When Travel Disrupts Eating: Strategies to Support Eating While on Holiday

Feeding kids while travelling during the holidays is rarely straightforward, and it's a familiar challenge for many of the families I work with. As a dietitian in Singapore, I support many international families who travel back to their home countries over the summer break. That often means weeks spent living with relatives, staying in Airbnbs, or moving between hotels, often without the usual routines, familiar foods, or caregiving support. Being without their usual caregiver or helper can feel unsettling for many children.

While holidays can be fun and something to be grateful for, they also come with real challenges, especially around food, that not everyone notices or understands.

Even families with flexible eaters can find themselves negotiating over plain pasta in a noisy restaurant or dealing with a meltdown before breakfast. And for neurodivergent children, or those with sensory sensitivities, anxiety, or a strong need for predictability, holidays can make eating feel nearly impossible. The excitement, long days, unfamiliar smells and sights, time zone shifts, and noisy spaces all place extra demands on a child’s nervous system.

This blog isn’t about pushing for perfect nutrition. It’s about providing realistic and helpful strategies to support eating when travelling during the holidays. Focusing on regulation, safety, and connection gives our kids the best chance to eat — whether that means trying something new or sticking to their safe foods for five days straight.

Looking for something practical? Jump straight to the free downloadable holiday guide here.

A quick but important note: If your child is currently experiencing an eating disorder, such as Anorexia Nervosa or Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and their health, weight, or nutritional intake is an immediate medical concern, it’s essential to seek professional support before going on holiday. A registered dietitian or treatment team can help assess if travel is appropriate and ensure the proper support is in place.

Why Holidays Mess With Food (even for kids who usually eat well)

It’s easy to focus on what your child is or isn’t eating, especially when they’re refusing meals in front of extended family or turning away foods they usually enjoy at home. But often, the issue isn’t the food. It’s everything else happening around them and inside them.

Jet lag, disrupted routines, and even a change in who prepares meals can affect most children’s appetites. Add unfamiliar foods, noisy mealtimes, new smells and textures, and the pressure to “try something new,” and the stress starts to build.

Travel places big demands on the nervous system, especially for kids more sensitive to change. These demands might include:

• Disrupted routines and sleep

• A change in caregivers or separation from a helper

• New smells, sounds, textures, or eating environments

• Changes in “safe foods” (even familiar brands may taste or look different abroad)

• Unfamiliar seating, cutlery, lighting, or noise at mealtimes

• Constant transitions and social expectations

• A general sense of unpredictability

  
  

For some kids, these overlapping stressors tip their nervous system into fight, flight, or freeze mode — and when that happens, appetite and digestion are often the first things to disappear.

That’s why support starts before the plate: not with compliance but with co-regulation, sensory awareness, and flexibility. Eating becomes more possible when kids feel safe, steady, and seen. It's not perfect, not always pretty, but possible.

Holiday Strategies That Support Eating (that start long before the meal)

Before You Travel

1. Have a Family Chat

A simple conversation before your trip can go a long way in helping your child feel more prepared and less anxious. You might discuss what might look different while on holiday, and what will stay the same. If you have pictures of your accommodation, show them - or ask a family member to send some. This acts as a visual hook: when children see something familiar later, it builds confidence and reduces anxiety.

Try asking open questions like:

• What are you most looking forward to?

• Is there anything you're feeling unsure or worried about?

• What worked well last time, and what could we do differently?

  
  

With older kids and teens, invite them to help make decisions, like what snacks to pack or help plan travel stops. That sense of involvement helps them feel more in control and respected.

This doesn't need to be a formal sit-down (or can be if you have regular "family meetings"). Even a quick chat in the car, during a walk, or while packing can make a big difference. The goal isn't to eliminate all uncertainty—just to make space for your child to feel a little more prepared and included.

2. Create a Visual Planner

Holidays feel unstructured even for adults — now imagine doing them without a phone, calendar, or any real sense of what’s coming next. That’s exactly how many kids experience travel.

A simple daily or weekly visual planner can help restore a sense of predictability and reduce anxiety around meals, activities, and transitions. Use pictures or symbols for younger children or those who benefit from visual cues. For older kids, consider creating a shared digital family calendar.

You don’t need to map out every detail. Just anchoring the day with a few known touchpoints — like travel days, where you’ll be sleeping, and any big plans — can make things feel more manageable. For some kids, building a simple schedule each morning can also be a helpful connection ritual to start the day together.

👉 Download your holiday visual planner here

3. Bring Familiar, Preferred Foods (If You Can)

Many families I work with pack extra snacks, but parents often feel guilty about it. Please don’t. If safe, familiar food helps your child feel more grounded, that’s a good thing.

Even when the label is the same, familiar brands can look, smell, or taste different in other countries. If you’re unsure, pack trusted versions when you can. Otherwise, plan a quick stop at a local shop to find snacks you know your child will eat.

And don’t leave home without a few backup options tucked in your bag; sometimes, that small act makes all the difference and can save the moment (or the whole day).

4. Rethink supplements for the holiday period.

Your child may have different nutritional needs while travelling. Changes in routine, motion sickness, climate, digestion, appetite, or exposure to illness can all impact nutrition. Sometimes, a fibre supplement, electrolyte drink, probiotic, multivitamin, or liquid meal supplement can help bridge the gap.

