Travelling with Yoto
Planning a holiday with children can feel like a military operation – snacks, entertainment, favourite soft toy and endless questions of “Are we nearly there yet?” That’s where the Yoto Mini Player can be ideal for families on the go. This small but mighty device transforms travel into a more peaceful, screen-free and enriching experience for children of all ages. If you’re thinking Yoto is only for younger children check out my post on Yoto for teens.
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In this post, we’ll explore the key benefits of taking a Yoto Mini Player on holiday and a few considerations to keep in mind to make your travel time smoother and more enjoyable.
Navigating the Yoto Travel Post
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Where to Buy Yoto Players and Yoto discount codes
Key Benefits of the Yoto Mini Player for Holiday Travel
Portable and Lightweight
One of the standout features of the Yoto Mini is how compact and travel-friendly it is. Unlike the full sized Yoto Player, the Mini easily slips into a backpack, handbag, or even a coat pocket. It’s perfect for:
- Car journeys: Small enough to sit in cup holders or on little laps
- Train travel: While you wait and during any length of journey
- Flights: No need to lug around extra screens or heavy books – lightweight so no need to worry about adding on too much weight
- Boat trips: Ideal for winding down in cabins or during long waits at terminals
Screen-Free Entertainment
Screen fatigue is real, especially during holidays when children may already be exposed to more devices. The Yoto Mini provides screen-free audio entertainment that fosters imagination, focus and support calm. Some children can feel very overwhelmed when in new environments and listening to audio content can be a great way to help regulation.
Robust and Kid-Friendly Design
With no bright screens or complicated menus, the Yoto Mini is easy for even toddlers to operate. The sturdy design holds up well to bumpy rides, sticky fingers, and occasional drops. The intuitive button system means kids can take control of their listening experience with little adult help.
Personally, I would always recommend purchasing an Adventure Jacket for the Yoto Mini (and the Gen 3) regardless of whether you plan to travel with it. The Adventure Jacket gives an extra layer of protection from knocks and drops. We love the Grape Soda (purple) one.
Offline Listening
You can download Yoto cards onto the device, making it possible to listen without Wi-Fi or mobile data. This is invaluable when:
- Flying where internet is often patchy or unavailable.
- Driving through rural areas with no signal.
- Travelling abroad, avoiding expensive roaming charges.
It’s very important to ensure that any cards you wish to play when you don’t have WiFi/ data are downloaded onto your player. This is really simple to do. Follow these instructions from Yoto for making sure you are holiday ready!
Don’t forget to adjust the volume limit on your Yoto Mini Player before you leave home as you won’t be able to get your app and the Yoto Player to chat when you leave home and make changes. If you are travelling on a plane then I’d recommend going for maximum volume as you may not be able to hear the Yoto Mini Player over the noise of the plane. You can find out more about flight travel and headphones in this post.
Long Battery Life
The Yoto Mini offers up to 14 hours of playback time, depending on usage. That’s easily enough for several days of listening on a single charge – especially helpful when sockets are hard to come by at airports, on the road, or in hotel rooms.
Make the most of sockets when you can to keep your Yoto ready and available. Don’t forget to take your Yoto Mini specific cable to charge your player with.
A top tip is to make sure you have a low time on the battery saver setting in the Yoto app before you leave home. I have ours set to 1 min. For the auto power-off setting I make sure this is on 15 mins before we leave.
Yoto Travel Case
The Yoto Mini Travel Case fits all your Yoto essentials safely in one place. An adjustable shoulder strap means independence when taking your Yoto Mini on any adventures. You can fit up to 30 Yoto cards in along withe headphones and a space for the Yoto charging cable.
Can You Take a Yoto Gen 3 Travelling?
Absolutely! We have several times. The only real additional piece of advice would be to consider adjusting the night light before you leave. You want your child to be happy with it if they rely on the night light for bedtime. However, it’s worth considering that the brighter the night light the faster the battery will run down. You need to find a balance that works for you.
If you’re debating between a Yoto Gen 3 and a Yoto Mini Player then you might find this post helpful. We have both and find that we use them each at different times.
