Kid & Coe: Perfecting Family Travel One Property At a Time

Zoie is the founder of Kid & Coe, an upscale home rental company that is a bit like Airbnb for families, only way cooler. The company started in 2013 out of personal necessity; Zoie had been traveling the world for years with her DJ husband and children in tow but was struggling to find stylish, upmarket alternatives to hotels, that no longer fit the needs of her family. She didn’t just want any old rental, Zoie wanted somewhere that made her family feel at home no matter where they were in the world. And so, Kid & Coe was born and today the company has over 1,400 kid-friendly property rentals in over 50 countries and continues to grow. We sat down with Zoie – in a virtual sense, we’re hoping for a poolside cocktail in the near future! - to ask her a few questions about traveling with kids.

WHEN DID YOU START TRAVELING? DID YOU TRAVEL AS A CHILD?

Yes! Both my parents worked for the airlines and we got to fly non-revenue, or standby, growing up. So, it wasn’t uncommon for them to announce we were going to go to Paris or Milan for the weekend with not a lot of notice. I’m still a pretty spontaneous traveler in this way, although of course with kids (and multiple airline tickets!) it’s not so easy.

HOW OLD WERE YOUR CHILDREN WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED TRAVELING AND WHERE DID THEY TRAVEL TO FIRST?

My eldest son Luca was 2 months old, and we went to the Turks and Caicos. By the time he was 2 years old, we had been to Australia and Asia. Twice! India, my second child, was also about 2 months old and we went to London. Ivy was born in Ibiza so she went to Madrid at around six weeks to get her American passport from the Embassy.

HOW HAS TRAVELING BENEFITED YOUR FAMILY?

I think my kids are fairly adaptable thanks to traveling. I think it’s important for them to learn to adapt to the environment around them, not vice versa all of the time. Traveling, seeing the world, just makes humans better.

WHAT’S THE MAGIC FORMULA FOR HAVING A FAMILY HOLIDAY WHERE EVERYONE IS HAPPY?

It can be difficult to make everyone happy, but in our family the magic formula is allocating time for each person’s interest. For example, on a recent trip to Madrid, my soccer obsessed son and husband wanted to visit the Bernabeau stadium and museum, and I hoped to check out the Goyas at the Prado, which is across the street from El Retiro park which keeps the toddler smiling. My daughter typically wanted to visit a local toy store. We could all agree on churros and hot chocolate! I like to let my older kids learn about a destination and figure out a spot or two that they want to visit. I think this keeps everyone happy, but I’m a strong believer in leaving enough free unscheduled time to be spontaneous and wander.

WHAT ARE YOUR GO-TO HOLIDAY STYLES/ DESTINATIONS WITH BABIES?

I think babies are the easiest traveling companions and can be taken just about anywhere. When I was breastfeeding, a baby carrier and some diapers and you’re good to go. We had some of our best meals when our baby was napping in the stroller in a different country!

WHAT ABOUT WITH TODDLERS?

I love beach holidays with toddlers. City breaks can also be fantastic too - playgrounds, play-spaces, classes and more are available to you - and a lot of museums and cultural institutions have toddler-friendly art spaces and more. Crawling babies and young toddlers on a plane can be challenging, especially long haul. Traveling with toddlers is probably the trickiest. We recently took a trip to Singapore and Bali with my three children, when my baby was 1.5. She’s very active and that was challenging. I played ‘hide the goldfish’ and ‘post the sticky note’ for about 12 hours. Red wine helps, relaxing standards help - not stressing if they’re going to sleep or not helps. Just engaging with your little and having endless little tricks up your sleeve does help. I have to admit – all three of my kids have been on bottles longer than they probably should have because it was the thing that always kept them quiet on planes!

AND WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN?

School children are wonderful to travel with: they’re open books and so curious and you don’t have to worry about the airplane dramas. We try and take trips around their studies: we went to Rome which my eldest was studying and to the Met to see the Manets after art class. It’s such an opportunity to see their studies come alive.

WHAT WAS THE EUREKA MOMENT BEHIND KID & COE?

I used to travel a lot with my husband, a DJ, and we travelled extensively with our kids when they were younger. We were on tour in Sydney as a family and were fortunate enough to be checking into a nice hotel, planning to base there for an extended period. But within two days we realized it wasn’t going to work for us as a family. Once Luca was asleep at night, we were tiptoeing around him in the dark, whispering so we wouldn’t wake him. I think all parents that have stayed in hotel rooms with their kids know this scenario! We realized he wouldn’t be eating any healthy home-cooked meals, and we just needed more space to enjoy our family time together (and alone!).

When I started the process of looking for an apartment to rent, it took days. Most were unsuitable for a young child, so I personally went to check them all out. When we found somewhere that did work, I needed to source a baby equipment rental firm to kit us out with high chairs, stair gates and the rest. It took a chunk out of our trip just getting to that point.

But then everything opened up. As soon as we were situated, it felt that all of Sydney was our Sydney: we had a base to find local fresh grocers, nearby playgrounds, farmers markets, and cafés.

That’s how it started. From that I realized that staying in a house as a family was a good way to go. Spending too much time going through uninspiring websites looking at uninspiring houses that claimed they were family-friendly made me realize there was a real lack in the market for people who need the space of a home the most.

CAN YOU SHARE YOUR THREE FAVORITE KID & COE PROPERTIES?

It’s hard to pick three favorite! Right now, I’m currently loving:

-The Anchor Residence

-The Petra Villa

-The No. 38 Residence

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST ORIGINAL PROPERTIES THAT YOU HAVE LISTED?

-The Galapagos Safari Eco Camping

-The Shore Road Residence

-The Crib Residence

HOW DO YOU SOURCE PROPERTIES FOR KID & COE? WHAT CRITERIA DO YOU HAVE TO MEET IF YOU WANT TO BE A HOST?

A property can make the Kid & Coe cut because it is in a great location for family travelers, it is safe and appropriate for kids, it is stylish, and/or it has amenities unique for families such as cribs, high chairs, play areas, or toys. We always say families come in all shapes and sizes and try and remember that families with younger kids will be searching for a different kind than those with older children, or multi-generational.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT KID & COE THAT YOU BELIEVE MAKES IT STAND OUT FROM OTHER BOOKING SITES THAT LIST FAMILY PROPERTIES?

I think there are websites that are fantastic and offer a great service. Our difference is that we are singularly designed for families- every property we review, every partnership we consider, every article we write, has the same clear purpose of helping families explore the world, together.

I SEE THAT YOU’RE GOING TO START LISTING HOTELS ON THE WEBSITE, CAN YOU TELL US SOME MORE ABOUT THAT?

Yes, it’s something I have wanted to do for a long time, as I believe that there are some great hotels out there offering amazing services for kids outside of the traditional ‘kids club’ environment. I like a kids’ club as much as the next person, but I find those environments can be slightly sterile also. We stayed at the Shangri-La in Singapore for a few nights to break up our trip to Bali and it had such amazing family facilities. Being able to identify and offer them to our family market would be a dream.

HOW MANY PROPERTIES DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE LISTED AND IN HOW MANY COUNTRIES? WHAT COUNTRIES ARE ON YOUR WISH LIST?

We have about 1,400 properties in just over 50 countries. I would love to have more properties in South America, Asia and Australia one day!

CAN YOU SHARE YOUR TOP THREE DESTINATIONS (EVER!) FOR A FAMILY HOLIDAY?

I love Brazil and South America as a whole is fantastic for travel for Americans as you’re not too far away, timezone wise, and such a warm culture that welcome children.

Sydney, Australia is also one of my favorite places to gowith the kids: it’s a hell of a trip but once you’re there it’s worth it: amazing fashion, wine, food, and so much to do with kids.

Closer by, we have loved Portugal recently - it’s great value, easy to get to, and everybody speaks English!

AND FINALLY, WHAT ARE YOUR ESSENTIAL CARRY- ON ITEMS?

A scarf, Vaseline rosy lips, and my wireless headphones for listening to music while I finish interviews. If I’m with the kids, lollipops to pull out as pressure pops, iPads and those Melissa and Doug paint with water books are amazing and have kept my toddlers occupied on many aflight.