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We’ve clocked a few big trips as a family now, and for my toddler, that’s more overseas adventures had in his under-four years of life than I had when I was his age!

We had our first seven-hour flight to Tokyo when he was fifteen months, our second Tokyo trip at age three, and most recently, our third to Melbourne – our first trip down under, and the most peaceful one yet. In between these trips involving flights, we’ve been on shorter trips nearby to JB.

And yes, you didn’t read wrongly. I did use the word “peaceful” to describe the Melbourne trip. It wasn’t because things went perfectly with nary a hitch (it didn’t). It was because as a family traveling with a toddler, we’ve wisened up a little from the experiences of the trips before – we held fewer expectations, brought fewer things, fought fewer battles. That enabled us to have more margin to savour the sweetness of being together. For my toddler, having mama and papa around 24/7 for consecutive days? That was such a treat.

So let me dive right in and share about the experience of our latest travel adventure. I’ll talk about:

The unique dynamics of traveling with a toddler AND my parents (seniors)
Modifications we made to our traveling style this time around to simplify
Tips we learned about packing light
How we managed the long(ish) flight
Trip itinerary and highlights

The Unique Dynamics of Traveling with a Toddler and Seniors

You’d think traveling with extra adults means more help. And yes — sometimes it does. But it also means juggling three generations of energy levels, appetites, interests, and nap schedules.

To have a successful multigenerational trip, the key is not to fit more in, but to create space and flexibility for:

Naps – because toddlers and grandparents (and even ourselves) need rest just as much as sightseeing
Meals that don’t involve long queues or overly ambitious dining experiences
Spontaneity – because there will always be someone hungry, tired, or just not that into the next destination: think detours for a playground stop or coffee break.

We also started treating rest time very seriously and put it in the trip itinerary like we would any other destination on our travel list. At first, I felt a twinge of regret because we had flown all the way and taken time off our work schedules to make this trip happen, only to “do” so little. But I have since learned that if we factor in rest and recharge opportunities, it makes the rest of the day (and the whole trip) so much smoother.

How We Kept It Simple

After three trips, I’ve realised that traveling with kids isn’t about being well-prepared — it’s about being simply prepared, as in simplify the preparations.

Here’s what being simply prepared looked like for us:

We chose fewer destinations, stayed longer in each. Instead of hopping between multiple areas, we picked one base and explored from there.
We simplified meals. We ditched gourmet hole-in-the-walls involving long queues or that would be too fancy for a squirmy toddler to tolerate. Some days we ate out; other days, we cooked in. Breakfasts at our Airbnb bought us slow starts (and less hangry chaos).
We kept activities flexible. One morning activity, one afternoon rest. That rhythm saved our sanity.

“A slow day isn’t a wasted day. It just might be the day you’ll remember most.”

A slow day isn’t a wasted day. It just might be the day you’ll remember most. In our case, we remembered our slowest day, where we only had one attraction, best. That was Day 4 of our trip — see our trip itinerary below to find out what we got up to on Day 4.

How We Packed Light

On our first trip to Tokyo, we lugged what felt like half our nursery, a stroller, and two styles of baby carriers. I brought enough diapers to open my own convenience store-on-the go. I brought milk powder, milk packets, and boxes of snacks. I brought waaay too many clothes. I even brought my laptop in case urgent matters at work cropped up.

By Melbourne, I’d learned that the essentials were fewer than I thought:

Enough outfits for half the duration of the trip, then do laundry at the midpoint (a hat tip to Audrey @theordinarymatters for sharing this tip)
A small pouch of medicine and wipes — not a pharmacy.
Our toddler’s comfort items, kept to a minimum: one favourite stuffy, a few books, and a handful of trusty snacks. The mindset we had was to get snacks on the go, since the places we’re traveling often have convenience stores and supermarkets.
Just to emphasize the above – no toys. Nope. We did not bring toys.
During the trip itself, for on-the-go: one day pack for the whole family. No separate diaper bag. Diapers and kids’ stuff go into the one day pack. The puffy jackets we brought were small enough when rolled up to fit in the day pack in case of cold weather.
Bulkiest / heaviest pieces of clothing are worn on our body on flight days – so that we free up space and weight from the luggage bags.
No laptops or tablets – I cleared work ahead of time and made a rule that a holiday is meant for unplugging. Excepppt my husband brought a laptop along just in case. We never touched it except to setup a makeshift CCTV system using a phone app (camera) connected to the laptop (screen).
No stroller – only applicable on this most recent Melbourne trip, because at 3.5yo our toddler can walk more. In some cities, stroller rental is available (but can be troublesome to arrange). Although, in the Melbourne CBD where it got really crowded and overstimulating, we did end up getting a $25 KMart stroller to help our toddler be more comfortable navigating the city.)

Additionally, our rule was that each adult got one luggage.

This helped us get through airport checks so much easier because there just weren’t so many things in our hands to manage. In my family’s case, we managed to fit papa+mama+toddler’s stuff into one big luggage. My dad and mum also had one luggage each.

Because we packed light, we had fewer items to keep track of, fewer gadgets to fiddle with, and fewer snacks to protect from getting crushed… essentially, packing light brought us more ease.

How We Managed the Long(ish) Flight

I’ll be completely honest — a seven-hour flight with a toddler isn’t “fun.” But it is survivable, if you’re okay with embracing a squirmy toddler wanting to change positions (and maybe seats) ad infinitum, needing to get up and stretch legs plus pace the aisles for a bit, wanting comfort carrying, throwing in a little whining, and possibly accepting that screen time rules don’t apply in the sky.

