Christina Miller, Twin Mom

Motherhood • Twins • Healthy Living

Traveling With Twins

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Traveling with twins

If you’re anything like me you’ve been at home with your newborn twins for the first few months with little to no travel; just lots of baby snuggles. Now that they’re a little older you might be planning your first trip, yay! It’s exciting traveling with your twins to new places and bringing them to meet your friends and family. I know it can be a lot to think about: what to bring, how to get there, what if something goes wrong, etc. but it’s not as daunting as it sounds.

The key to success (as always with twins) is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! The more organized and prepared you are, the easier it will be and the more stress-free fun you’ll have. I’m going to share all of our travel essentials, tips and things we’ve learned along the way whether it be for road trips, flying or just going down the road. I’m hoping to completely prepare you for traveling with your twins, wherever you may be going!

Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Traveling With Twins: Locally

The first three months of the girls’ lives we went to the grocery store a few times, appointments and a few joy rides. Other than that I mostly stayed home with them and soaked up all of the newborn snuggles. Okay, who am I kidding? The thought of leaving the house with TWO babies was incredibly scary to me, especially by myself. I reserved any time out of the house for when Jesse was with me. There were too many scenarios in my mind of “what if this or that happens while I’m out”! Read more about the first two weeks home with our twins here.

Traveling with twins

Grocery Store

I thoroughly enjoyed taking the girls to the grocery store (with Jesse), it was nice to get some adult interaction and I always loved it when people stopped to talk to us. We happily welcomed conversations and never minded the twin-related questions we would get (are they twins, are they identical, are they natural, etc.). I found it fun to answer these questions and of course loved it when people pointed out how cute our babies were!

When we went out locally I pumped and bottle fed the girls prior, we’d pack a diaper bag, the stroller and carseats and head out. It wasn’t too much of a fuss! We used the Joovy Twin Roo stroller with Britax car seats that clicked into adapters; it was a great set up and very easy to haul in and out of the car. The Joovy had a huge storage basket underneath that we would put the diaper bag in and that’s also where we would put anything we were going to purchase (if it was a small shopping trip).

I never brought the girls on a big shopping trip by myself because I couldn’t figure out how to navigate either pushing them in the stroller and pulling a cart behind or putting one in the cart and carrying the other. It was too much to think about so we did our big shops sans babies. When they were older and could sit up on their own we started bringing them more often because they loved sitting in the double carts (they are hard to come by though!).

Traveling with twins

Appointments

Going on short outings was usually pretty easy and we never ran into any issues. The furthest we had to go was 45 minutes away to appointments. The most important aspect of these trips was feedings and like I mentioned before I just pumped and fed them beforehand and we’d bring a couple of extra bottles for the ride home. If we were going to be gone more than 3 hours I would bring my breast pump and battery pack to pump in the car.

What To Pack When Traveling Locally With Twins

Traveling With Twins: Overnight Road Trips And Vacations

Now for the real fun, traveling with twins overnight! This requires a lot more STUFF and planning for your trip. I’ll cover what to bring on longer road trips, going into another country and when flying. First, let’s cover some general information you should know!

Traveling with twins

Research Where You’re Going

One of my biggest pieces of advice is to research where you are going beforehand. I always call or email the hotel/rental home we are staying at to get up to date and accurate information. When the girls were infants, the most important thing I needed to know was if there was a mini fridge; I was exclusively pumping and had a place to store my milk so that it didn’t go bad.

From my experience most hotels will have a mini fridge and microwave or are willing to put them in your room for free; all you have to do is ask. Also, a lot of vacation rentals have tons of amenities to offer (cribs, strollers, etc.) so make sure you speak to someone about what they have available.

Things To Know Before Your Trip

Below is a list of questions I’ve learned to find answers to prior to traveling anywhere with our twins. I like to be 100% prepared for anything and I’ve compiled this list from good and bad experiences! There’s nothing like getting to your destination with a car full of STUFF to find out you’re on the third floor with no elevator; thankfully we were with a handful of guys to help lug all of our stuff up!

