I was seven or eight years old, standing in the streets of Kathmandu in Nepal when I turned to my mum and said: “Mummy, it’s very different here.” It sounds simple. But that moment has stayed with our family for decades. Not because it was profound, but because it was the beginning of something: a curiosity about the world that has never left me.
People often say “they won’t remember” when justifying why young children shouldn’t travel, but I argue that’s entirely missing the point. I don’t remember Kathmandu the way I remember other milestones, but it shaped me in ways that are far harder to articulate and far more lasting. That trip, and the many others my mum took me on, built something in me quietly and without fanfare: an ease with difference, a comfort in unfamiliar places, and an instinct to lean into the unknown rather than away from it.
So when is the best age to travel with a baby? Here’s everything I’ve learned.
We talk a lot about giving children the best possible start in life. Good schools, enriching activities, opportunities to develop. But travel is one of the most profound investments a parent can make in a child’s character, and it’s one that rarely gets the credit it deserves. It doesn’t show up on a CV in any obvious way. It can’t be measured in grades or qualifications. And yet the confidence to navigate a world that doesn’t look like your own, the empathy that comes from encountering lives radically different from yours, and the simple open-mindedness that comes with experiencing other cultures: these are the gifts that travel quietly gives.
My mum understood this instinctively. She has been travelling since she left home, and in her mid-sixties she shows no signs of stopping. She gave me the world before I had the language to appreciate it. And in doing so, she shaped who I became far more than she probably realises.
Those traits followed me quietly into adulthood. I built a career in marketing in an environment that demands adaptability, cultural intelligence, and confidence. I travel extensively, and when I became a mum myself, something crystallised: I wanted to pass the gift on deliberately, intentionally, in the same way it had been passed to me. That’s why I started this family travel blog.
R took fourteen flights before he turned one, a Eurostar, and many road trips. Many people raised an eyebrow, insisting “he won’t remember it”. And there it was, that same assumption my mum had quietly defied three decades earlier.
Do babies remember travelling?
No, and the “they won’t remember it” argument probably comes up every time some people see a baby in an airport. And on a surface level, it’s true. Your six-month-old is not going to come home from Seville with vivid memories of the orange trees.
But here’s what I now know to be true, both from lived experience and from everything I’ve learned writing about family travel: the memories matter far less than the exposure. Travel at a young age almost certainly expands the sensory world, and it definitely builds adaptability. The quiet but powerful message being absorbed: that the world is big, and welcoming, and worth exploring.
The science broadly backs this up. Early experiences shape neural pathways. Babies exposed to varied environments, faces, sounds and stimuli are building cognitive flexibility long before they can articulate what they’re experiencing. So while they won’t remember the trip, the trip is still doing something.
So is travelling with a baby worth it?
Yes, providing you go in with the right expectations. Travelling with a baby is not the same as travelling before you had one. The pace is different, the planning is different, and the wins look different. A successful day might be a long lunch where the baby slept in the pram, a slow walk through a market, or a morning on the beach that ended at 11am because someone needed a nap.
But it is absolutely worth it, for them and for you too. Because here’s the thing nobody tells you: babies are actually one of the best ages to travel. Cheaper flights, no opinions about the itinerary, and a genuine wonder at everything they see. The hard part is logistics, not the child.
Travel didn’t just change my personality. It built it. And I’m now watching it build R’s too. Three generations in, the ripple is still moving forward, and I’m loving documenting it and being able to reassure other parents that travel doesn’t need to pause just because you have a family.
Best age to travel with a baby: a breakdown by stage
So when is the best age to travel with a baby? The answer depends on what kind of traveller you are, but there are some clear patterns worth knowing before you book.
0–3 months: possible, but you’re in survival mode
Newborns are actually easier to travel with than you might think. They sleep constantly, they’re not mobile, and they’re entirely contained. But you are probably not ready. The fourth trimester is relentless, you’re still figuring out feeding, and the mental load of a trip on top of new parenthood is significant. Most doctors also recommend waiting until at least 8 weeks before flying, partly for immune system development. If you’re a seasoned traveller and a confident new parent, a short trip at this age is doable, but for most people though, this isn’t the moment.
If you do want to travel in those early weeks, my ten steps guide to planning a baby-friendly holiday covers how to approach it without overwhelming yourself. And don’t forget to order your little one’s passport well in advance!
3–10 months: the sweet spot
This is widely considered the best age to travel with a baby, and in my experience, it really is. Your babies are not yet mobile, which means they’ll sit contentedly in a carrier or on your lap. They don’t need entertainment beyond you, and they’re not eating complex food. And crucially, they fly free or very cheaply as lap infants on most airlines.
The 6–8 month window in particular hits a lovely sweet spot: past the unpredictability of the newborn stage, vaccinations underway, alert and responsive and absolutely delighted by new sights and faces, but not yet crawling or pulling to stand. R did some of his best travelling in this window, long-haul included.
