Our children are all too aware of the importance of living an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, and travelling certainly contributes to our carbon footprint. However, for many of us travel is key to ensuring our children understand and appreciate the wider world, so how do our community of family travellers balance these two concerns? We asked them for their tips on how families can travel more sustainably.

The expert view

It's important to consider your whole life, not just your vacation, in your bid to make your family's travel more sustainable. If you have low-waste, low-energy and low-animal-product consumption at home it goes a long way towards offsetting your travel footprint.

Obviously minimise your flights and travel by bus or train if you can. If flying is your only option, pick the shortest route and try to travel with an airline which offsets and is as plastic-free as possible. On the road do everything you can to minimise plastics. Take your own, refillable water bottles and use them. There’s even an app ReFillMyBottle to help you. Choose your accommodation carefully: avoid huge resorts with constant aircon and large golf courses and swimming pools, say no to a daily room clean and boycott buffets. The waste generated by buffets is off-the-scale and often it is the expensive, high-footprint products going to the trash.

Nobody is perfect, but millions of small steps go a long way towards decreasing total consumption.

- Alyson Long, from World Travel Family

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.

Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:

1) World Travel Family has ways to be a more eco-friendly traveller.

2) Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2020 has this list of the 10 best sustainable trips for families.

3) If you want to join a beach clean , this list of clean-ups around the world on Lonely Planet is a good place to start.

4) Our latest title The Plastic Problem will give your kids loads of ideas for how they can reduce their plastic consumption.

Ask Lonely Planet Kids: how can families travel more sustainably?

The stage when your baby starts to walk, talk and generally introduce themselves as a proper human being is an incredible moment in your parenting journey. It's also a much more challenging one when it comes to travel. No longer fully portable but unable to walk for long, able to communicate loudly yet with a limited attention span, full of beans until they're suddenly not - any of this sound familiar? Managing your toddler on a busy flight, train or bus, or just in your own car, takes some preparation and a not an inconsiderable amount of patience. We asked our well-travelled community how they handle long-haul travel with their little people.

The expert view

The first thing that comes to mind is always snacks! But even more important would be to reduce your travel speed. When visiting a new destination it is hard not to have a list of all the things you want to experience and it can get very overwhelming especially with a toddler in tow. Change your expectations. We find that it’s best to slow down and balance out the day with small adventurers like visiting a temple or a garden then having some pool/beach/rest time before heading out again for an early dinner. Most special is that if you go at a toddler pace you are able to slow down and see things you might have missed and also connect with locals as your toddler creates connections with people just by being a kid!

- Bronwyn Leeks, from Smiths Holiday Road

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say:

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.

Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:

1) Trips with Tykes have advice if you are thinking about travelling on a plane with your child as a lap traveller.

2) Lonely Planet has suggestions for destinations to travel to with your toddler.

3) If you are looking for inspiration and practical advice for travelling with your family, Smiths Holiday Road is a great place to start. They travel the world with three kids, one of whom uses a wheelchair.

If you want to get more family travel inspiration, sign up to our monthly newsletter.

Ask Lonely Planet Kids: how can we survive a long-haul trip with a toddler? 

Marrakesh. A fascinating and incredible city, but one which most travellers will tell you is intense to explore. Its sights and sounds dazzle, frazzle and enchant in equal measure. For little people, this stimulation of the senses can be overwhelming so many families shy away from taking their kids to Marrakesh. But are they right to do so? We asked our community if they think Marrakesh is actually more child-friendly than you might think.

The expert view

So many people are cautious when it comes to bringing their kids to Marrakesh, but the truth is 9 out of 10 times you will have a BETTER experience visiting WITH your kids than without them.

Moroccans love children and will give you access to things that they may not otherwise do if you were visiting without children. Not only that, they understand that kids are kids – so if your child has a meltdown they're not going to get upset, they'll likely try to help make the situation better.

Marrakesh is also a place that has really good weather most of the year. I find this good for traveling with children because it means you don't have to worry about the question of what to do if the weather is bad. 300+ days of sunshine a year means you'll be able to have plenty of adventures!

- Amanda Ponzio-Mouttaki, from M ACROMAMA

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook community says

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.

Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:

1) Amanda has three boys and blogs about life in Morrocco as well as their travels around the world.

2) Lonely Planet has advice and recommendations on taking your kids to Marrakesh.

3) The Kids-To-Go branch of Lonely Planet’s Thorntree forum is a good place to ask fellow family travellers questions about visiting a specific destination with children.

Ask LP Kids: is Marrakesh child-friendly?

The romance of the open road can be, well, slightly less than romantic when you're dealing with bored, squabbling or car-sick kids. Yet a road trip is still a fantastic way to explore a destination. It gives your family the freedom to stop and explore whenever you want and the opportunity to create shared travel experiences, as well as enabling you to carry a multitude of stuff in the boot. As with most things parenting, there's an art to road tripping with kids. We asked our community of family travellers for their top tips.

The expert view

After being on a constant road trip for five years, we've learned a few things about what helps to make a road trip work with kids. First and foremost is snacks, lots of snacks! We have found if we pack a lunch box full of snacks for each kid and a water bottle we never hear 'I am hungry!' We do tell them that's all the snacks they get in the car today and they usually do a good job spreading them out throughout the day. If it's a long trip we recommend bringing a tablet and downloading a new movie. Then save it for a particular boring stretch or for the last half of the trip when everyone is getting antsy.

We're also big fans of audio books - you can even rent them from your local library for free! If possible, hook them up through your car stereo so everyone can easily hear. If you're travelling through a popular destination on your trip there are apps like GyPSy Guide to download and then, based on where you are, give you facts and tips about the location. They're an awesome way for the whole family to learn more about where you are.

- Bryanna and Craig Royal, founders of www.crazyfamilyadventure.com

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.

Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:

1) Our tips for taking a road trip with kids are on lonelyplanet.com.

2) Family travel blogger Jurga from fullsuitcase.com lists her essential family road trip packing list, which includes what not to pack too.

3) Lonely Planet has plenty of ideas, advice and inspiration on taking road trips all around the world.

4) And finally, keep your kids busy on the road trip with our recent Games on the Go activity set.

Ask LP Kids: tips for a family road trip

Think travel and children don’t mix? Think again. Join us on Twitter as we share tips and advice from adventurous parents and discuss the challenges of travelling as a family. Bring your best stories and suggestions – the most inspiring and creative tweeter will win a Lonely Planet book of their choice!

Can’t wait? Check out our family travel page and Lonely Planet Kids site for inspiration, practical advice and resources for your little ones.

How do I take part?

1. Follow @lonelyplanet and the hashtag #LPChat on Twitter on Wednesday 4 March from 4pm GMT/11am EST.

2. Questions will be ordered Q1, Q2, Q3 etc. To answer Q1, begin your tweet with A1. For Q2, A2 and so on.

3. Add #LPChat to all of your tweets during the Twitter chat, so others (including @lonelyplanet) can see what you’re saying.

4. Bring your best tips for travelling with a family!

Introducing our co-hosts

Kirstie and Stuart of familyadventureproject.org

Kirstie and Stuart are a husband and wife team who refused to put their adventure activities on hold when children came along. They have travelled the world extensively with their family – at least 17,000 kms by bike alone – and tackle everything from year-long cycling expeditions to adrenaline-fuelled activities with enthusiasm, if not skill! You can read about their latest adventures on their award-winning blog, The Family Adventure Project. Follow Kirstie and Stuart at @familyonabike.

Lonely Planet Kids

Lonely Planet Kids aims to kick-start the travel bug and open kids’ eyes and minds to the world around them. Our focus is on showcasing the quirky facts, amusing tales and inspiring stories that bring our planet to life. Through Lonely Planet Kids, we hope to share our love of travel, our sense of humour and our continual fascination with what makes the world the diverse and magnificent place it is. Follow us at @LPKids.

Terms and conditions

Entrants must be 13 years old or over. Judges’ decision is final. Promoter: Lonely Planet Publications Ltd of 240 Blackfriars Rd, London, SE1 8NW, UK. The winner will be notified via direct message and public tweet on Twitter. The winner must claim their prize and provide an address for delivery within 7 days of being notified, otherwise the judges may select another winner. Prize: A Lonely Planet book of your choice, up to the value of £20. Subject to availability.

