Tips for Packing with School-Aged Children
There is nothing I love more than traveling with my family, but the prep can sometimes be daunting as the lead up to the trip begins. My husband travels for work, and is adamant that bags should be carry on, so I’ve learned to be choosy with what comes with us. The one thing I have learned: traveling with kids presents all types of unknown pitfalls along the way, and being prepared is key. That does NOT mean bringing your whole house with you — actually much to the contrary. I plan and think ahead and only bring what we need. Here’s my game plan:
Each child has their own backpack and roller bag that will fit in the overhead. I also find this simplifies things once we arrive. Each child has a special spot with all of their items in it, and is responsible for keeping it neat within your hotel room.
Backpack essentials: Empty reusable water bottle (filled once through security), electronic device, headphones (with adaptor for fitting into airplane systems), deck of cards or drawing book, book to read, a couple simple snacks, ONE stuffed animal. Things I don’t allow … travel pillows, travel blankets, games with a lot of pieces, more than one stuffed animal. Once your child carries all of his / her belongings through an airport once, they will be on board for packing only the essentials.
Think ahead for the events they will be attending during the trip. For a three day trip for a warm weather destination, I typically pack two bathing suits, a couple pairs of shorts, socks, pajamas, a couple of dresses that can go to dinner or double as a beach cover up, a nice fleece that is great on the beach but looks good at dinner, flip flops. I’m far too frugal to pay for laundry at a hotel, so I use the sink a lot to hand wash items in a pinch (recently did this with white ski pants and hot chocolate!)
Wear the biggest pair of shoes on the plane — for a ski trip, that would be their winter boots. For a warm destination, likely their sneakers.
Call ahead or ask friends what the dress code is of the location you are attending.
Each child’s belongings goes into their own carry-on roller bag that they are responsible for wheeling through the airport. We love the ones from Herschel Supply Company. They are durable and stylish and each child can pick their favorite color and coordinating backpack.
We recently skied in Europe and while we rented skis and poles once we got there, we switched out our Herschels for ski packs from Transpack. Each child was able to carry their boots, helmets, goggles and other essentials listed above in these packs. They were lightweight, but functional and went from airplane to train easily. We also sometimes take a tennis backpack and bring our own rackets if we plan to play.
If you travel a lot, keep a separate toiletry bag with the essentials in it for grab and go … toothbrush, toothpaste, hair ties, a brush (my girls will only use a Wet brush), a Tide stick, sunscreen, specific medications and extra contacts
Keep all of your travel documents together in a secure place in your home so that the night before, you know exactly where to find passports, birth certificates and Global Entry cards, etc. Know in advance if special visas are required and always keep track of expiration dates on documents
Take stock at the end of each trip and consider what got worn, what didn’t, and what you wish you had had. You will be glad you did the next time around.
We travel a lot in the early morning, usually waking up before our normal alarm. Lay out their travel outfit (and work out any necessary negotiations!) the night before so there is no confusion as to what everyone should have on as they head out the door.
Have the time of your life!