The 23-Hour Travel Day: Getting Four Kids Under Six to Montenegro 

We’re in Kotor. Well, technically Tivat is where we landed, about 20 minutes from Kotor (in theory, more on that later). And getting here was one of the more memorable travel days we’ve had, which is saying something with four boys under six. 

I wanted to write this one down honestly, because if you’re a family thinking about a big international travel day, you deserve the real version. The one where nobody sleeps and someone screams in a tunnel. But also the version where you make it, everyone’s okay, and you’re eating dinner in a little Montenegrin town by nightfall. 

Why this route 

Getting to Tivat isn’t exactly straightforward from the US, but we found cheap flights that made it the easiest path in. Here’s what the day looked like on paper: 

• Drive from Greenville to Charlotte (about 1.5 hours) 

• 3:40 PM flight from Charlotte to Madrid (about 8 hours), landing around 5:30 AM 

• A 5-hour layover in Madrid 

• 10:40 AM flight to Tivat (about 3 hours), landing at 1:45 PM 

• A 20-minute drive to our apartment 

Total, it added up to nearly 24 hours door to door. The schedule worried me from the start. We were leaving mid-afternoon and landing around 11:30 PM our body-clock time, so the big question was: would anyone actually sleep? 

The good start 

The drive to Charlotte was smooth. Chris’s dad rode along with us, and we left Greenville around 11 AM, which meant no frantic 5 AM scramble out the door. Starting a huge travel day feeling calm instead of rushed made a real difference. 

At the airport we got on the list for the Centurion Lounge while checking our bags and only waited 15 to 20 minutes to get in. We hung out, had snacks, and I changed all four boys into their pajamas before the flight, hoping the cue would help them sleep. 

The overnight flight (or: the sleep plan that didn’t) 

Our seat setup was a win compared to last time. We had a row of three and three near the back (33 and 34). The two little ones in car seats went by the windows (the three-year-old and the 21-month-old), the big boys (four and six) took the middle seats, and Chris and I had the aisles. Everyone contained, no split of two and four like before. 

The plan: melatonin around 5 to 6 PM to get four to five hours of sleep and nudge them toward the destination time zone. 

The reality: 

• Our six-year-old got the most, roughly 3 hours 

• The four-year-old slept zero. Not a wink. 

• The three-year-old got maybe the last 2 hours 

• The 21-month-old managed about 1 hour mid-flight 

So, essentially nobody slept. The flight itself went by faster than I expected, but getting off a plane with four overtired kids who all want to be carried, plus all our bags, is its own event. Interesting, to say the least. 

Surviving the Madrid layover 

We cleared customs and set up camp in a lounge. It was around 6 AM local, which was midnight for us. We let the boys watch their tablets, run around a bit, and just tried to survive. The baby got a 20-minute stroller nap and that was about it. We regrouped and got ready for the next leg. 

The final flight and the meltdown build 

We were near the front for the Tivat flight (still economy) and by then all of us were running on fumes. We dozed on and off. With about 90 minutes left, the meltdowns started. Our three-year-old, Hayes, hit full overtired-scream mode, and the 21-month-old cycled between laughing and screaming, hard to console. Chris and I, on no sleep, were just holding on. 

Tivat: stairs, heat, and a tunnel 

We landed to stairs, no jet bridge. Getting four kids, carry ons and a stack of car seats down airplane steps is an impossible feat, but the people on our flight were genuinely kind, helping carry luggage so we could carry the kids. I was so glad I’d packed the baby carrier to keep my hands free. 

Then a long walk in the Tivat heat, 15 to 20 minutes partly outside in customs, and, small miracle, every bag arrived. The three-year-old, meanwhile, was done. Refusing to walk, refusing to be carried, fully melting down while we figured out how to move all our luggage to pickup. 

We found our driver and immediately realized the van was too small for all our bags. Standing there dripping sweat, we worked out whether to split into two cars or squeeze it all in. Eventually we wedged the stroller basically on top of me and got everyone into one van. Fifteen, twenty minutes and we’d be there, we told ourselves. 

Then the tunnel. Dead stopped for 30 minutes. Our 20-minute drive became well over an hour, with our three-year-old screaming most of the way from pure exhaustion. At one point, a kilometer out, we genuinely considered walking. 

Arrival 

We finally pulled up and the whole Boundless team was there to greet us and show us the apartment, all while our three-year-old screamed, confused and hangry but refusing to eat. Taking in apartment details while consoling an inconsolable toddler is a specific kind of overwhelming. 

Then we found something he’d eat, and he flipped a switch and was fine. We had dinner, walked around the little town, made it to bedtime, and all crashed. 

What I’d tell another family 

• The late-morning departure was the best decision of the day. No 5 AM chaos. 

• Lounges saved us. Space to move, snacks, and tablets got us through the layover. (We used priority pass for Madrid – and mine was not working. So we paid for one kid, (it was 25$) so even if you don’t have access, consider what it’s worth).

• The baby carrier earned its spot. Hands free is everything on stairs and long walks. 

• Melatonin didn’t do much this time. Last trip to Italy I used it on the plane and for three nights to reset the kids. This time it did not work on the plane (the timing was also not ideal) and they were so wiped they went straight to bed on arrival. So I didn’t bother.  I would still have it on hand regardless, and use it if needed. 

• Overtired toddlers aren’t a problem you solve, they’re weather you wait out. Food and sleep fixed what nothing else could. 

Almost 24 hours, four little ones, zero sleep. But we made it. We’re here, excited to catch up on rest and settle in. Tomorrow morning we’ll wake up to 23 new families to befriend on this adventure.

Onward.