Join our family travel chat on Twitter at #LPChat

If you love to travel, have children in your life and use social media it’s highly likely that you will have heard the term ‘world-schooling’. But what does it actually mean? We asked our Lonely Planet Kids community, which includes a fair few ‘world-schoolers’, to tell us what it means to them and show us how they do it.

The expert view

'We world-school our kids because we feel that the world is the best classroom out there! What better way to learn history and geography then being able to actually visit the places instead of just reading about them in a text book. Plus, our kids are getting to see all of the different cultures and people that make up this beautiful planet that we live on. In our eyes there is nothing that can educate better then pure experience and the fact that we get to be there with them on this journey of learning and life is just icing on the cake.'

– Lonely Planet family travel pathfinder Bryanna from Crazy Family Adventure

'We've found, over the last five years on the road, that taking our boys to the source has been a superb way for them to learn about the world. Why be stuck with a book and a classroom?  They can be out there, seeing, touching and experiencing history, cultures, geography and every incredible thing the world has to offer.

We love that if the boys want to learn more about a favourite topic, we can take them to the best place to deepen their knowledge, be that the pyramids, Tikal, The Ganges, the Dali Museum, Mount Everest or a peasant village in Romania. They have their freedom, they're meeting diverse people of all ages and backgrounds and they're loving their lives. As an added bonus we parents get to spend their entire childhoods with them, not just school holidays.

– Family travel blogger Alyson from World Travel Family

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.

Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:

1) The Guardian gives a good overview of why more people are choosing this less traditional educational route.

2) The World Travel Family have been world-schooling for four years and have pages of detailed advice on their blog.

3) The Vagabond Family is a community site dedicated to nomadic family travel with specific posts on ‘ road-schooling ’.

4) Read all about one young woman’s personal experience of world-schooling.

5) Featured in Outside magazine is this interesting essay by an ‘un-schooling’ Dad based in northern Vermont.

Lastly, if you are looking for fun activities to do with your kids on the road do check out Lonely Planet Kids’ activities hub which has free downloads based on our books to get you started.

Do you have a question you want answered? Email us at lonelyplanet.kids@lonelyplanet.com or Tweet us @lpkids using #asklpkids.

Ask LP Kids: what is world-schooling?

We all know that travelling as a family can be both rewarding and challenging in equal parts, but it certainly never fails to create lifelong memories. In our upcoming Twitter chat, we'll be discussing and celebrating all things family travel, from the best destinations to visit together, to keeping little ones occupied and happy whilst on the road. Be sure to bring your best travel tales, pictures and advice to share, swap and store away for future reference – the best tweeter will win a Lonely Planet Kids and FamilyFun bundle of goodies.

How do I take part?

1. Follow @lonelyplanet and the hashtag #LPChat on Twitter on Thursday 19 October from 8pm BST/12 noon PDT.

2. Questions will be ordered Q1, Q2, Q3 etc. To answer Q1, begin your tweet with A1. For Q2, A2 and so on.

3. Add #lpchat to all of your tweets during the Twitter chat, so others (including @lonelyplanet) can see what you’re saying.

4. Bring your best tips for travelling with a family!

Introducing our co-hosts...

FamilyFun Magazine

FamilyFun is dedicated to one thing: helping parents create amazing memories with their kids. Because the experiences of life mean everything to our audience of makers and doers, our magazine’s content is tightly focused on providing inspired ideas for crafts, food, celebrations, and travel. Each page gives families a new opportunity to connect and create with ingenious projects, deliciously simple recipes and crowd-wowing destinations. Kids grow up in a flash – FamilyFun makes every moment count.

Terms and conditions can be found here.

Join our family travel Twitter chat!

