Planning a family vacation with your nanny can be an excellent way to maintain childcare support while enjoying quality time away. However, bringing your nanny along requires thoughtful preparation to ensure everyone has a positive experience. Whether you're heading to a beach resort or a mountain cabin, these guidelines will help create a successful trip for your family and your childcare provider.

Set Clear Expectations Before the Trip

Communication is the foundation of a successful vacation with your nanny. Before packing those suitcases, sit down for a detailed conversation about work hours, responsibilities, and compensation.

Discuss work schedule and free time: Be specific about when your nanny will be on duty and when they'll have personal time. Will they work full days with evenings off? Split shifts to accommodate family activities? Having this mapped out prevents misunderstandings during the trip.

Outline duties and responsibilities: Clarify if your nanny's responsibilities will differ from their regular routine. Will they be preparing meals, joining in family activities, or primarily focusing on childcare? Setting these expectations helps your nanny prepare mentally and practically for their role during vacation.

Agree on Fair Compensation

Traveling with your employer family is different from regular work at home. Consider offering additional compensation through a daily stipend or hourly bonus to acknowledge the unique nature of vacation work. Remember that even during "off hours," your nanny is away from their home and personal life.

As the employer, you should plan on covering the following expenses for your nanny:

All airfare, car rentals, and gasoline
All lodging
Stipend for groceries or meals the nanny will eat apart from the family (costs they wouldn't normally incur during a regular work week)
All family activities that you expect your nanny to participate in
All kid-related expenses (for activities, food, incidentals) your nanny may need to pay when you aren't around

Things that you do NOT need to pay for when your nanny travels with you include:

Personal souvenirs
Activities the nanny chooses to do in their free time

You may opt to give your nanny a family credit card for the trip, or you can ask that the nanny provide receipts for their purchases and reimburse them. If you plan to place an Instacart delivery or send your nanny to the store to pick up food for the family, include what they would like to eat in your order.

"If you can't afford to pay your nanny properly to travel with you, simply don't take them," says Nanny Counsel, and we second this advice. Travel expenses for another individual can add up quickly, even before factoring in hourly employment costs. To compensate your nanny fairly for a family vacation, track and determine the following:

Travel Time To and From Your Destination

You must pay your nanny for all travel time required to get to and from the destination and cover the mode of travel (e.g., airfare). Even if your nanny is not responsible for your children during this time, compensation is required. Additionally, offering your nanny a paid day off when you return from your trip is considerate and gives them time to settle back in at home.

Hours On and Off the Clock

Your nanny should be clearly informed about when you expect them to be working and when they'll be off during your vacation. When your nanny is off, they should not feel pressured to spend time with your family. Respect their downtime just as during a typical workweek. Additionally, the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies highlights that if the number of hours exceeds 40 hours a week, they need to receive overtime pay at 1.5 times their regular rate.

Travel Pay (on top of guaranteed hours)

Because traveling takes nannies away from their usual environment and routine, they can request (or you can offer) additional travel pay, often around $150-$250 per day. Some nannies charge their overnight rate for each night they are traveling with the family instead of travel pay since an overnight rate might be comparable to that range.

A Stipend for Personal Expenses

While entirely optional, you can consider giving your nanny a stipend to cover personal expenses like activities, souvenirs, etc.

Provide Comfortable Accommodations

Your nanny's comfort greatly impacts their ability to provide quality care for your children. Thoughtful accommodation arrangements show that you value their wellbeing and privacy.

Ensure private sleeping space: Everyone needs personal space to recharge, especially childcare providers who work long hours. Whether it's a separate hotel room or a private bedroom in a vacation rental, give your nanny their own sleeping area.

If you expect your nanny to care for your children overnight, require them to stay in the same room as your child, or will have a monitor in their room for the child, this is overnight work, and you should compensate your nanny accordingly. Nannies should be given breaks between shifts and provided reasonable downtime. They also need to understand your expectations for when the children go to sleep and are in bed — should they stay up, or go to sleep too?

As GTM Payroll points out, "By law, your nanny needs to get at least five consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep and a total of eight hours of rest time or else the entire night becomes paid hours. You may be better off providing your nanny their own room."

Consider bathroom access: If possible, arrange for your nanny to have their own bathroom or established times when they have private access to a shared bathroom. This small consideration makes a significant difference in comfort level.

Discuss meals and food preferences: Will your nanny join family meals or have separate arrangements? Address any dietary restrictions or preferences before the trip and ensure access to appropriate food options throughout your stay.

Respect Personal Boundaries

While on vacation, it's essential to maintain professional boundaries with your nanny, even in a more relaxed setting.

Honor off-duty time: When your nanny isn't working, respect their personal time completely. Avoid making requests that blur the line between working and non-working hours unless it's truly an emergency.

Allow for personal communication: Ensure your nanny has reliable ways to connect with friends and family back home. This might mean providing WiFi access or considering cell service availability when choosing your destination.

Recognize the work-vacation distinction: Remember that while this is a vacation for your family, it's still work for your nanny. Acknowledge this difference and express appreciation for their willingness to travel with your family.

Create a Positive Travel Experience

Small thoughtful gestures can make traveling with your nanny more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Cover all travel expenses: Your nanny shouldn't incur any personal costs for a work trip. Cover transportation, accommodations, meals, and activities they participate in with your family.

Include your nanny in appropriate activities: When it makes sense, invite your nanny to join family excursions or special meals. This inclusion can make the experience more enjoyable while still respecting professional boundaries.

Express gratitude: A simple "thank you" goes a long way. Acknowledge your nanny's flexibility and commitment in traveling with your family.

Final Thoughts

Taking your nanny on vacation can be rewarding for everyone when handled thoughtfully. The key is clear communication, respect for personal boundaries, and recognition of your nanny's professional role even in a vacation setting. With proper planning, your family can enjoy quality time together while your nanny provides the childcare support that makes it all possible.

By approaching the arrangement with empathy and professionalism, you'll create an experience that your nanny will be happy to repeat for future family getaways.

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