If you’re the beautiful family I saw at Berlin airport at 5am the day after Christmas, speaking calmly to one another, perfectly presented with well organised, small carry on bags, then this post is not for you.
I was dressed, though only because I slept in my clothes anticipating our 2am wake up, had two completely overexcited children carrying their new Barbies that just had to come with us and a husband valiantly trying to carry all of the bags, leaving a trail of snacks, cords and jumpers behind him.
My attitude of “As long as we have the kids and the passports, we’ll be fine” in this moment reassured me that this 3-month adventure wasn’t the craziest idea we’d had.
If my experience sounds familiar, then this post is for you.
Travel doesn’t have to be perfect. It can be messy, chaotic, offering learning and a lot of fun. Here’s how to survive (and maybe even enjoy) jet lag with kids, the realistic way.
Jet Lag Doesn’t Care How Organised You Are
You can plan the perfect flight, pack all the snacks, and still end up with a child wide awake at 3 a.m. YOU might be the one up at 3am, searching for a snack because your body thinks it’s lunchtime but trying desperately not to wake up the kids.
Jet lag is your brain slowly catching up with where you body has arrived.
So instead of fighting it, accept that those first few days will be wobbly. Focus on connection with your children, not control. Sleep will come, just maybe not exactly when you’d like it to.
When we fly back to Australia from Germany, jet lag is unavoidable! A 10 hour time difference, crossed in just one day. The exhaustion, overexcitement, confused metabolism is real. Both visits have resulted in a very tired Mummy (that’s me) losing her mind after my eldest just couldn’t fall asleep after 30 hours on the road.
All You Need Is Love (Especially for Yourself)
When everyone’s tired and cranky, what your kids need most isn’t a strict routine. No Matter what their age. It’s a calm parent who reminds them they’re safe, loved and accepted, no matter how they show up.
Try this: Instead of getting stuck in the narrative of “we have to sleep!”, just provide a calm, warm and safe environment for your family. Slowly, everyone will relax into their new abode and rest when they’re ready.
Remembering that sleep is as much about safety as a physical need will go a long way on those first nights. It’s not just the jet lag, but a new place, new sights and sounds. It’s a lot for kids.
And it’s a lot for us. I dread that first night after the long day and a bit of travelling to finally be back home. I feel physically and emotionally drained, all I want is a shower and a hug from my favourite Melbournians and to lay down. But with kids? Impossible.
Take it in your stride. Know that you won’t feel like this for your entire trip. You’ll be golden.
Snack First, Sleep Later
Jet lag feels worse when you’re hungry or dehydrated (or heaven forbid, both!).
Here’s your recipe to an easy first few days: snacks, water, sunshine. Repeat.
You forget the perfect travel snacks you saw that Instagram family eating? No problem. There are shops there. Grab fruit, bread, or anything easy and familiar for your family. What matters is fuel, not aesthetics.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is accept that dinner might be literal toast and everyone will sleep in their clothes. Perfect? No. Is everyone still breathing? Then you’ve done your job.
When we first arrived in Thailand from Australia, we were done. We’d flown overnight from Melbourne, had to attend to the matter of a lost cuddle toy on arrival in the mid-afternoon and then, after a long wait, endured a long drive to our accommodation (we did insist on staying “out of the city”).
We had hungry, tired kids who didn’t want to be hot and were homesick. Our strategy? We loaded up on familiar looking food from the local fruit stands and 7/11 and watched Puffin Rock on our laptop in bed until everyone slowly drifted off to sleep.
You won’t find photos of this on any social media. I was probably the first to sleep!
Don’t stress when it’s not perfect. Just know that tomorrow is a new day.
Connection Over Control
When kids are overtired, their little bodies can’t handle their big feeling. It’s not disobedience but disorientation.
While you are excited to be in a new place and experience all of the things you’ve dreamed of all this time, your little one is wondering why they’re not at home, where their favourite toys or best friends are and confused about the way people here speak.
Jetlag is only part of the story.
When we see this transition through their eyes, things start to look different. A new time zone, different language, places, people and all to be accepted out of their familiar and safe environment.
If you’re having a morning full of meltdowns and getting out of the accommodation just seems impossible, then stay. Take the time off. Rest together and recalibrate.
Offer extra cuddles, soothing words and read a familiar story. Make joke about how “our bodies think it’s morning, but the moon says otherwise.”
You’re not just managing jet lag here, you’re teaching resilience without any shame or confusion.
Simple Reset Tricks (No Planner Required)
If you’re a Type C Mom like me, you want the rules and the guides and the to-do lists, but you also want an easy set of strategies to use when the going gets hard.
And besides. When the going gets hard and we’re all tired, who even knows where that guide is? Did we even bring it?
Here are a few routines I use with my kids while travelling to make the first few days with jetlag just a little bit easier.
- Get outside as soon as possible
Sunlight resets body clocks faster than any schedule. Get the kids up and get them outside.
- Keep naps short and sweet.
The urge to nap at odd hours is strong on those first days in a new time zone. Avoid it if you can. It’s better to wake up too early or have an early night than accidentally sleep for 3 hours in the middle of the day.
- Use one or two familiar bedtime cues from home.
Whatever you think will help your kids feel safe and find the familiar in their new environment (that of cours eyou can carry with you!). A small blanket or toy are perfect for this (can yes, we carried Space Barbie and Horsey Barbie with us for the full 3 month adventure).
- Don’t stare at the clock.
For your own sanity, don’t watch the clock. If you’re all wrecked and it’s 5pm? Then go to bed. Just make sure you have something in your room for the early breakfast you’re going to need.
And remember: there’s no such thing as “getting it right.”
There’s just getting through it together.
You’re Doing Better Than You Think
The truth? Every family wrestles with jet lag. Some just hide it better.
Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of thinking any travel influencer family avoids this experience. They don’t. They’re just too tired to film it.
You don’t need to be perfectly prepared. Just present, patient, and willing to laugh when things get weird. Those blurry, giggly, sleep-deprived memories are part of your adventure.
And if you want a little extra help for the emotional side of travel, grab my free Emotional First Aid Kit for Kids Away from Home — it’s full of tools to help your kids feel calm and connected, even when the world feels upside down.