Free Yoto Holiday Packing List
My daughter loves ticking off a list when packing. Here’s the list we use for her to pack her ‘essentials’! You can download the list for free below if you’d like one for your children.
Considerations
While the Yoto Mini is packed with positives, there are a few things to bear in mind:
Charging on the Go
The Yoto Mini charges via USB-C however it’s always best to use the Yoto charging cable that came with your device or the replacement that was sent out with the recall. You can find more information here. A portable power bank can be useful for topping up on the move, especially on long travel days. For further information on this head here where you will find the safety information for charging a Yoto Mini Player.
Headphones
Although the Mini has a headphone jack and Bluetooth compatibility, headphones aren’t included. For aeroplanes, train rides or shared hotel rooms, investing in a good pair of child-safe headphones is a smart idea. Plus as a parent there are times when I just can’t listen to the same card for the millionth time again – can you relate!? Headphones are my top accessory recommendation with any audio player. Make sure they’re volume-limited to protect little ears. Find out more about headphones here.
Limited Storage for Offline Cards
There’s a finite amount of storage for downloading cards onto the Yoto Mini, so if you’re going to be offline a lot (e.g. on a cruise or camping), preload your chosen cards in advance. Cards not downloaded to the device won’t play without internet access. I have yet to run out of storage on ours and we have A LOT of cards.
However, it’s always worth checking that the cards you really want are definitely downloaded. I made the rooky error on a trip of not having downloaded all the cards we wanted. I thought it would be ok as the hotel had WiFi but I couldn’t get connected properly and it was a nightmare. Preparation in advance is crucial.
Speaker Sound Consideration
The built-in speaker on the Yoto Mini is good for quiet settings, but it may not be powerful enough in noisy environments like busy airport terminals or restaurants. Again, headphones solve this, or use a Bluetooth speaker if you want to share content.
Travel Mode Tips: How to Use the Yoto Mini on Different Journeys
Road Trips
- Just like anything in a car, mount it safely or let kids hold it with headphones
- Keep cards secure so they don’t get dropped on the floor!
- Use preloaded cards to avoid data issues
- Making your own ‘road trip’ content could be lots of fun
Train Journeys
- Preload all cards before travel
- Bring headphones – noise reducing recommended but not essential
- Make use of sockets on board to charge with your Yoto cable while you can
Plane Journeys
- Preload all cards before boarding
- Bring noise-reducing headphones
- Use during takeoff and landing to help distract from ear pressure discomfort
Boat or Ferry Trips
- Use calming soundscapes (e.g., rain or gentle waves) if seasickness is an issue
- Download white noise or sleep sounds to use during overnight crossings
Top Tips from Yoto Community
There’s a wealth of knowledge in our Facebook group and here’s some top tips that they’ve shared for travelling with a Yoto Player. Thanks to everyone who contributed their ideas.
- Always bring a spare Make Your Own (MYO) card – if you’re able to access WiFi while you’re travelling then you can add any card from your library on the app to the card
- Attach cards to your Yoto Player so that they don’t get lost or dropped – you can attach stickers with rings to card and a short cord/ keychain to keep everything together
- Getting a carry case to pop everything in. We have one of these and find it essential for travel
- If travelling by car use the Yoto app and connect to the car audio (you would need to use mobile data for this)
- If you’re worried about losing your Yoto cards don’t take them away. Add your content you want to take onto MYO cards instead therefore it’s much cheaper to replace if lost
Final Thoughts: Is the Yoto Mini Worth Packing?
Absolutely! The Yoto Mini Player is more than just an entertainment device, it’s a travel companion that supports calm, independence, imagination, and screen-free enrichment. For lots of children (and adults) familiar items from home are very comforting to have with you while away. The bonus with a Yoto Player is that you also get familiar sounds. While there are a few practical things to plan for (like charging, making sure all content is downloaded and headphones), the benefits far outweigh the minor considerations.
Whether you’re heading off on a sunny beach holiday, a camping trip in the countryside, or a long-haul flight abroad, the Yoto Mini can transform how your child experiences travel AND help you enjoy a smoother ride too!