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There’s always one person in every travel group who’s a fussy eater. It’s usually the kids, but some of us big kids can be fussy too.
Picky eaters can sometimes feel like a drag. What do you mean you don’t want to try tirantula in Thailand? Everybody does it!
Ok, sometimes picky isn’t such a bad thing, and travelling with picky eaters doesn’t mean always looking for a place that serves chicken nuggets, and it doesn’t have to ruin the trip for everyone.
If you’re planning a trip with a picky eater, don’t worry – I have one in my family.
In fact, I think I have the fussiest eater in the world.
I also think I have the most challenging child in the world – eating, sleeping, persistence, determination, sensitivity, you name it, our Savannah is it!
But, guess what, despite all these challenges and extra stresses we still travel with kids all the time and love it and survive it.
This is how we do it!
Tips for Managing Picky Eaters
My question to you is; what do you do with your fussy eater at home? Why does your strategy have to be different when you travel?
Well, of course it will be a little different, especially traveling to a foreign country as you have less control of what you cook, but you have plenty of options available to you to help that fussy and plain eater.
Here’s what worked for us…
1. Know the meals they like and stick to it
I know you want them to eat deep fried scorpions and fish ball soup. Travel is all about the local flavors and cultural experiences.
Yes, they can get that through the food, but they can in other ways as well.
So stop stressing yourself, and them, out about it.
They can get to those meals when they’re older, like I now order brussel sprouts anything whereas a child I’d throw them up.
If they only eat sausages and chicken nuggets, carrot sticks and perhaps a nibble of broccoli then order it for every meal. You’re on a vacation, don’t let this stress and overwhelm you.
Savannah will eat baby carrots and the odd broccoli so she gets them with every meal. We carry snack bags of baby carrots with us.
Let them be adventurous with the sweets because you know it doesn’t matter how foreign sounding the name. how strange looking or smelling, if it’s a dessert they’ll try it.
2. Get a good breakfast
I find breakfast the easiest meal to deal with when traveling with a fussy eater.
You can usually find toast or cereal, bagels and pancakes are typical winners, and buffet breakfasts usually excite Savannah as she feels she can make a choice she’ll like.
On the other hand, I hate buffet breakfasts as I have dietary issues and they never cater to me.
It’s also pretty easy when you’re traveling to carry a box of cereal or bagels or whatever your child has for breakfast and you can serve that up no matter where you are.
3. Know your destination
Research your destination and their cuisine and how to find foods that suit your child.
It’s also good to know how the cuisine may affect a sensitive stomach. Be aware of how the food you are ordering is cooked, especially in regards to street food and water!
It’s a good idea to give your child (and yourself) probiotics to help strengthen their gut for travel.
Doing your due diligence before you arrive will help you have a satisfied fussy eater on the trip.
We always make sure we have travel insurance to protect us and the girls in case of any unforeseen emergencies!
4. What food can you pack?
With a fussy eater it’s important to have a back up plan.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve kicked myself for not being better prepared. I feel so bad for Savannah when she’s faced with no food options she’ll eat, and I could have done a better job at having something for her.
As I said she is one determined lady and one fussy eater and she is not going to try any food she doesn’t want to no matter how hungry she is.
It’s a challenge for us to always remember since we travel full time.
It might be a good idea to have an “Out the Door Checklist” so you remember to have food packed in your bag for the day’s adventures.
When traveling in Australia, we would pack vegemite sandwiches (and in the US when we can get our hands on it. She’ll eat that all day long!!)
In the US, we’ll pack peanut butter or honey sandwiches.
5. Take your own plane food
With a fussy eater, it’s best you pack your own plane food as you don’t know what food they will serve.
It’s a long flight for everyone when you have a hungry child.
TOP TIP: Even though you buy a child’s plane ticket, you still have to request a child’s meal. Go figure. It’s obvious a planet ticket for a child would need a child’s meal.
We didn’t know this on a flight to Singapore once and Savannah was served an adult meal and there was no way she was going near that saucy looking funny thing so she did not eat for the entire 8 hour flight.
Do not make the same mistake. Be sure to pack your own food and request that child meal.
6. Encourage new flavors
Encourage them to at least nibble on new foods and exotic food.
