How to Travel Carry On Only with a Baby and Toddler

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

Backpacking was one thing that we thought we would lose for sure when we had our first baby. We were dubious that we would even be able to travel anymore, much less travel the way we loved: on-the-go, with few plans, just a beginning and an ending destination, a month or two free, and a week’s worth of clothes in a bag.

Something often thought of as reserved for the young and child-free.

Traveling with a baby means bringing lots of baby stuff. Right? You can’t possibly travel comfortably without all the same things that make life easier at home.

Right?

I’m here to tell you that backpacking (or at least flashpacking!) does not have to end when you have a baby, and in truth, traveling carry on only with young kids is the most freeing type of family travel.

It just takes a lot more planning.

Whether you are traveling with a baby, a toddler, both, or more… you can still travel carry on only.

There are several terms for the type of travel that I am describing: backpacking, flashpacking, and traveling carry on only. In the travel world, there are connotational differences between these terms, but they all essentially mean that you can carry everything that you’ve brought with you for your trip on your back.

Backpacking can also refer to overnight hiking, and if you are looking for how to do that with a baby, you have landed on the wrong blog!

The benefits: Why would you choose not to bring luggage when traveling with a toddler or baby?

You might backpack with a baby for all the same reasons that you loved to backpack before. The freedom, the ease of movement, and the significant improvement in the airport situation.

When we visited Vietnam, we knew we were going to be on the move a lot to see all the things we wanted to see. It’s not that we don’t like to spend the time to get to know a new place, but for this trip, we had limited time off from work and wanted to catch the highlights of Central Vietnam, so we had to move every few days.

When you are on the go that often, it is a major burden to have to pack up tons of stuff. And then you have to deal with schlepping everything, and with a kid or two in tow, that gets even harder to manage.

Carry on only travel forces you to pare down and decide what the essentials are, so that you aren’t bringing a bunch of unnecessary items. I love that. And while there is some risk that you will find yourself without an item that you’d like to have (and would have brought if you had the suitcase space), that’s a worthwhile risk for the upside of having less stuff to drag all over with you.

I also love the message that it sends to my girls. We don’t need all of our stuff to have a good time. We can make do with what we have and what we can borrow from our Airbnb accommodations, and we can focus on the places that we’re visiting and on each other, instead of on all the toys and supplies that we might have carried with us.

I love how this message carries over at home, too.

The challenges: Why traveling carry on only with a baby and toddler sometimes sucks.

One tip down below for successfully backpacking with a baby is to plan to buy certain supplies, like diapers and baby food, on location. This does mean that you will need to spend some of your travel time searching for baby stores and shopping. When possible, this is great information to have ahead of time. We lost half a day in Thailand trying to find formula, because we had no idea it would be so hard to come by. A little research would have told us that they discourage formula use in Thailand, and you have to go to certain big box stores to find it.

Another drawback of baby carry on only travel is that it can be a bit harder to get through the airport. While you have the advantage of not waiting at the check-in counter if you’ve already checked-in online (saving you tons of time!), you will probably have more bags to carry.

When we check a bag, it means that we usually only need one backpack for all of our carry-on supplies for the kids. But when we travel carry-on only, we each have a backpack, plus another good-sized bag with supplies for the plane ride, and usually some random stuff too (a baby carrier or stroller, a bag for our toddler travel bed, etc.).

All that stuff adds some stress getting through airport security and to the gate, and it is tougher to fit it all in the overhead bin. We choose to have small backpacks so we don’t feel completely overloaded.

Can a child have a carry-on?

Assuming the adults in your party are allowed a carry on, you can bring a carry on for baby or a carry on for toddler, too. If you’re flying ultra-budget airlines, be sure to check the fine print, because sometimes even adults aren’t allowed a carry on.

But on typical flights, each person is allotted a carry on allowance. So when we travel as a family of 4, we technically can have up to 8 items: one full-size carry on and one under-seat bag for each of us (although we would never want to drag that many bags on board!)

This is nice if we are bringing our stroller that stores in the overhead bin, for example, because that counts as the baby’s carry on.

Once my kids hit toddler age, they loved having their own little backpacks. I can usually get a portion of their clothes in there, along with everything they need for the flight (including everything we bring in our toddler travel busy bags), and it helps free up space in our bags. But the kids need to be reliable enough to carry it the whole time, otherwise it becomes one more thing to juggle. My girls always liked feeling like they had a big kid responsibility.

On every airline that we have flown with a baby, even lap infants are allotted a carry-on (despite not having their own seat). But you would definitely want to double check the actual airline you’re flying on that one.

Tips for successfully traveling carry on only with a baby or toddler.

Plan your packing list carefully.

It’s so important to plan ahead for your packing list, so that you have time to pare it down and decide what the true essentials are. I find that starting my list a month before we travel gives me time to come back to it occasionally to revisit my thinking and see if it still feels right.

This also helps because it’s more fun when you are planning ahead for an exciting trip, instead of tackling this task once you’re in the stressful days leading up to the trip!

Be prepared to let it go.

