Former Olympian and Mom Shawn Johnson Shares Family Travel Tips as She Heads to the 2024 Olympics — Kids in Tow

Former gymnast Shawn Johnson East is heading back to the Olympics — this time as a spectator with her husband and three young children.

The 32-year-old famous for taking home four medals — including the gold for balance beam at the 2008 games in Bejing — is now a mom of three whose travels look a bit different these days.

“I have always said that when you set your expectations at traveling with kids is work, it usually goes really well,” she told Travel + Leisure in a recent interview. “I think people have a hard time traveling with kids when they’re like, ‘oh, I couldn’t relax on the plane.’ That’s not going to happen with kids!”

Her keys to preparation? Movies, toys, activities, and the awareness that kids also “want to see new things too.”

“They want to go with mommy and daddy, and they want to play, and they want to do all these things,” she said.

Johnson, who has been to Paris before with her husband — former NFL player Andrew East who she met at the 2012 London games — will be attending the games as a family and will also be heading to some kid-friendly attractions, including Disneyland, she told T+L.

“We might try to see some art but I can’t picture my kids liking that,” she said, mentioning that she’ll also be at the games in a work capacity with Yahoo Sports.

In general, she knows what to do when it comes to keeping her kids — daughter Drew, 4, son Jett, 2,  and son Barrett who is just a few months old — occupied in a new place. Her best advice for traveling with three children under 5 years old? Find all the best playgrounds wherever you are visiting, and provide plenty of activities for the flight including coloring books, movies, snacks, and non-stick silly putty. 

She also tries to not be too scheduled. They plan accommodations but don’t schedule rigid activities due to the unpredictability of traveling with children. She said they keep a list of activities, restaurants, and sights, allowing them to be flexible on a day-by-day basis.

Johnson and East, who currently live in Nashville,  have already taken their young children on many trips including annual mission trips and on a Greek Islands cruise that embarked from Israel.

And just because they are traveling, their daily lifestyle isn’t abandoned, including healthy eating. Though her daughter just discovered croissants (a French staple, of course), healthy eating is a big part of her family’s lifestyle which is why the Dancing with the Stars champion recently partnered with Barilla Protein+® pasta.

As the mother of toddlers who would only eat pasta, she was desperate for some added protein. When she received the protein-packed pasta — with 17 grams of protein per 3.5-ounce serving — in a PR box she was thrilled and even more happy when her kids loved it.

“I was like, ‘this is genius.’ Now we have big pasta nights every Saturday, and it’s just so much better for you, which I love,” she told T+ L. 

And while in Paris she may be swapping pasta for a baguette, Johnson is excited to see what 2024’s Team USA has in store.

“All the big ones, obviously,” she said when asked what events she’s specifically looking forward to. “Basketball, swimming, track & field, but then also equestrian, taekwondo, table tennis, jousting, all of them!”