How to Manage Picky Eaters on Vacation

A few months ago, when we were on our Boston trip, several people asked about traveling with picky eaters.

I’m no stranger to picky eaters – all of my four kids have gone through a picky stage and some of them are still in that stage – and I know it can be wildly frustrating!

I shared this message on my Instastories and got so many great suggestions from other parents and families about how they handle picky eaters when they travel!

1. Lower Your Expecations

I loved the parent who said “if they’re picky at home, what difference does it make if they’re picky when you are out?” If you already know they’re picky, don’t expect them to suddenly change into adventurous eaters when you leave home.

• Vacation is not forever! One mom said “A vacation is short so I don’t worry about a healthy variety of foods… if she’s getting enough calories that’s fine and we can work on a variety of foods at home.”
• It’s okay if meals on vacation are repetitive or “not ideal.” A parent told me “Their diet will be about two foods on repeat or atrocious and I accept that they will survive it and we can reset when we get home.” I remember eating chicken fingers every night for dinner on a ten day trip when I was about 12!
• You can reset when you get home. Travel already has enough change and stress for kids from a new bed to a different schedule, so it probably isn’t the time to stress about trying new foods – save that for at home where you have less variables!

2. Calories First, Nutrition Second

A hungry kid (or parent!) is unlikely to be at their best so focus on making sure they eat SOMETHING even if it’s not what you most want for them.

• Avoid hangry kids at all costs. One parent said, “We don’t stress about nutrition! Just making sure they are fed when traveling is good enough.” Setting those expectations for yourself helps you focus on the moment rather than a lifetime of eating.
• Let it be more fun. A picky child is probably stressed about the food too so if you can make it more low-key, you can help remove that stress for them. One mom said “Ice cream for dinner at a nice restaurant is fine if it keeps everyone happy.”

3. Safe Foods Are Everywhere

It’s easy to think you won’t possibly be able to find something your picky kid will eat when you travel, but it’s probably easier than you think!

• Fries, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, burgers, and pizza are nearly universal. Get clear about what your picky child will eat and then keep an eye out for those. We’ve bought SO many mini tubs of yogurt at the grocery store for our picky kids all over the world!
• Check out the appetizer menu! One mom said, “In lieu of the traditional kid menu, my daughter often likes what restaurants have on their appetizer menu.”

4. Snacks will save your life

One theme that came up over and over again? Go ALL in on snacks!

• Stock up on snacks. Ordering off a restaurant menu can be rough for kids, especially picky kids, so a good stash of snacks heads off the meltdowns and keeps kids from getting too hungry.
• Having snacks on hand reduces the stress over whether you’ll find foods at meals you’re willing to eat. One reader told me “It’s me — I’m the picky eater. I buy bread and PB&J and lots of snacks.”

5. Visit those local grocery stores!

One of my favorite things when we travel (with or without kids!) is visiting local grocery stores and trying local foods. It’s also such a great way to handle picky eaters!

• Get a place with a kitchen and buy your own groceries. Not only is it easier to accommodate picky eaters, but you’ll probably save a lot of money too!
• Let your kids pick out some of their own foods. My kids love doing this and one parent said “We like to visit supermarkets in different countries so kids can choose their own food and snacks.”

6. Stay flexible about how you eat on vacation

• Trade off between restaurants, delivery, and grocery store food. Eating out with kids in general can be tricky and even more so with a picky kid. One mom said “We ordered DoorDash every night to our apartment and just fed her food we purchased at the grocery store… the ease and happiness was worth the tradeoff.”
• Kids and adults can eat different foods and meals! Just because you love high-end food doesn’t mean your child has to eat it and just because your child is picky doesn’t mean you have to eat nothing but burgers or pizza the whole trip. Let them eat before you go to a restaurant you’re excited about or pick them up a grocery store meal while you get a great meal delivered to your hotel or pick up takeout and go to park to enjoy it!

7. Plan ahead for special diets or allergies

Whether it is pickiness or medical or moral reasons for not eating certain foods, planning ahead will make things go much more smoothly!

• Do some prep ahead of time. One mom said “One vegan child creates a huge challenge so I always google dining options in advance.” Knowing where you can get a safe meal takes a lot of pressure off when you’re there!
• Consider destinations or travel that will be easier. A parent said “Cruises are AMAZING with food allergies… half the time what he wanted wasn’t on the menu and he still got it.”

8. Encourage trying new foods without a lot of pressure

No one likes to be pressured or feel put on the spot and you may decide it’s not worth even encouragement on a trip if it’ll make it stressful and contentious for everyone. But if you do, keep it very light and low-pressure.

• Make a tradition of trying new foods. A mom said “On vacation they have to try one bite — we call it a family travel tradition.”
• Make it a competition. This won’t work for every child or family, but if it sounds like it might work with your situation, give it a try. One family shared this tradition “We do a point for every new food… the person with the most points picks the last restaurant.”

9. Let them get hungry enough to want to eat

Again, this might not work for every child, so proceed with caution but for some families, not having a lot of snacks means their kids are more willing to eat at meal time!

• Keep the snacking to a minimum. One parent said “Our kids eat better when they haven’t snacked all day and are actually truly hungry for a meal.”

10. Choose destinations that work for you

Some destinations are much easier than others when it comes to food for picky eaters from America.

• Start with destinations with lots of familiar foods. One family said “We chose London as our first international trip because of the ease of finding French fries.” Another family said “Luckily we could usually find a Burger King, and Barcelona has an IKEA with cheap hot dogs and pizza slices.”
• Practice beforehand. I loved this suggestion from a family: “We practiced eating something we knew would be everywhere — like hummus and pita in Egypt.”

11. Know that travel is still worth it, even with picky kids!

Having picky kids can make travel a little more tricky, but I think it’s absolutely still worth going! I agree with the parent who said “I’d rather let a few things slide food-wise than never travel.” Another said “Perfect meals matter less than happy kids.” 

I’d love to hear how you handle traveling with picky kids!

If you liked this post about traveling with picky eaters, you might also like these other posts: