What to Expect While Traveling | From Kristen's First-Hand Experiences

May 4, 2025

I’m no pro at traveling, I actually hate it, at least until I am at my gate waiting to board. The anxiety of packing, praying you don’t forget anything, getting through TSA and then the actual flight itself all can really rattle my nerves. Let’s just say, my calling would never be anything including aviation. Surprisingly enough, to date- April ‘25, I’ve traveled to Miami, San Diego, Las Vegas and Philadelphia all while breastfeeding! I’m glad to report there’s been no major hick ups, but it’s still a tad stressful each time since you don’t know who or what you’ll be dealing with. So let me shed some light on what’s worked for me! In this blog I’ll share the products I’ve used, recommendations to make your trip easier, and what to expect while traveling with your breast milk!

First things first, let’s talk product. The more setup for success and comfort you are, the better prepared you'll feel. I have found traveling with all of your pump stuff accessible, not buried, is a must. This is why I would recommend a bag designed for pumping or something that has accessible compartments. I’ve used both the Sarah Wells Abby and Mimi and Pal Radley bags successfully. Whatever your choice of pump bag may be, it is considered medical equipment and does not count towards your carry-on allotment! (Per TSA) This is super important to remember and to confirm with the airline you’ll be traveling.

screen shot from American Airlines

In this bag I would recommend traveling with mobiles during the flight and your primary pump for when you’re landed and need those best milk removals. I’m going be real here, I will advocate for any breastfeeding mom but I personally don’t want flanges hanging off my boobs while in public- it’s just not my thing. That’s why I’m so passionate about mobile pumping, I don’t care if you know I’m pumping but I’m not looking to draw attention. I like my privacy, thus a social media platform haha. But for real, I’m here to share and educate, not make a spectacle of myself. This said, pack a set of mobiles you’re comfortable with, ones you know you respond to best. Yea, yea I know we don’t all respond 100% to mobiles but while traveling I’m more concerned with us moving any milk we can, while en route. We can worry about that good, efficient removal when we get to our destination.

My recommendation would be to pump or feed at the breast before you leave for your trip. By doing this you’ll be able to start your trip, making it through TSA with a clean slate. If this is an option, it will simplify getting through security. If this isn’t an option, not to worry you’ll still get through TSA but with just a little more work.

Scene: you’re in the TSA line, your palms are starting to sweat because you know you’ve got breast milk to get through. It’s your turn as you step up to the conveyer with those dirty grey bins. As you’re taking off your shoes, jacket and all metal objects out of your pockets; you wave to the TSA agent and say, “I am traveling with breast milk”.

This is where you’ll have several options:

You will be asked to put your milk in its own bin, this is assuming you’re okay with the milk going through the X-ray machine. If this is the option you choose, please keep in mind how filthy these bins are. This is why I recommend flying with a bunch of gallon-sized Ziplock bags. If you have loose milk bags you can place them in the Ziplock bag before laying in the tub. Or if you have anything you simply want to keep clean, you can place in the Ziplock bag before putting in the bin, too.

Headed home from Miami 2023

Another option would be to request a hand check, don’t forget to say, “I would like to be present when you inspect my milk.” At this point you’ll hand the grey bin, yes everything must still be placed in the bin, and they’ll walk it past the X-ray machine and wait for your arrival. In addition to this as you walk through TSA and into the manual check area, request that the agent change their gloves, remember GERMS GERMS GERMS! Have you noticed how germaphobic I am yet? I’m really not that bad, but at the airport I take all the precautions, yuck. At this point the agent will likely use a residue detection strip by rubbing your items and placing into a machine to give you the all clear, this may happen with both frozen and fresh milk. If you’re traveling with fresh milk they may ask to do a vapor check. Not to worry, this is a noninvasive test. They will request YOU open your bagged milk or in my case Ceres Chiller, they will instruct you, “on the count of three you will open your container and I will hold this strip over the opening for X amount of seconds. Once I say close you will be able to close your container.” That’s it, that's what you can expect from a vapor test! Then they’ll run that strip through a machine and once again, give you the all clear.

Headed home from San Diego 2023

Let’s chat quickly about traveling with frozen vs. fresh breast milk. You are able to fly with both, but frozen will always be the easiest and fastest method since it requires less testing. You also don’t need your baby on your hip to prove that you’re, in fact, breastfeeding, in order to travel with milk.

I have traveled with fresh milk in my Ceres Chillers, bags of fresh, and bags of frozen, all in one adventure from Miami. I had a full refrigerator during my stay and was able to freeze my breast milk overnight for the flight home. There is also no limit on how much milk you’re able to travel with. While flying home from Miami I had two chillers full of milk, and two Sarah Wells Cold Gold coolers with both fresh and frozen. Coming home from Las Vegas I brought home 160 ounces of fresh- all jammed into the several coolers I had (under) planned for. Watch that chit-chat HERE!

This leads me to my next point, try to have an idea how much milk you’ll be traveling with so you can appropriately gauge how many Ceres Chillers, storage bags, and/or coolers you may need for your travels. This was absolutely where I went wrong while traveling home from Las Vegas. I did not anticipate pumping so much milk, but I’d be dammed if I had to dump it. What happened in Vegas that weekend was coming home with me.

My Philly trip was far easier to gauge since I knew I’d be gone for a very short time, with this trip I brought two Ceres Chillers, and storage bags as backup. Since I was landing at 9am and taking off the next day at 4pm, I’d only be traveling with fresh and knew my Chillers were going to do most of the work. Full disclaimer, I also knew I’d be leaving some of my fresh milk behind for a friend while visiting, so this would lighten my load a ton. I ended up leaving 50 ounces s and traveling home with about 20-ish ounces.

in total, I left 50 ounces of bagged milk in Philly for my friend

What about cleaning on the go? Now that we’ve gotten your through TSA, those parts aren’t going to cleans themselves. Again, you have several options, but ultimately it comes down to planning ahead. Whether I’m traveling out of state or to the grocery store, I am always thinking ahead. How many pumps or sets of flanges will I have packed? How long will I be traveling for and when will I be able to wash my parts again after being used? Let’s give you a few scenarios!