When you only have 4 outfits, you might not have the perfect outfit for every situation. You might have to deal with damp swimsuits because you have to reuse the same one every day. You might not get the perfect Instagram shot because you don’t have all the right equipment. Or the right make up. Or a hairbrush. Whatever.

Traveling with only a carry on means you’ll have the same “look” in many of your photos, and unless you are a travel influencer (and honestly even if you are)… that’s okay!

Take things slow.

You can’t see and do everything you’d like when you’ve got a baby in tow. You might not get to every city that you’d like to, or see all the landmarks on your list. There will be days when you have to scrap the plans and stay in to recuperate. Plan to take things more slowly than the average backpacker.

Ditch the backpacker hostels.

Traveling with a baby requires some level of accommodation. You certainly don’t have to stay at 5-star resorts just because you’re bringing kids (unless that is what you want to do!) but it is immensely helpful to have a place with a kitchenette, a private bathroom, and your own space.

Maybe you were a true backpacker before, but it’s time to become a flashpacker. If you think it’s stressful to deal with a fussy baby at night at home, just think how much worse that would be in a shared space. Up your standards of accommodation.

Plan to buy some supplies along the way.

I mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. You don’t have backpack space for 3-weeks-worth of diapers, but you can make room for enough to get you there and a few days into your journey. Things like diapers, milk, and baby food can be found all over the world. You don’t have to bring it all from home.

As I mentioned before, though – it can be challenging to find formula in some regions of the world. If you need it, plan to bring plenty if you can. You should also bring a baby- or toddler-specific first aid kit, because baby doses of medication can be hard to find, especially if you are traveling somewhere with a language that you don’t know well, and you may not be able to determine what is a baby-safe medication and the correct dosing.

I personally believe that there are only 21 things you need to bring when you travel with a baby (and baby meds are one of them). Read about those baby travel essentials here. And for travel with a toddler? 15. Here are my toddler travel essentials.

Look for low-waste alternatives to some of the things you use at home.

Maybe at home you go through box after box of wipes. Could you bring some cloth wipes for the trip to limit the amount you need? It is even possible to go carry on only if you travel with cloth diapers – that’s what I do.

Maybe you go through tons of plastic toddler pouches at home. Consider instead that you can buy some applesauce in bulk when you arrive and bring a reusable pouch… or just a spoon.

(That said, I fully support bringing protein-packed toddler pouches on the plane, and enough for some days out while you travel! Easy, accessible, and healthy food is a must for surviving flying with a baby or flying with a toddler! This is one of my favorite toddler airplane snacks.)

This not only helps you pack less, but it will have a positive impact on the environment. And this is especially important if you are traveling somewhere that is less developed and may not have the best recycling or garbage disposal capabilities, meaning that your waste is more likely to end up in the ocean.

Don’t buy a bunch of souvenirs.

When you don’t have the space to bring things home, it makes it very easy to avoid buying souvenirs that you don’t need.

This is not to say that I never bring things home from my trip – on the contrary, I almost always do. But the lack of suitcase space forces me to be especially cognizant of what I purchase.

Instead of stopping by the made-in-China tourist trinket shop and getting a coffee mug, snowglobe, and funny T-shirt, I seek out local artisans and purchase things that I know I will cherish and want in my home.

Or that a gift recipient will actually want to receive!

I might buy a pair of handmade earrings, or a batik silk scarf, or a small container of the local delicacy treats. I am thoughtful about what I buy because I know I can only choose a few items!

That being said, if you should happen to come across something that you absolutely must have – you can ship it! It will cost extra, but it is also so nice not to worry about that item for the rest of the trip and know that it will be waiting for you when you get home.

Stroller or no?

There is no one definitive answer here, but really spend some time thinking about the area that you are traveling to and how you intend to get around.

When it was just one baby, we always left the stroller at home and opted for the baby carrier instead. I am a big fan of babywearing while traveling, although it can be a lot to carry my backpack and wear the baby at the same time. Often times my husband would give me a break and wear both backpacks so I could focus on the baby.

With a baby and toddler, we switched to bringing a pocket stroller, and it was the best decision. We still bring the baby carrier so that we have lots of options, but it is awesome to be able to stick one backpack in the bottom of the stroller, push the toddler, and wear the baby.

Strollers are not ideal for all parts of the world, and they are one more thing to juggle on public transport and at the airport. But the right stroller can make a world of difference, especially if you are toting more than one young child.

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Traveling carry on only is incredibly freeing. Every time I walk through the airport with my baby on my front, backpack on my back, and toddler at my side, I see families juggling massive carts full of luggage and it just looks so stressful to me.

I like that it only takes 20 minutes to pack up our belongings and be on the road again. I like that we can easily pop on public transport to get to our accommodations.

Have I been caught without an item that I’ve needed here or there? Sure. But my toddler has never complained that she needs more toys. My baby has never been any less safe or comfortable because I left certain items at home.

Our family has learned to make the most of our vacation time together by focusing on the people and the places that we visit, and the rare uninterrupted time that we have together. And we don’t need any more stuff to make that happen.

Does your family travel with a carry on only? Are you considering trying it? I would love to hear all about your experiences or questions in the comments!

Originally published December 2020. Updated July 2023.