11 months–2.5 years: the hardest age to travel with kids
This is the tough stretch, as once babies become mobile, crawling, cruising, then walking, the logistics of travel change dramatically. They want to move constantly, they can’t be reasoned with, they have big feelings about small things, and they’re too young to be entertained in one way for any meaningful length of time.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t travel. We absolutely did and still are, with some long-haul trips planned this year. But go in knowing it’s the hardest age to travel with kids by most measures. Shorter trips and accommodation with outdoor space can make things easier. Toddlers on planes are a test of character (yours and theirs!).
Our guide to baby-friendly UK Airbnbs is a good starting point if you want somewhere with space to roam without the stress of a long journey. If you’re looking for something gentle (while still boarding a plan) to start with, a long weekend in Jersey is brilliant for this age group and good fun.
3–5 years: the fun phase begins
I’m told that something shifts around age three. They’re potty trained (hallelujah), they can communicate what they want and need, they start really engaging with where they are, and they remember things. A three-year-old exploring a new city or on a beach in Mallorca is having a real experience they can talk about afterwards. This is when family travel starts to feel reciprocal, when they’re not just along for the ride, but actually in it with you.
It’s also worth noting: this is still before most children start school, which means you have maximum flexibility before term times begin to dictate your calendar. If you’re looking to make the most of that pre-school window, our guides to short-haul destinations under two hours from the UK and the best Easter breaks with a toddler are good places to start – both are built around destinations and timing that work well before the school-holiday pricing kicks in.
5+ years: the dream phase (with a catch)
Older children are wonderful travel companions. They can carry their own bags, engage with history and culture, read menus, navigate, and have opinions worth including in the planning. International travel starts to feel educational in a tangible way. The catch is that school schedules now govern when you can go, which means peak season pricing and the end of spontaneous mid-term trips.
This is exactly why I’d argue for starting early, not instead of travelling when they’re older, but as well as. The child who travelled as a baby arrives at five with an existing ease in the world, and they are likely to be far less temperamental.
Travelling with a baby on a plane: what actually helps
If you’re nervous about your first flight with a baby, here’s what actually makes a difference:
- Book the bassinet seat as bulkhead rows with sky cots are worth every effort to secure.
- Time flights around sleep where you can. Early morning or late evening flights often mean a baby who sleeps for a chunk of the journey.
- Bring more nappies than you think you need. Then bring more. For a full rundown of what to pack, my baby travel packing list has everything broken down by age and trip length.
- Feed on take-off and landing to help with ear pressure. Breast or bottle both work.
- A carrier or a pram in the airport. Your hands will thank you.
- Lower your expectations for the destination. One big thing per day, not an itinerary. This is the number one mindset shift that makes baby travel enjoyable rather than exhausting.
Stuck on what to bring to keep them occupied? My baby travel toys guide breaks it down by age.
If you want a deeper dive into the logistics, I’ve written a full survival guide to flying with a baby covering seat selection, bassinet bookings, and how to survive a long-haul with a lap infant. The flight itself is rarely as bad as people fear. Babies are more resilient in transit than toddlers, and strangers are almost always kinder than you expect.
Is travelling with a baby a waste of money?
This is the question underneath the “they won’t remember it” argument, and it deserves a direct answer.
Ironically, travelling before your baby turns two is almost always the most cost-effective time to go. Under-twos fly free as lap infants on most airlines, or at a heavily reduced infant fare. They don’t need their own seat, their own ticket to attractions, and often not even their own meal at a restaurant. The costs rise steeply once they hit two and need a paid seat, and again once they’re school-age and you’re locked into expensive holiday periods. If you’re looking for inspiration on where to go, my round-up of the best holiday types with a baby covers ideas that work brilliantly in each sweet spot window.
So if the question is purely financial, the maths actually favour travelling early.
But if the question is about value, whether the experience is worth the investment, then the answer is the same one my mum gave me without ever saying it out loud. Yes, and not because they’ll remember every moment. But because exposure to the world compounds quietly, over years, into something you can’t put a number on.
The bottom line: what age to travel with kids
The best age to travel with kids is earlier than most people think.
The 3–9 month window is the practical sweet spot, affordable, manageable, and wonderful. But the truth is, there isn’t a wrong time to start. The hardest phase (roughly 10 months to 2.5 years) is hard, not impossible. The toddler years are chaotic but full of magic. And every age from three onwards gets progressively easier and richer.
What matters most isn’t the age. It’s the decision to go.
Because the world isn’t something to save for later, for when they’re old enough to appreciate it. It’s something to hand to them now, in the way it was handed to me, one trip at a time, before they have the language for it, trusting that it’s doing something even when you can’t see it.
Allie, Jack & R x
