Let’s be real: traveling with little ones isn’t exactly a vacation. It’s more like… logistically challenging joy-seeking. With snacks.
Whether you’re buckling in for a road trip to the cottage or boarding a plane with a baby and a prayer, summer travel with young kids takes stamina, snacks, and a healthy sense of humour. But you know what else it takes? Music.
I don’t just mean a playlist to drown out the “Are we there yet?” I mean music that connects, calms, distracts, and delights. Music that your child knows and loves. Music you can sing along to — even if you’re sleep-deprived and airport-weary.
Before I taught music here in Canada, I lived in Hong Kong, and going to visit my family back home in the UK with my kids meant a long-haul flight — plus all the travel that came before and after: buses, trains, strollers, and sleepy toddlers in tow. It was chaotic. And completely worth it (seeing family obviously) but also because the music we sang along the way made those long journeys feel shorter. It was more than background noise — it became a tool for connection, calm, and fun, no matter where we were.
And now, as a teacher at TipToe Music, I hear it from families all the time: “The music helps us get through the travel days.”
So here it is — from my backpack to yours — a collection of my best music-powered survival tips for summer travel with babies, toddlers and big kids!
Five Summer Travel Survival Tips (Powered by Music!)
1. Start the soundtrack early
Turn on your TipToe Music songs from class while you pack or load the car. Familiar songs signal to your child that something fun is coming. It helps soothe the pre-departure jitters (yours and theirs).
2. Sing through the meltdowns
Delayed flights, missed naps, long drives or tantrums in the terminal — they happen. But your voice, singing a comforting class song like “Hello Everybody,” can be surprisingly powerful. It doesn’t have to be perfect — your child just needs to hear you.
3. Bring movement into tiny spaces
Car seat squirming? Airport wiggles? Use your music to lead small, simple movements: tapping feet to the beat, wiggling fingers, bouncing on your lap. A mini music class can happen anywhere.
4. Make it interactive
Ask your toddler questions like: “Can you clap when the music gets loud?” or “Where’s the drum in this song?” This helps to keep them engaged and listening, and makes even long stretches of travel feel playful. If you have a Big Kid with you, you could ask them to draw the music like we do in our Rhythm Kids® classes..
5. Use music as your screen-time backup
Yes, screens can be helpful — no guilt here. But when you want an alternative, music is a screen-free lifesaver. It fills time and space with something meaningful, engaging, and emotionally grounding.
Don’t Forget to Download Before Takeoff
Your music isn’t just for class — it’s your secret weapon for family travel. Be sure to download your songs using the Music Together® App to your device so you can play them even if you’re offline at 30,000 feet (or somewhere up Highway 400 with no signal). Even if you're not registered in a class this summer, your past collections still work — and they’re just as magical the second (or tenth!) time around. And if you’re having trouble finding your app login or need a quick refresher on how to access your music before you leave, don’t stress — just reach out to us and we’ll help you get set up in no time.
Wherever this summer takes you — near or far, by car or by plane — let your music come too.
It might not change your travel time... but it’ll make the journey a whole lot sweeter.