  • Where will you stop on the way (bathroom, snack, feeding breaks)
  • Is there a mini fridge?
  • Is there a microwave/kitchen?
  • Are there cribs or Pack N’ Plays?
  • Are there highchairs?
  • Is there a bathtub?
  • Is there a double stroller (or two singles)?
  • Can you do laundry?
  • Is there an elevator (if you’re on an upper level floor)?
  • Where is the nearest store?
  • Where is the nearest restaurant?
  • Are there items you’re not allowed to have?

Pack Smart

When you have twins it’s really easy to pack EVERYTHING! Every trip we have ever taken our vehicle has been packed to the max (hence why we upgraded to a minivan). It’s really hard to trim down what you need or what you could need when away from home. Do your best to pack the absolute essentials and call your destination to see what they can provide you. Not having to pack some of those big items can save a lot of room and hassle!

Traveling with twins

What To Pack Traveling By Car On A Overnight Trip With Twins

Depending on how old your twins are you may have to add to or omit things on this list, but this is a good starting point! When you’re packing I suggest getting all of the big items in first and packing around them. There are a few things to keep within arms reach of where you will be sitting in the car: toys, books, bottles, milk and snacks. This will make it easier for you to attend to your twins needs as they come up!

A Minivan Is Essential When Traveling With Twins (Seriously)

Jesse is usually the one driving on our road trips and I start out in the front seat. It never fails that I end up in the back with our twins though. We have a minivan now and our set up is each girl in their car seat in the middle row, outside bucket seats and then I sit in the middle seat between them. When their big sister is with us she takes my place in the middle seat and entertains them!

Having a minivan has truly made all the difference in the world traveling with twins. We have three rows of seating and the middle row can be moved around. There are two bucket seats that can either be by the window or slid to the middle. If we need an extra seat (like for road trips with big sister), we put the removable middle seat back in. Being able to move the seats around is why we chose this minivan; it is SO convenient! Plus, if you’re a shorty like me, being able to slide the bucket seats closer to put each baby in their carseat is a-ma-zing!

The storage space in our minivan is HUGE and doesn’t compare to any full size SUV we looked at. When we go on road trips we always fold the third row seating down into the floor which makes for so much extra room. It is convenient and has made our lives a lot easier! Don’t be afraid of the minivan life if you have twins and plan on traveling with them often; it’s definitely one of the best transitions we have made as parents. Can you tell I love our minivan?!

Traveling With Twins: Internationally

When the girls were 4 months old we took a road trip to Canada so that I could be in one of my best friend’s wedding! I call this an International trip but realistically it was a 2 hour road trip (we live close to the border). Despite it being a short trip there are definitely some things you need to know ahead of time when you are crossing the border into another country.

Traveling with twins
Multitasking

What You Need To Cross The Border

Crossing the border is a little like passing through TSA at the airport: you need to be prepared. I’m assuming if you’re anything like me you don’t have passports for your newborns (props to you if you do though!). That’s okay! They don’t need them as long as you bring official copies of their birth certificates that prove their citizenship. As adults you must have passports.

Traveling with twins
My mom + dad in Canada

Know What You Can’t Bring

Other than having the proper documentation, you must also be aware of what you can’t bring with you into another country. Some examples are: weapons, drugs, some foods and alcohol, etc. The regulations change so stay up to date prior to your trip. When you cross through they will ask you what you have with you and that’s your chance to claim any items *prior* to being searched (if they choose to).

You Might Get Searched

Living close to the border most of my life I journeyed into Canada often. There are times when you randomly get selected and have to pull over and your vehicle is searched. I remember once as a teenager, I drove across with some friends. Little did I know, some of my parent’s TV cable boxes (that were meant to be returned) were in the back of the minivan. I didn’t claim them and I was randomly searched. They found it suspicious that they were in there and confiscated all of them. They told me people sell them on the black market (umm ok?!). Luckily I knew some people and I was able to get them back before I went home. But anyway, there’s your lesson: be prepared and make sure there are no sneaky items you’ve forgotten about!

Traveling with twins
My dad with the babies in Canada

Traveling With Twins: Flying

Traveling by car with twins is one thing, but flying with twins is a whole other beast. I’m not going to sugar coat this: flying with twin toddlers is hard. There is a LOT of preparation, patience and flexibility required. We flew to Florida when the girls were 20 months old for my brother’s wedding. Luckily we had a ton of time to prepare and get all of our ducks in a row!

