one.

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Summary

Plan your route and note down a few family-friendly spots at your end location. Print them or download them to your phone in case of no network.

How much are you packing? You can probably reduce it by 30%. If you can, take only hand luggage. It saves time and hassle.

Keep a daypack with travel essentials handy (tickets, ID, child entertainment e.g. book/colouring/toy, spare top, tissues, snacks, water…)

If parking is a long way from the terminus, pay for meet and greet parking to reduce hassle and waiting times.

Public transport: Research your route and changes. Are there stairs? Is there a step-free option? Is there a better step-free option?

Try and keep journeys as simple as possible and minimise changes. If it adds another 10-15 minutes, it’s still the better option if it saves you walking up and down the station with bags and kids.

Always allow extra time. It will take longer than usual with kids and bags. Allow extra, extra time if travelling at rush hour (and expect dark looks on crowded commuter trains).

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