If you’re unsure what’s best for your child, ask your dietitian or healthcare provider for individualised advice.

During The Journey

5. On Travel Days, Think Door-to-Door — Not Just In-Transit

Travel doesn’t start at takeoff; it starts when you leave home. There can be long gaps without familiar food, unexpected delays, or overstimulating environments that make meals difficult.

Pack snacks for the whole journey, not just the flight or drive. Include a mix of preferred foods and fibre-rich options like oat bars, dried fruit, popcorn, or nuts (if safe) to help prevent constipation.

Top up with what’s available at airports, rest stops, or local shops: sandwiches, yoghurt drinks, fruit, or even takeaway meals packed in a cooler. Snacks aren’t just fuel, they’re regulation, comfort, and one small way to bring familiarity into a chaotic day.

6. Offer Hydration Often

It’s easy to overlook, but dehydration can affect mood, appetite, digestion, and energy, especially in hot environments.

Pack your child’s preferred water bottle and offer small sips regularly. If they’re not keen on plain water, try adding juice, using a fun straw, or choosing cold or fizzy versions. And don't forget to hydrate yourself too!

At Your Destination

7. Build Familiarity When You Arrive

   
   

Once you’re at your destination, take a few minutes to walk through key spaces with your child, especially the dining area if you’re staying at a hotel or with family. Show them where meals will happen, the room looks, and where they might sit.

Ask staff to reserve a quieter table or a spot they liked if possible. These small steps toward predictability can make mealtimes feel less overwhelming and more manageable.

8. Think Rhythm Instead of Rigid Routines

A flexible, predictable rhythm of meals and snacks — every 2–4 hours — helps kids feel more secure. Use transitions (after rest, or before heading out) as natural anchors for eating.

Avoid urgent demands like “Eat now” — instead, try “what’s next” cues: “As soon as we find our seats on the train, we will have our snacks.”

This helps kids anticipate food without feeling pressured. If your child eats small amounts at a time, you may need to offer food more frequently, especially if they’re very active or more dysregulated than usual. Some kids do better with a grazing pattern, while others need a more structured pattern to protect their appetite. As always, you know your child best.

9. Support Sensory Regulation First

   
   

Before focusing on food, focus on how your child feels in their body. Travel is often loud, bright, fast, and unpredictable and shows up in mealtimes.

Movement before meals (walking, climbing, swimming) can help regulate the nervous system (often referred to as "heavy work"). Noise-cancelling headphones, their favourite fidget tools, a weighted or vibrating item, or choosing a quiet corner to sit can also help. When a child’s sensory needs are met, they’re more likely to feel safe enough to eat.

10. Reduce Mealtime Pressure

Many parents tell me things often spiral when they start feeling judged by family, friends, or even strangers. That pressure trickles down fast. In the moment, you might find yourself pushing for a few more bites or feeling increasingly frustrated. But kids pick up on that tension, which usually makes eating even harder.

Here’s what helps:

• Set expectations with others ahead of time (a quick message or note like “Eating is a bit tricky at the moment, we’d love your support”);

• Choose a personal mantra to help you stay grounded (e.g. “Connection over control” or “It doesn’t need to be perfect”);

• Offer high-interest foods with meals (not just after). This helps bring down food vigilance and builds trust.

  
  

Focus less on what you can’t control — like how much your child eats — and more on what you can: creating a calm, low-pressure environment where eating can happen.

What About Tweens and Teens?

Older kids still benefit from support, but they need it offered in a more collaborative way. Invite them to help plan meals, pack their own safe snacks, or choose when and how to eat while away. You may also need to give them space to decompress before eating or help them prepare for tricky food situations (like comments from extended family).

Let’s Talk About Screens at Mealtimes

Screens during meals often get judged. You’ve probably heard it: “No screens at the table!” And I’ll be honest — before I understood neurodivergence, I said the same thing.

But here’s what I’ve learned: screens aren’t a crutch for some kids; they’re a tool. They’re a way to reduce sensory input, regulate emotions, create predictability, or stay focused long enough to eat. For children who experience the world more intensely — whether due to sensory sensitivities, anxiety, or ARFID — a screen might be what makes eating possible in a chaotic environment and the only reason this family can be on holiday.

If your child doesn’t need a screen during meals, that’s okay. But if yours does, please know: you’re not failing. You’re supporting. And the last thing families navigating feeding challenges need is more guilt or judgment, especially when they’re already doing everything they can to make eating feel safe.

Need more support?

I’ve created a gentle, non-judgmental resource just for travelling during summer:

🎒 Out of Routine: A Gentle Summer Guide to Eating While Travelling

How to navigate holidays with less food stress. It's designed for all families, especially if your child finds eating away from home difficult.

Inside you’ll find:

• Smart snacking ideas

• Gentle meal planning in unfamiliar kitchens

• Tips for sensory seekers and cautious eaters

• Supermarket hacks and tools to pack

  
  

Click here to download the free guide.

Final Thoughts

Feeding kids while travelling during the holidays comes with challenges that often go unseen — from disrupted routines and unfamiliar food to sensory overload and changing support systems.

There’s no one right way to do it. But understanding what makes eating harder, and offering the support your child needs, structure, flexibility, or familiarity, can make meals more manageable.

It won’t always look tidy. And that’s not a problem to fix. It’s part of travelling with kids.