Traveling with twins

Preparing For Your Trip

Once you know where you’re flying and where you will be staying, make the call to ask all your questions like I mentioned in the beginning of this post. We were staying at a condo for my brother’s wedding and a vacation rental for the rest of our trip. The condo we were going to first didn’t provide any baby items so we ended up ordering two cheap Pack N’ Plays and shipped them to my brother’s house in Florida. He would deliver them when we arrived and then he’d keep them for next time. Another option you could look into is renting baby equipment; I know there are multiple websites (none of which I have tried however) that offer this service.

The vacation rental was able to provide us with two highchairs and actually would have had two Pack N’ Plays available but we needed them for our first stop and had to buy them anyway. They also offered two strollers, but we brought a cheap double umbrella stroller to use in the airports. It was nice to know we had options though, so always ask!

Lap Babies Or In Their Own Seats

You will need to decide if you want your twins to sit on your laps or have their own seat. This was a huge internal dilemma for me. On one hand I knew the safest option was to buy a seat for each twin and have them in their carseats, on the other hand it was SO expensive. After much deliberation (mostly with myself) we ended up deciding that they would sit on our laps.

We were flying with Delta and I knew that they didn’t allow two lap babies in one row, so we were going to be sitting across the aisle from each other and big sister would choose whoever she wanted to sit with. Check out this page for more info on traveling with babies on Delta flights.

How Many Bags Are You Allowed

Once you know who you are flying with, find out how many items you are allowed to check. Delta allows strollers and car seats to be checked for free and they do not count towards your baggage allowance. Read more on Delta’s children’s baggage rules here. This is what we had for bags: 2 large suitcases, 2 small suitcases, 3 backpack carryons and 1 small personal item backpack. Every bag we had was pretty much packed to the max, but that’s just how we roll with three kids.

Traveling with twins

What To Pack Traveling By Plane With Twins

To Gate Check At Airport:

  • Two Cheap Carseats (Cosco Scenera, we needed a rolled up towel for each to install properly too FYI)
  • Double Umbrella Stroller (Kolcraft)

To Pack In Suitcases:

  • Two Baby Carriers (Solly, Tula, etc.)
  • Noise Machine
  • Black Trash bags & Painter’s Tape (to blackout windows)
  • Baby Monitor
  • Two Small Security Blankets & Favorite Stuffed Animals
  • Diapers
  • Wipes
  • Bath Supplies (baby soap, lotion, comb, toothbrush, hair ties)
  • Bottles & Sippy Cups (washing brush, extra pieces)
  • Plastic Bags (for dirty pieces, bottles, soiled clothes, etc.)
  • Solids Feeding Supplies (plates, bowls, utensils)
  • Baby Clothing (basics, sweaters, hats, shoes, swim suit, pjs, extras)
  • Baby Sunscreen & Sun Glasses
  • Life Jackets (we made them fit)
  • First Aid Kit
  • Baby Medicine

To Pack In Carry On Bags

  • Snacks & Baby Food
  • Bottles & Milk
  • Spoons & Bibs
  • Diapers
  • Wipes
  • Diaper Cream
  • Pacifiers
  • Breast Pump & Extra Pieces (battery/car pack)
  • Small Cooler Bag & Frozen Ice Packs
  • Small Books & Toys
  • Plastic Bags

Getting To And From The Airport

When we all booked our tickets (our family and my parents) we ultimately decided to fly out of a bigger city to save a little money; this meant we would drive a little further to get to the airport. Without much more thought we booked our tickets and that was that. When it was closer to our trip we started talking about details: which cars we would take, where we would park, etc. We realized how expensive it was to park our cars at the airport for our entire vacation and decided to carpool together in the minivan (it was a tight fit). We would park at and use a shuttle service to get us to the airport.

I’ll keep this part short and sweet, the shuttle service was a mistake and more of a hassle than anything. It was not the safest option traveling with twin toddlers and I was super upset about it. Skip the shuttle and just park at the airport. It’s easier and safer, trust me. Anyway, we parked our minivan at the shuttle service and they dropped us off and picked us up at the airport with all of our luggage.