Some other things that helped us:

Bringing a small handful of snacks - familiar ones that comfort and distract.
Layered clothing that is easy on, easy off, because airplane temperatures are unpredictable.
Make toys out of inflight items. If your airline provides it, ask for kiddy kits. Many have activity books or small toys. I find that the buttons, bits and bobs on an airplane seat provide enough entertainment – even the safety booklet and paper cups work magic.
No guilt about screens. Air travel is survival mode. Grace abounds. My toddler usually falls asleep halfway through a movie and stays asleep until the next meal service.

“Don’t schedule a packed first day on arrival. Even if your flight lands early in the day, everyone needs to decompress.”

And one more thing — don’t schedule a packed first day on arrival. Even if your flight lands early in the day, everyone needs to decompress. We kept day one sacred for settling in, resting, and gentle exploring just to get our bearings.

Our Melbourne Itinerary and Highlights

Day 1 Monday

7.25am Touch down in Melbourne airport

9am Pick up car rental, drive to airbnb

12pm Arrive at Airbnb, put down bags, rest

1pm Late lunch near Airbnb + supermarket run

2pm Spontaneous shopping at K Mart

4pm Rest and dinner prep

6pm Dinner at Airbnb

8pm Wash up & goodnight

Day 2 Tuesday

9am Breakfast in Airbnb

10am Explore Diamond Bay

12pm Lunch at The Bays Sorrento (yummy fish and chips with a beautiful pier overlooking the ocean)

2pm Rest / nap

5pm Supermarket run and dinner prep

6pm Dinner at Airbnb

8pm Wash up & goodnight

Diamond Bay

Sand play at a safe distance from the ocean

The driveway to our airbnb

Grocery shopping

Kitchen in the airbnb has everything!

Makeshift CCTV setup: phone app + laptop

My son having a grand ol' time playing in the yard

Day 3 Wednesday

9am Breakfast in Airbnb

10am Sightseeing (Arthur’s Seat Lookout was closed, we pivoted to Moonlit Wildlife Sanctuary to see kangaroos and wallabies)

1pm Lunch (takeout from a nearby KFC since we were encroaching into nap time)

2pm Rest / nap

6pm BBQ dinner (I had a friend staying in Melbourne come visit)

10pm Wash up and goodnight

Day 4 Thursday

7am Early breakfast in Airbnb and checkout

8am Drive to Belgrave station

10am Check-in at Belgrave station for Puffing Billy experience

11am-3pm Puffing Billy experience

3pm Drive to CBD

4pm Check in at hotel, rest

6pm Dinner at Melbourne Chinatown (Shanghai Street Dumpling)

8pm Supermarket run

9pm Wash up and goodnight

Day 5 Friday

8am Return car downtown while toddler sleeps in with grands

9am Breakfast in hotel (buns bought from supermarket)

10am Exploring Yarra River and free tram rides in city centre

11am Birrarung Marr playground

1pm Lunch at Southern Cross Station (Hungry Jacks)

2pm Rest / nap in hotel

5pm Dinner at Melbourne Chinatown (mix of street food)

8pm Supermarket run

9pm Wash up and goodnight

Day 6 Saturday

9am Breakfast in hotel (bought from supermarket)

10am Shopping at Queen Victoria Market

12pm Lunch at QVM

2pm Rest / nap in hotel

5pm Shopping around CBD

7pm Dinner at Ippudo Melbourne Central Mall + ice cream for dessert

Day 7 Sunday

11am Hotel checkout

12pm Lunch at Betty’s Burgers

2pm Skybus to airport (30 min journey)

230pm Check in luggage

430pm Flight home

Highlight #1: Puffing Billy

I highly, highly recommend the Puffing Billy Experience especially if you’re heading to Melbourne in the spring. The balmy weather, abundance of nature and rustic scenes of the century-old steam train and tracks combined made for such an enjoyable experience for young and old alike.

We took the Belgrave - Lakeside return route, which involved a couple of hours stopover at Lakeside where we got to have a picnic, a slow stroll, and let the kiddo run about at the playground.

Notes:

Book your Puffing Billy tickets in advance as they sell out quickly.
Seating is arranged automatically when you book your tickets - that also means you might be placed at the front carriage. If so, you might get some soot blown your way - caps and sunglasses will come in handy here.
You can pre-order your meal (scones and hot tea, grazing box, good for 4 persons) or bring your own food along for a picnic if you wish.
Birds on the picnic grounds are quite aggressive - be prepared to fight them off!

Highlight #2: Diamond Bay

We got to know this location from Hangry By Nature’s YouTube video. It’s a great spot that the whole family will love, simply because it’s such a marvel of nature to behold — the vast open ocean set against rocky cliffs encircling a bay that is a beach at low tide.

Note:

Check tide timings before you make your way down, you won’t be able to access the beach at high tide as the water level comes up to the cliffs and covers the beach.
NOT SAFE FOR SWIMMING! Keep an eye on your little ones and don’t let them run into the water because the tide pulls out into the open ocean.
Cliff edges are blocked off as they are not safe for climbing or walking due to risk of loose soil and slope collapse. Essentially, they’re not safe photo spots. Keep to the boardwalks.

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