First Toddler Trip Abroad- LONDON

Florida to London, toddler style. Most people wouldn’t recommend a toddlers first flight be transatlantic, but we did it anyways. I’m a good contingency planner, meaning I think about all the things that might happen (both good & bad) and prepare for them. All in all, the planning was a game changer so I’m here to share the deets.

Why we chose London?

Logistics First

• We could fly direct- this eliminated the possibility of losing our luggage (for the most part), having extensive layovers in a foreign city, and transporting a toddler onto another plane.
• No language barrier- No having a language barrier is much easier and decreases distraction for us as parents. We don’t have to use a translator app, research traffic signs, etc. It meant that in a busy city we could keep our eyes on our toddler better.
• No currency issues- There is a currency difference in London since they use the British pound but we never needed anything other than our credit cards. While I do recommend having some cash on hand, we didn’t need it. My husband and I last traveled to London in 2018 and had the same experience.
• We’ve traveled there before- My husband and I have been to London on two separate occasions before this. We feel comfortable with the city and transportation system which was priceless since bringing a toddler along adds a lot of variability.
• Safety-Our top concern is always safety. London is highly ranked as one of the safest cities in the world. You can also look up travel advisories and alerts prior to traveling via the U.S. Department of State website. I always do this before traveling just to make sure I’m not missing something.

Fun Next

• SO MANY PARKS- London is over 40% green space and has more than 3,000 parks. Hard to believe, right? It’s truly spectacular. You have the density of the city, accessibility to everything, and then you walk a street over and you’re in the serenity of a public park. Some of our favorites were Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Kensington Garden, and Queen Mary’s Gardens.
• Amazing playgrounds- Think playgrounds within massive parks that incorporate greenery, natural open ended play experiences, and a peaceful environment. They’re not like the typical primary colored, one use specific play structures we are often used to.
• Family friendly- Overall, London is very child friendly. Most restaurants have places to park your “pram” and they often set up highchairs before even seating you. We were allowed to skip lines at the airport which was a life saver and people were quick to give us a seat on public transport if it was full.
• London Landmarks- I don’t think it gets any cuter than hearing a 3 year old explain that “the Shard was designed by Renzo Piano.” There are many iconic buildings in London and fun modes of transportation for kids to experience. You have Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Shard, London Eye, Tower of London, the Gherkin, The Tate Modern, and many more. That’s not even considering the black taxis, double decker buses, and underground. Truly, for a young child it’s a blast.
• Diversity of Food- In the past I would’ve never considered London as a place that I enjoyed the food. We’ve traveled to 18 countries so perhaps I’m a bit picky, BUT this last trip really changed my mind. We had a lot of delicious food and the options were virtually endless which came in handy with a toddler. We had a few meals we couldn’t get enough of so ended up having repeating some. I’ll share the details in our London favorites post.
• Incredible Museums/Kids Activities- The museums in London are some of our absolute favorite. Nearly every museum has special kid activities on different days, often free or at a low cost.

Overall, there are countless wonderful reasons to choose to go to London as a young family. My husband and I enjoyed traveling there two times before, but going together as a family was by far our favorite. Everything was richer in ways that we didn’t expect. Of course we still had plenty of mishaps like only half of us making it on the train before it took off or simply riding the wrong train (multiple times) but overall because we chose London carefully those things ended up being funny and not overwhelming. It has taken a lot of travel to figure out what works and what doesn’t but hopefully the tips I provide will help you plan a successful next trip.