Check In At The Airport

Once we arrived at the airport we put the babies in the double stroller and juggled all of our luggage to check in. We got checked in and received our boarding tickets with no issues, thankfully, and it was lovely to get rid of 4 checked suitcases at this point. We each had a carryon backpack, I pushed the stroller and Jesse and my dad carried the car seats.

Getting Through TSA With Three Kids And A Lot Of Sh*t

Getting through security was probably the most difficult part of our trip simply because it took so long. My parents had TSA Pre-check and were allowed to go right through so we lost a few helping hands; they were able to bring the carseats with them though so that helped. The line was pretty long and the wait was brutal with three kids. Our hands were full and the babies were getting impatient in the crowd.

Once it was our turn we started the process of removing shoes, backpacks, making sure liquids and electronics were out and all that security entails. We had to take the babies out of the stroller so it could be checked on its own. Once we went through the scanners the real fun began.

The TSA agent had to open and test ALL of the babies milk and snacks. They opened each bottle and swabbed the outside and inside rims. They had to open our (unopened) box of raisins to do the same. We stood there for what felt like an hour. The babies were crying (we were still waiting for the stroller back), we were sweating and tense. Once we were in the clear we reunited with my parents and got everyone settled in again. Phew, the hard part was over!

The Flight

We had a direct flight to Florida which was awesome; all we had to do was board the plane and get comfortable! Prior to boarding we let the kids stretch and walk around a little; there were lots of snacks, milk and coffees consumed by all. Just before boarding we did a last minute change for the girls and we were good to go. We put the carseats (and rolled towels for install) into the large, plastic gate check bags, walked the girls down the jet bridge in the stroller and then gate checked it all.

Gate Checking

A note about gate checking: we decided to hang onto our car seats until the last minute in case there were empty seats on the plane that the girls could sit in. Unfortunately our flights were all full (even on the way home). We specifically bought cheap Cosco Scenera car seats for this trip because we knew they’d be chucked under the plane; we didn’t want to risk bringing our nice car seats and having them ruined. The Cosco Sceneras were actually pretty sleek and light weight which made it easy to haul them through the airport. If you go with those car seats, I highly recommend practicing the install prior to your trip; I found them to be a little more difficult than our Gracos.

We also decided to leave our expensive Bumbleride Indie Twin double stroller at home because, like the car seats, we didn’t want it to get chucked under the plane and potentially broken. Our cheap double stroller from Kolcraft got us through our vacation just fine! I would note though that if we were going to bring the little girls to Disney (we only brought big sis) we may have thought twice about bringing the better stroller.

Traveling with twins

In The Air

I’m happy to say the flights went SO well! All three girls were so well behaved! We had downloaded episodes of Baby Bum (if you know, you know) that they watched on repeat and we had loads of snacks and bottles for them. By the way, at this point at home they were NOT drinking from bottles, but we decided they would be comforting and convenient for our trip. It was a bit of a backtrack but it made our trip a lot easier. They honestly probably drank way too much milk on that trip but it’s okay, we all survived and that’s what matters!

Traveling with twins

Each girl took a little nap while in the air, big sister watched a couple movies on the headrest tv and Jesse and I tried to relax a bit. The girls each needed one diaper change while we were in flight; Jesse changed one in the bathroom which apparently was ridiculously difficult in such a small space. He changed the other right in his seat on his lap which luckily worked out fine.

Traveling with twins

Funny Story…

I remember one pretty funny (slightly embarrassing) moment during our flight where big sis was playing some game on the headrest tv and she was SUPER into it and hitting the tv screen kind of roughly. I started to notice the guy who was sitting in that seat becoming annoyed and looking back at her so I had to nudge Jesse to ask her to stop (I’m laughing writing this because just picture her leaning back in her seat and then lunging forward at the tv screen to press a button, over and over haha). I’m not sure why I didn’t recognize that it could have been an issue, I was too busy watching her have fun; I’ll blame it on a tired mom brain.

Arriving At Your Destination

After traveling with twins, no matter how long of a trip it’s been, arriving at your destination will feel like the BEST thing in the world! You can finally drop all your bags, your kids and relax for a few! Hopefully you’ve done all of your preparation work and the only thing left to do is unpack. Next I’ll list a few of our tasks when we arrive somewhere.

