Travel Packing Tips for Families

The most difficult part of a family vacation may well be packing. To prepare for the year long travels we started in July 2018, we had to do a lot of it. Since then we’ve ditched old stuff and gotten new things. Through it all we have learned a thing or 2 about packing.  Here are our best packing tips for families.  

 

Stick with carry on

Yes, it’s hard to pack everything into a couple small bags. But it is definitely possible. For our trip we each have carry on luggage. My sister Elsa and I have small suitcases and our parents have large backpacks. Their backpacks haven’t made the carry on cut every flight, but we still love them.

Why use carry on?

• Your bag is less likely to get lost, it will be right above you in the overhead compartment the whole plane ride!
• Less stress packing and more fun on vacation
• After your flight you won’t need to wait for baggage claim
• No extra fees for checked baggage

Click here to shop our carry on suitcases and here to shop the carry on backpacks!

You’ll also each want a small backpack to store in flight entertainment and for day trips.

Some tips for packing light and fitting everything into a carry on:

• Take kindles rather than books
• Roll clothes
• Think ahead. What clothes and shoes are needed for the activities you will be doing?
• Shove spare things like charging cables into shoes to save space

If you plan to use carry on luggage, be sure to check your airlines requirements for not only size, but also weight.

 

Use packing cubes

We love our packing cubes. They are a huge help when it comes to organizing our clothes and saving space in our suitcases.

Click here to buy them for yourself!

 

Cross pack- in case bags get stolen or delayed

It’s always good to be prepared. If you are not using carry on bags,  your bags might get delayed. And what happens if your luggage gets stolen? Pack an extra outfit for each person in someone else’s bag. If not that, pack a change of clothes in your personal carry on.

 

Download apps for kids that don’t need WiFi

It’s important to pack other entertainment like notebooks. A deck of cards can also go a long way in keeping kids busy. We also find our kindles and electronics useful. Kindles are great for downloading books and games to entertain us on long flights.

Educational games for kids:

• Math Ninja: super simple app to learn multiplication facts. Keep in mind you will have to pay to get past x5
• Free Rice: the best math game for kids. Every multiplication fact you get right, a grain of rice is donated to the needy around the world!
• Quick Brain: fun and engaging math game for kids. You can even do competitions against other people.
• Prodigy: a great app that makes learning so fun. Choose your avatar, fight monsters, go on missions, and learn new spells. All while practicing valuable math skills.

Other apps:

• Netflix: you’ll want to download some movies before flights
• Pocketcast: We also love to listen to podcasts. Get Pocketcast or any other podcast app and be sure to download lots of them! Out of all our family travel tips, this has to be our best. Podcasts are amazing!

Some podcast suggestions for parents:

• TED Radio Hour
• How I Built This
• Freakonomics
• Hidden Brain
• Welcome to Night Vale
• 30 for 30

Podcasts related to travel:

• Amateur Traveler
• Travelogue
• Travel Genius
• Women Who Travel
• Travel With Rick Steve’s

For kids:

• Wow in the World
• Brains On
• The Past and The Curious
• Short and Curly
• The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
• 6 minutes
• Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls
• Forever Ago
• Becoming Mother Nature

I will be posting an article all about podcasts sometime soon describing all of the above and more! So stay tuned.

 

Pack dry snacks for the plane ride

Sometimes the flight attendants take way too long coming down the aisle with snacks. And even then it’s not always great. Be prepared with a ziploc bag full of granola bars and nuts or any other dry snack that your kids like.

 

Don’t forget swimsuits and goggles if you are staying at a hotel with a pool

I don’t know about your family, but ours loves swimming. We stay at hotels with pools whenever we can. It gives us kids something to do while our parents are planning and a place to cool down after long days in the hot sun. Don’t forget swimsuits and goggles if you are staying at a spot with a pool.

 

Pack something for kids to to remind them of home

This especially applies for little kids and long trips. My sister likes to bring one of her favorite stuffed animals or loveys while travelling. Just be sure not to bring something that is too important, as it is always a possibility you may lose it.

 

Pack travel sized toiletries

We use these squeezable shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, and lotion bottles and fill them up as we need along the way.

 

Clothes

There are a few important factors to take into consideration when planning out what clothes you will be packing.

• Avoid cotton
• Get clothes that dry fast and pack easily
• Think about the weather
• Make sure you have a good quality rain coat
• ‘Think about outfits and make sure that each top or bottom can match with several other tops or bottoms
• Limit the amount of ‘extras’ you bring
• Learn about what is culturally appropriate in the place you are visiting. You may need clothing that covers shoulders and knees. We often use a sarong to enter temples if we don’t have long pants.
• If you are traveling long term, keep in mind that you’ll need to replace things along the way. Sometimes getting clothes along the way will result in knock off quality. We’ve seen so many Superme (Supreme) and A1 Star (All Star) branded clothes and shoes in markets and stores all over the world.

 

Check to see if laundry will be available and pack accordingly

The number of tops and bottoms you pack really depends on whether you’ll have access to a laundry or not. Find out which hotels have a washer (or even better- a dryer!) beforehand. When there isn’t a washer, it’s also easy to wash clothes in the shower or sink. If you are vacationing for just a week or so, it’s good to plan out your outfits. You can even pack them each in a large ziploc bag. If you will be able to do laundry along the way, take fewer clothes along.

 

Take an empty bag to ship souvenirs back home

Since the start of our year long journey, we have sent a couple boxes of stuff back with visitors and friends, a couple have stayed with contacts along the way who would later ship them, and only about 1 box has actually been shipped by us. In general, we are trying to keep souvenir shopping to a minimum.  We are purchasing a key chain from each country that would serve as a Christmas ornament, and sometimes have picked up other fun souvenirs.

If you are planning for a shorter trip, you’ll definitely want to get more. Bring an empty duffel bag along with you. It won’t take up much space in your luggage at the beginning and you can easily fill it with souvenirs along the way. From there you can either ship it back or check it for the flight.

 

Packing schedule

You’ll want to start planning what you are going to take a couple weeks before the trip. If you need new hiking shoes for the overnight trek you are doing or want a new swim suit for the beach- get it! As it gets closer to the starting date, start laying out clothes and making packing lists. Get the whole family involved.

Make sure all devices are plugged in and everything is ready to go the night before. Leave some extra space in your luggage or hand bag in case of any last minute things.

 

 

Remember to wear your heaviest shoes on flight days

Actually zipping everything up in our suitcases when it’s time to move on can get tricky. That’s why our parents encourage us to wear our hiking shoes, jackets and fleece on flights. Airports and planes can also get quite chilly so it is always nice to have layers.

Packing can get frustrating, I understand. But I hope these tips can help. There are so many little extras and essentials we are glad we brought along.  That deserves a whole post of it’s own so I will try and  write that soon. Do you have any tips or tricks? Let me know in the comments. 

 

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