Traveling with Your Nanny

Families often have questions about traveling with their Nanny. If you are planning to take your Nanny on a trip with you, here are some basic guidelines to consider:

It’s always best to discuss the trip and your expectations with your Nanny before you leave.  Remember, it is not a vacation for your Nanny.  No matter how luxurious the accommodations or where she sits on the plane, she’s still working for you and should be compensated for all of her working hours, especially if they exceed her normal working hours/schedule.

In addition to her regular hourly wage, it is your responsibility to pay for her:

• Travel
• Lodging
• Food
• Activities while on the job (for example, ski lift tickets or rentals if she’s skiing with the family)

We recommend looking at the entire vacation schedule with your Nanny and confirming which hours she will work for you and which she will have off.  Discuss whether you’d like her to dine with you or not, and if not, what her daily food budget will be. (Please keep in mind that hotel restaurants are sometimes pricier than one would expect.)

Some families pay a flat daily rate so they don’t have to keep track of their Nanny’s work hours.  Many families also offer a daily bonus of $50-100 to compensate the Nanny for being away from home, and a few families simply add 25% or more to their Nanny’s weekly salary.  Extra financial compensation isn’t a must; some families provide the privacy of one’s own hotel room, ski tickets, a spa treatment, or other non-financial considerations.

Travel salaries can also vary depending on workload.  If the Nanny is responsible for watching a second family’s children as well as her employers’, she may receive double pay or a premium on her base salary.  It is also necessary to compensate your Nanny if you have her sleep in the same room with the children or care for them overnight. For the sleeping hours, we recommend a flat rate of $75 per night for school-aged children and $100 for infants and toddlers.

What is most important is that you and your Nanny sit down together when planning the vacation and discuss schedules and compensation.  Taking the time to discuss these factors ahead of time will result in a more enjoyable vacation for you and your family.