Traveling with twins

Step One

When we arrive at our destinations, the first thing we do it set up the girl’s room! We typically have all three girls share a room, sometimes even the 5 of us; it really depends on where we are. The Pack N’ Plays are the first thing to go up because it’s usually like a puzzle to fit them in one room, in a safe spot (nothing within arms reach) and spaced apart from each other. We try our best to make sure there’s space between the Pack N’ Plays but sometimes it’s impossible; they love to put their faces, feet and hands in the nets and play with each other so it makes bedtime a long process!

Step Two

Next, we get the girl’s room blacked out! We always travel with giant black trash bags and painters tape because they are compact, easy to pack and we are seriously dedicated to good sleep. All of the windows in the girl’s room get blacked out to ensure complete darkness for naps and bedtime. We also either travel with our sound machine (driving trips) or an old iPhone with a fan app (flying trips). Separate beds, darkness and white noise and we are good to go!

Step Three

After the girl’s room gets taken care of, I usually set up my “pumping space”. When I pumped throughout the night I needed to make sure I had necessities within arms reach and an organized plan. If we were in our own room it was easier to set up, but if we were all 5 in a room I had to set up my pump, a cooler bag for milk and a spot for dirty pieces so that I didn’t have to leave the room and disturb everyone in the middle of the night.

Traveling with twins

Top Tips For Traveling With Twins

I gave you a rundown of all of our trips, what to pack, our experiences and more and now I’d like to leave you with my top tips for traveling with your twins!

1. Do Your Research

Research your trip and your destination so that you are fully prepared. How are you getting to your destination? Where will you stay? What do you need to bring for big items? What can they provide? Get answers to as many of these kinds of questions as you can. Planning ahead for the entirety of your trip will make things run smoother!

2. Pack Smart

Traveling with twins requires a lot of things, but do your best to only pack the essentials. I know essentials can mean different things to everyone but don’t over do it! I think my number one packing tip is to bring anything that will aide your twins in sleeping well (that’s an essential to me!). Well rested babies = happy babies.

3. Leave Early

No matter where you are going or what kind of trip you’re taking (local, flying, etc.) make sure you leave early and allow for a lot of extra time! There is nothing worse than traveling with twins AND rushing because you’re LATE. Plan everything with at least a 30 minute buffer!

4. Snacks

Bring ALL the snacks. Snacks will save your life. Snacks ARE life. Here are our favorite snacks to travel with (of course these vary greatly with age):

  • Baby Pouches
  • Baby Puffs
  • Raisins
  • Annie’s bunny grahams, crackers and gummies
  • Bamba
  • Veggie Sticks
  • Pirate’s Booty
  • Nuts (almond slivers, pepitas, cashew pieces)

When we travel in the car I typically always sit in the back when the girls are eating a snack; I like to supervise them in case of choking. When they were much younger they never ate in the car and only had bottles if absolutely necessary. If they did have a bottle, again I would sit in the back to supervise. Choking can happen quickly and the car seat is a tough spot to be in if it does; it’s worth it to be extra cautious.

5. Mimic Your Twin’s Schedule

When you’re planning your trip try to plan it around your twin’s schedule. Disturbing sleep was always a no-go for us so we tried to plan around the girl’s bedtime and naps; although it was not always possible. I find leaving for any trip before or just after breakfast is the best time for our family. Our girls have always napped well in the car, however at bedtime it’s usually a struggle so I try to avoid leaving for a trip in the evening; I’d rather skip a nap than disrupt overnight sleep! The same goes for flying, make the flights fit your twins schedule as best you can.

6. Relax And Have Fun, No Plan Is Perfect

This is the most important thing I’ve learned during our experiences traveling with our twins. You can plan, be organized and do everything right but somehow SOMETHING will happen and you should try to just relax and let it go. Nothing will be perfect and that’s okay. Maybe your kids will scream the entire drive or maybe they will have a blow out on the flight. Maybe you’ll forget an essential item. It’s okay! Things happen and you’ll make the best of it. Kids will stop screaming eventually. Blow outs will be cleaned up. There’s a store somewhere around you. You’re a twin mom, basically super human, and you WILL figure it out. Don’t stress too much and enjoy your trips; you’ve earned it!

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