Travel advisors share hard-won family travel tips, from packing extra clothes to checking train boards and choosing hotel rooms that help babies sleep.
Travel advisors don’t get a pass on travel mistakes. The useful part is what happens after: a lost bag turns into a better packing rule, a missed train prompts a closer look at departure boards, and an exhausting day reminds a parent to slow the itinerary down. These stories from the Ciao Bambino team are funny in retrospect, but the advice behind them is practical.
Small oversights, big travel headaches
Mandy Cecchetto’s first international trip with her baby, from Canada to New York City, was a festive multigenerational visit with the grandparents. A diaper blowout on the flight seemed manageable: she had packed a change of clothes. Then came another blowout after landing. The diaper bag had no second outfit because the flight was only an hour, and the checked luggage had gone missing. The grandparents’ spare Santa suit got the baby through until the family could shop at Macy’s. Cecchetto’s rule now: carry several extra outfits for the baby and one for the parents. — Mandy Cecchetto, senior travel advisor
Amie O’Shaughnessy learned that a single hotel room can be a poor fit when a baby is adjusting to a new time zone. On the family’s first trip, there was no door separating the sleeping area, so the baby’s wakefulness kept the family—and guests in neighboring rooms—up. A suite or connecting rooms give parents somewhere else to spend the evening; in a warm-weather destination, a balcony or deck can serve the same purpose. — Amie O’Shaughnessy, founder and CEO
For Lynda Zuber, the warning came over a train’s loudspeaker. She and her friends had boarded in Rome, expecting to travel to Naples before spending a week on the Amalfi Coast. They checked the platform on their tickets, found seats facing each other and unpacked a picnic. Then the conductor welcomed passengers aboard the nonstop service to Milan. The group grabbed its food and bags, ran to the Naples platform and made it onto the right train as its doors were closing. Zuber’s takeaway: check the station board, then confirm the train again before settling in. Platforms can change. — Lynda Zuber, senior travel advisor
Jill Dore’s rental car upgrade in Dublin came with an unexpected challenge: she’d be driving a Jaguar on the left through narrow rural roads along the Wild Atlantic Way. Her friend in the passenger seat calmly warned her when the car got too close to a hedge or embankment. The drive toward Killarney went well until darkness and rain turned the hotel directions into a maze of one-way streets. Dore took a side road that narrowed until the passengers had to fold in the mirrors. At the exit, two poles left only about six inches on either side of the car. She edged through, scraping the bodywork, and reached the hotel to cheers—and a pint of Guinness. The lesson is straightforward: an upgrade can be a downgrade if the vehicle doesn’t suit the roads you’ll be driving. — Jill Dore, director of operations
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Kim Bottoms went into a family sabbatical in 2016 determined to fit as much as possible into each day. Her young children had other ideas: when they ran out of energy, all three would stop and hang their heads. The family named these pauses “low battery moments,” a joke the kids still repeat. For Bottoms, they became a useful signal to ease the pace and keep everyone fed. A full itinerary may look efficient on paper; tired children can make it a very different trip. — Kim Bottoms, travel advisor
Cary Walker’s purse disappeared from a hotel reception in Italy. She had left it there, assuming the area was safe, then stepped around the corner to help people on the tour she was leading. When she returned, the bag was gone. Her entire group had been in the lobby, but nobody had seen what happened. Walker says to stay alert, especially when arriving somewhere new and still getting your bearings. — Cary Walker, senior travel advisor
A family trip from Krakow, Poland, to Mallorca exposed a paperwork gap for Loren Braunohler. With children aged 2, 4 and 6, the family had reserved a rental car in Mallorca, only to learn on arrival that an international driver’s license was required. They had only their U.S. license. It’s a small check to make before departure, with a potentially large effect on the first day of a trip. — Loren Braunohler, travel advisor
Lissa Poirot once returned a rental car to the wrong agency while rushing to catch an early flight with her children, then about 4 and 5. She left the car in that company’s lot and dropped the keys in its box, realizing the mistake only after landing at home. The first company had no record of the return. Poirot called the company that owned the car, explained what had happened and was told they’d retrieve it. The mix-up turned out fine, but the panic was real: she had no proof she’d returned the vehicle. — Lissa Poirot, travel advisor
Amy Annis’s family of six once got off at what looked like an empty station while visiting Cinque Terre. They didn’t understand the local rail service and spent two to three hours waiting, unsure whether to hike toward another village or which route would be safe. They were eventually picked up. Annis now plans rail logistics carefully for clients and recommends support in the area. — Amy Annis, senior travel advisor
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Kerry Rawcliffe once left a festival in Bavaria with two other families, six adults and eight children in all. The group stopped at an ice cream shop; the girls used the bathroom before everyone headed out to browse the town. On the way back to the cars, Rawcliffe spotted her nine-year-old daughter waiting outside the shop. The adults had accidentally left her behind. The girl stayed where she was, following the family’s instructions for getting separated, and was safe. She’s 21 now and still reminds her mother. Rawcliffe’s response after that day was to make a headcount before the group moved on. — Kerry Rawcliffe, travel advisor
Lisa Frederick had waited years to visit the Alhambra with her family, on a 2019 trip to Spain. She decided to go without a guide. The palace’s beauty and artistry were clear, but its history and symbolism stayed out of reach; nearby visitors with guides were hearing stories she could only catch in fragments. On a later return to Andalucia, the family hired a guide and found the experience transformed. If a place has been on your list for years, the extra planning can make the visit live up to the anticipation. — Lisa Frederick, director of marketing
Helen Buckner’s trip with her teenage children ran into a chain of small problems. They spent their euros in Paris, then traveled to Switzerland, where the currency was different. In Milan, the station ATM was broken, and the family couldn’t even pay to use the restroom. At the station, two trains stood side by side: one for Tirano and one for Torino. Buckner showed her ticket to a uniformed person and pointed to the train she thought was right; he nodded, though he didn’t speak English. The train left two minutes early, and she realized they’d boarded the wrong one. They got off at a deserted station, called their host and learned they were heading in the wrong direction. Eventually, another train took them back toward Milan, where the host picked them up and found them an ATM. They reached her home at midnight and were welcomed with pasta. Buckner now tells clients to check the train number on the board instead of relying on similar-looking city names. — Helen Buckner, senior travel advisor
Related reading:
How family travel changes at every age and stage
Mindful travel tips with kids: How to live in the moment
How family travel creates resilient kids
Why travel insurance matters: One CB! advisor’s story
What kids learn from travel that they can’t learn in a classroom
18 summer vacations to take before your kids grow up
Editor’s note: This post was accurate when published. Check independently for current information and updates. Ciao Bambino accepts no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions, or for actions taken based on the information presented.
The post The Travel Mistakes We Made So You Don’t Have To appeared first on Ciao Bambino!.
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