I know I mentioned a sanity saving tip is to just let them eat the foods they like and are used to, but they can’t live off French fries and macaroni cheese, they need nutritious food too, which when you travel, comes in varying different forms.
Of course you want to introduce them to new and exciting things, so at least give them the opportunity to sample it before deciding for them whether they will like it or not.
Let it be in front of them and decide for themselves. Let them experience the different texture, colors, and the smell and even if they choose not to eat it at least they are still having some kind of experience with the exotic food.
They might not like bananas, but they might like fried bananas in Thailand! They may love white bread, so let them try white rice in Asia! Get them out of their comfort zone and let them decide for themselves if they will like the local cuisine.
After all, noodles and spaghetti are practically the same for a child.
We encourage food tours and cooking classes when we can. It’s a great way to get them introduced to local dishes, and you learn how to make easy meals to take home.
They can also make their own variation, such as removing garlic or spices, or switching apples for oranges.
All the experts tell you how letting a child cook their own food encourages them to eat what they cook as they’ll feel more connected to it.
Yeah. Nah. Not our Savannah. She LOVES cooking and does it with me all the time. She never eats any of it, including this delicious pizza above you can tell she’s experiencing so much joy cooking!! (Update, she’s now 13 and still relatively fussy but has made improvements. She loved the cooking class we did in Tuscany and ate almost all of it!)
7. Check the restaurant menus before visiting
Check the restaurant menus before you visit. Some restaurants may not have kids menus or any great options your child will eat.
It’s better you know this before hand before you sit down and have to go through the drama of leaving once you figure it out.
You can find these menus on websites or look at reviews like TripAdvisor or Yelp, which leaves good advice as to whether places are family friendly.
If they don’t have kids menus, check the appetizer section, as you can often find suitable meals there for kids.
Or, they could even share a main, if you can find something suitable. (To be honest, in the US at least, they can even often share a kids meal. )
8. No dessert until…
And don’t forget the “no dessert until” rule, which we all remember as kids! It’s still a top parenting tip and one that will be forever timeless, I’m sure.
You’re on a vacation, your children will want to eat ice cream all day long.
You want them to have these treats, but be sure to also enforce good eating practices as well.
Make sure there is no dessert until they have eaten some of those vegetables or fruit on the plate.
Don’t worry once they see that dessert menu they’ll make sure they’ll eat them.
9. Be sure they eat something before bed
One of my top recommendations for those travelling with fussy eaters is to make sure your fussy eater has something to eat before they go to bed.
We have discovered that if Savannah doesn’t eat much before bed, and is super tired, she’ll often wake up vomiting.
This is a pattern we have discovered so I have since learned to make sure she has something good to eat before bed, and it has drastically reduced the number of times this has happened.
She is aware of this being a problem and is much better now at eating as she doesn’t want to be sick. Sometimes it does mean we have to give in to the battle and give her something plain for dinner like a vegemite sandwich.
At least we know she’ll eat it and go to bed on a full stomach and a greater chance of waking up fresh vibrant and happy the next day.
Travel will exhaust your kids so it’s vital they are getting enough energy for each day.
10. Stick to the daily routine
Try where possible to stick to your daily routine and try to eat meals at the same time as you would back home.
This also signals when they should be hungry, and when they feel hunger, they are easier to tempt to eat something.
11. Take them to see where food comes from
Take them to the local grocery stores, supermarket, markets, or farms. Show them where the locals get their food items, and teach them about what recipes come from different places.
If you’re visiting Italy, show them tomatoes and explain to them how they make it into sauce for pasta, for example.
Part of the reason why people are fussy eaters is anxiety about what that food is, or where it’s come from, whether it will make them sick, and so on.
It’s not just about whether they will like it or not.
Education is a valuable tool for changing someone’s mindset!
More Family Travel Challenges, And How To Overcome Them
- What to do when travel is too expensive
- How to create a travel experience the whole family will love
- How to balance school with travel
Video: How to plan a family trip
Click the playlist below to see more tips in this family travel challenges series:
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Help out a mate! Do you have a fussy eater? What’s your best tip for managing them when you travel? Let us know in the comments.
I don’t have a picky eater kid, but I DO have a picky eater wife! I’m totally going to start using the “backup plan” tip. It’s so simple – I don’t know why I’ve never thought of it before! Now I’ll be able to enjoy my fried chicken in peace while avoiding a crabby wife ?