You’ve pumped before you left for the airport to give you a nice 3-4 hour break before your next session. As you’re cruising the airport you see a Mamava pod, type in 8008 (yes BOOB) into the keypad, pop in your mobiles but don’t turn them on just yet because you’re not due to pump for a little while. Yes, you’ll be hanging out with your pumps in your bra, after you’ve privately popped them into your bra thanks to the Mamava pod. Why deal with the stress of putting them into your bra midair if you don’t have to. After the plane takes off, you receive your water and crackers, turn those babies on and sit comfortably and pump! The cabin noise is so loud, I promise you wont be worried about anyone hearing your pumps!
Okay this is where you’ll have two options based on your flights duration. If you know you’ll be landing quickly or up to a 3 hour flight and your cups aren’t filled up, leave them in your bra until your next session. I’ve done this both on a plane and even in a car. Since milk can sit out for (per the CDC) 4 hours at room temp, I’ll just leave my pumps in my bra until the next session. Then yes, my cups will have two sessions worth of milk to empty. But I’m telling you, if you’re not about to overflow those things, this really helps to eliminate the logistics of emptying your pumps while in a tight space. *bonus material* this can also allow for a power pump session(s) too, just saying. Or you’ll take them out of your bra, empty your milk into your storage bags or chiller. Wipe down all pump parts with pump wipes, like THESE or use those gallon bags I suggested earlier with ice provided by your flight attendant and practice the fridge hack for on the go by placing your cups, not attached to your motor, back into a cooler. There’s other products to consider too, if you’re wiping down your pump parts with dedicated pump wipes, you can also spray them with THIS disinfectant. Just keep in mind neither the wipes or the spray are replacements for hot soapy water. If you’re en route to a hotel or somewhere without a wash basin, don’t forget THIS. Ceres Chill also offers a cleaning set, complete with travel basin, and TSA approved soap bottle and brush! Just because you’re out of the airport doesn’t mean there won’t be germs, a sink is a sink, use a basin!

Mamava Pod at O'Hare International Airport outside of Chicago

Let’s brief on the extras you may not think of. Power! These pumps don’t run on hopes and prayers. Do not forget your power pack, THIS is the one I love. I’ve successfully charged my Eufy S1 Pro rechargeable case, Momcozy M5 pump, and BabyBuddha pump all while traveling. It has four cable connector options and a digital read, which I think is far better than a few dots showing how much power is remaining. You’ll be able to charge any of your pumps that require a USB-C or USB charger!

Another thing that you may not think of are those one gallon Ziplock bags. I know I said it earlier but it deserves another mention. You have my word, they’re a must have!

Something I know you’re already prepared for, but just a tip, don't underestimate how many you may need -- milk storage bags! I unfortunately didn't bring enough to Miami, and ended up going to Walgreens to buy more. They take up little room, just grab some extra.

Let’s recap on what you can bring, assuming you’ve checked the guidelines of airline you’re flying. Let’s assume, you’re able to bring one personal item and one carry on for overhead storage. If you think about it, this is what you’re likely already doing, assuming you’re carrying a purse or backpack and a roller bag of some sort, those are your two allotted bags... but what about your pump bag? Yes, as stated above, your pump bag is considered medical and does not count against you. When I traveled home from Las Vegas I had my Mimi and Pal Radley Backpack, Ren Organizer and a big paper bag (with the bottom falling out) full of 160 ounces of breast milk. The lady at the gate told me, “you need to check one of your bags.” It was then I told her, “this bag is all breast milk.” She looked at me like I had a square head and was speechless. I basically ran into the walkway at that point because I didn’t want to be questioned. I was tired, I missed my kids and I just wanted to get home. Leave me alone lady, I don’t need the looks. Remember, this is your milk, your baby you’re feeding and your right to travel with the means to pump your milk. Be sure to checkout TSA Cares or even call, I’ve done it before. They’re super friendly and very helpful, they really do care 😉 . *Fun fact* if you’re traveling with kids, you can request TSA assistance to get you and you’re wildlings through all the TSA processes and to the gate!

Before we wrap this up you might be thinking, great Kris... but when should I be pumping, and how often, especially if I'm a nursing Mama! Don’t worry, I got you. I don’t care if you’re an exclusive nursing mom, if baby isn’t with you and you want to stay comfortable and keep that supply up- you’re going to find yourself pumping!

Similarly to going back to work, we want to empty our breasts as often as baby would be feeding. If you’re worried about creating an oversupply by pumping too much while away, don’t be. You may see a bump in supply but once back home, baby at the boob, your supply will go back to where baby is most happy. If you’re worried about not responding to the pump while away, this is where I’d recommend getting in tune with your pump, learn how it functions, and see how you respond before you head out or go back to work, for that matter.

If you’re an exclusive pumper, you already know your schedule. But either way, pumper or boob feeder, fluctuation while traveling isn’t going to do any damage to your supply. If you completely fall off your schedule, you’ve always got tomorrow to make it up. If you do find your supply has taken a temporary hit, just get back on your schedule, maybe add another session in while you patiently await your supply to come back up. Once your supply has elevated, hopefully to where it once was, then you can go back to your normal pumping routine!

All in all, by taking some time to plan accordingly, you'll feel prepared to pump while traveling and be able to focus on other things -- like enjoying your trip! Safe travels & happy pumping!

If you're looking for more information on all things traveling, here's some additional resources to check out!