Family travel looks glossy on Instagram, but if you’re a parent, you know the truth. Behind every beach photo is a toddler meltdown, a missing water bottle, or that moment you second-guess why you booked an Airbnb outside the city center.
For Kaleena Figuracion—better known online as Mommy K—those realities are exactly why she shares her life and lessons with over 111,000 followers.
“I’m a wife to my dear husband, Emman, and I’m a mom, lifestyle, and travel content creator,” she says. Her journey started in 2010 with her own blog. Fifteen years later, she’s seen the industry evolve from blogs to YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
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Today, she still writes her story—only now the canvas is wider, and her audience includes Filipino parents who want family travel to feel safer, smoother, and more fun.
Family Travel Starts with Choosing the Right Place
If there’s one thing Mommy K has mastered, it’s scouting the right hotel or Airbnb for her crew of four. “When looking for a family-friendly hotel or Airbnb, ang first talaga na tinitingnan ko is yung safety and convenience. So I check ‘yung location ng place. It has to be in a safe neighborhood and merong security talaga.”
Hotels, she admits, are usually more straightforward.
“Whenever we stay in hotels, hindi siya ganong problem because ‘yung security ng hotel is secured talaga.” The challenge? Airbnbs. “You really have to do your research. Dapat ‘yung mapili mong place is that you’re in a secured place, secured subdivision or in a gated subdivision. Tapos you’ll read reviews kung okay ba yung neighborhood ng Airbnb na piliin mo.”
And then there’s the kid factor. Kaleena’s children are water babies, so a pool always helps. “Talagang plus factor siya if merong swimming pool or kung merong indoor playground, playroom, or any kid-friendly spaces.” Add a restaurant on site—or at least grocery stores nearby—and you’ve got a winner.
Preparing Kids for Family Travel Abroad
Traveling with kids isn’t just about passports and plane tickets. It’s about mindset.
Kaleena’s teenage daughter Keisha needs less hand-holding: “Whenever I tell her that we’re going to a certain place, she conducts her own research. Alam mo naman, ‘yung mga kids nowadays, they search on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.”
Source: Facebook/Mommy K Figuracion
But her 7-year-old, Kyle, requires more prep.
“With Kyle, I tell him where we are going. I show him photos, videos, and I just educate him. Piniprepare ko lang siya in a way that I tell him what to expect and what he can do.”
Source: Facebook/Mommy K Figuracion
When they took him to the U.S. for his first out-of-country trip, his YouTube habit actually helped. “Good thing, he loves to watch YouTube videos ng mga foreign teen YouTubers. So in a way, he has an idea about U.S., kung ano ‘yung U.S., ano yung makikita niya doon.”
It’s a reminder that family travel isn’t just about bringing kids along. It’s about helping them feel safe, confident, and part of the adventure.
When Family Travel Gets Scary
Even seasoned travelers like Mommy K feel uneasy sometimes. One memory stands out.
“There’s this one time wherein we booked an Airbnb. And then at night, it’s nice, it’s a beautiful place, ang ganda nu’ng lugar, ganyan. But during the nighttime, that’s when nag-sink in sa amin ang husband ko na kami lang ‘yung nandun. So it’s not in a gated subdivision, kaya mas medyo nakakaparaning na parang kami lang ‘yung nandu’n.”
No guards. No caretaker. Just them. The lesson? “It taught me not to overlook safety when choosing accommodations. Dapat hindi lang siya IG-worthy, hindi lang siya aesthetic. Dapat chine-check mo talaga. Dapat ‘yung safety and ‘yung peace of mind mo should always come first.”
For parents, that’s the kind of raw honesty that often gets buried under travel reels.
The Must-Pack List for Smooth Family Travel
Source: Mommy K
So what are Mommt Kaleena’s non-negotiables? Her top three essentials are surprisingly practical:
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Medicine Kit. “It’s our non-negotiable talaga. Even though sometimes it takes up too much luggage space, we really bring a lot. Almost all the medicines and the vitamins of my kids that we think we might need, plus yung nebulizer nila.”
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Bottled Water and Snacks. “My kids get hungry a lot… especially Kyle. And with Kyle, medyo sensitive kasi yung tummy niya. That’s why we always bring our own.”
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Toiletries and Hygiene Essentials. “We always bring wet wipes, tissues, soap, and a change of clothes, especially for Kyle. Because when we’re traveling, sometimes it gets messy.”
And her secret weapon? A portable luggage scale. “When you’re traveling out of the country, kailangan before you go to the airport, better if na-weigh mo na yung luggage mo. Sobrang hassle pag nandu’n ka pa lang sa airport mag-weigh.”
The Golden Rule of Family Travel
If you only take one lesson from Mommy K, let it be this.
“My golden rule for smooth family travel is plan ahead but stay adaptable. Do your research. Make your itineraries. Check mo ‘yung weather so you know what clothes to bring. So pack your essentials but at the same time, you have to be flexible and be open to change. Because sometimes, things don’t go as planned. And it’s okay.”
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She laughs when she says it, but you know she means it. “Okay lang if we don’t tick off all the attractions in our itinerary. It’s really okay especially when you have kids… what matters is that we are creating memories with their family.”
Your Boarding Call to Parenting and Adventure
The truth about family travel? It’s never as simple as the postcards make it look. Flights get delayed, kids spill juice on freshly printed itineraries, and that dreamy Airbnb might come with a side of paranoia at 2 a.m. But Kaleena Figuracion proves that the chaos is part of the charm.
Her secret isn’t a magic packing list or an influencer hack—it’s knowing that memories are made in the middle of the mess. Plan ahead, sure. But when the kids sleep in or the weather turns sour, lean in. Laugh. Adjust. Because someday, those are the stories you’ll tell, not the ones about sticking to the schedule.
So the next time you zip up a suitcase, think less about chasing perfect and more about chasing presence. After all, in the rock ’n’ roll of parenting, the best trips aren’t the smooth ones—they’re the ones you actually lived.
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