Spending time exploring and playing outdoors has proven benefits for children. It helps them develop physically, teaches them social skills, encourages creativity and fosters independent thinking, as well as the well-documented health benefits of being active. In a world where technology has the potential to dominate our lives, teaching our kids good habits when it comes to getting off the sofa and out into the fresh air is an important part of parenting. So how do you get your kids outdoors?
The expert view
I remember exactly where I was the first time I breathlessly witnessed the expansiveness of the Milky Way, the first time I faced my fear on a Class 4 whitewater rafting trip, the feeling of accomplishment the first time I got the campfire started all by myself. All these experiences live inside me, written in my DNA, in the form of leadership, confidence, and passion.
Now, as a parent, I am acutely aware of the significant role that outdoor exploration and discovery plays in my daughter’s development and happiness. This personal growth can come from activities as simple as a picnic in the park, or as technical as belaying at the local crag, but either way, making the outdoors a priority for your child can benefit them for the rest of their life.
However, with all of the distractions of the modern world vying for our kids' attention, how can we encourage them to get excited about going outside? Try flipping the script. Take an average dining room table activity, like eating lunch or doing homework, into the great outdoors. Surprise them with a nature journal and let them roam the backyard, solo explorer style, scribbling down field notes. Connect with like-minded families in your community and commit to an outing once a week. And most important, lead by example. Let your own excitement for outdoor fun set the tone, and the kids will surely follow.

- Jennifer Fontaine, of Outdoor Families Magazine

Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.
Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:
1) There are ten tips for walking with kids on LonelyPlanet.com.
2) Outdoor Families Magazine has a whole section of the site dedicated to ' getting outdoors '.
3) For more information on why outdoor play is so important, and for more ideas to get you started, have a look at the Why Should Children Play Outside? page of the 'grown-ups' section of the CBeebies website.
4) And finally, if your kids love mythical creatures our Wild Things book is a fantastical guide that will help them track dragons, create fairy fashions, brew magic potions, build snow unicorns, discover trolls and go on night hunts to capture moon magic, all in the great outdoors!

Ask LP Kids: how do you get your kids outdoors?

Flying with an infant is no small undertaking. A baby needs to be carried (or carefully supported if not being carried), get plenty of sleep and receive nourishment at the right time, and preferably have just the right amount of stimulation without tipping into sensory overload. All these elements can be hard for parents to control when they are in the air, but being prepared can definitely help. We asked our community of family travellers to share their top tips for flying with a baby.
The expert view
My favourite acronym for ensuring a stress free flight with a baby is S.A.S. It stands for sleep aids, activities and snacks - and can also be applied to a toddler or child. Sleep aids can range from a familiar blanket and a shade to keep the bright lights of the plane out to requesting the bassinets so baby can stretch out for a while. Anything related to sleep. It may be different for each baby and for me that was having a baby carrier, where my little man is happiest and rests best!
When it comes to activities, having something new and interesting is key to holding their attention that bit longer. Fidget cubes, finger puppets and interactive books (thin ones, for packing purposes!) have always been a good option for us. Depending on whether baby has weaned or not, snacks are essential for making it through the flight. Besides from being a familiar food, small finder foods such as blueberries also keep them content and entertained for a while. Purée pouches and crackers have also been our snacks of choice.
- Karen Edwards, founder of travelmadmum.com
Our Twitter community says

Our Facebook fans say

The above comments and more family travel tips can be found on our Facebook feed.
Want to investigate further? Try these helpful extra resources:
1) Karen Edwards has tips for flying with a baby on her travelmadmum blog.
2) Lonely Planet’s sixth edition of Travel with Children has tips for during the journey as well as loads of destination suggestions for where to travel with your kids.
3) Run by an ex-flight attendant Carrie flyingwithababy.com has sections on before you book, before you fly and in-flight.
4) The Kids-To-Go branch of Lonely Planet’s Thorntree forum is a good place to ask fellow family travellers questions about flying with a baby.
5) Mum and Lonely Planet Destination Editor Sarah Stocking recently compiled her top tips for flying with babies in this article.

Kids Blog Posts

Ask Lonely Planet Kids: how can families travel more sustainably?

Ask Lonely Planet Kids: how can we survive a long-haul trip with a toddler?

Ask LP Kids: is Marrakesh child-friendly?

Ask LP Kids: tips for a family road trip

Join our family travel chat on Twitter at #LPChat

Ask LP Kids: what is world-schooling?

Join our family travel Twitter chat!

Ask LP Kids: how do you get your kids outdoors?

Ask LP Kids: what’s your top tip for flying with a baby?

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