I’ve travelled to over 100 countries and visiting that many places involves a lot of packing and unpacking and packing again.

I wish I could say that I have packing down to a fine art by now but no… it’s like a constantly evolving problem. Stuff + Bag = Too Much Weight!

When I was a  solo female traveller, my packing tactics were a lot different to the family travel packing essentials I now carry.

The next step on my packing journey was the baby stage. When H and Zizi were babies, I carried a loads of baby-friendly items like baby monitors (which enabled a few night-time hot tubs in Iceland!). I also carried a few bizarre items like a wind-up radio just for the static white noise which helped to settle baby H.

But now my family travel packing essentials have stabilised and here are the 10 family travel packing essentials that I can’t travel without. Best of all, many of them are standard household items that you’ll already have in your cupboard so no need for any big expenses– these are grouped under my last family travel packing essentials item.

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Family travel packing essential #1:  Puddle Jumper

Like all parents, Rhino and I like to relax as much as possible on holiday.  However, with little children, it’s hard to relax around the swimming pool. Well, it was until we invested in a puddle jumper. This is Rhino’s favourite family travel packing essential as it’s created some of his favourite travel memories. Rhino and H often reminisce about swimming together through bat caves (cenotes) in Mexico or other exotic swim locations. The puddle jumper has given both H and Zizi confidence around water so that they love going to the swimming pool or beach or lagoon or cenote, etc….

The absolute best thing about the puddle jumper is that it’s certified as a life-vest which means that they should be safe from drowning when wearing it.  We always keep an eye on the kids but it does mean we can relax a little.

Family travel packing essential #2:  Blackout Material

Nobody wants the kids to wake up as soon as the sun rises on holiday.  Especially if you’re visiting Iceland in summer (03:30am sunrise) which is when we decided to buy blackout material. Although purchased for this single trip, we always pack it because you never know how flimsy the curtains will be in your holiday accommodation.  It is also extremely handy when encouraging afternoon siestas. Thin and lightweight to pack, I slot it into the sleeve pocket of our suitcase so it doesn’t even take up any packing space.  Just remember to use tape that doesn’t mark where you are hanging the blackout material.

Family travel packing essential #3:  Packing Cubes

After a few holidays, I was tearing my hair out trying to find everyone’s everyday items. Looking for H and Zizi’s socks as well as my own (and sometimes Rhino’s too!), or locating other travel essentials like a Swiss Army Knife was driving me crazy! Until I discovered packing cubes, that is. These simple packing support items allow me to separate things like underwear, Lego and other toys, medicine, so that I always know where they are. Every time I pack for the family I use these packing cubes as they save so much time when you’re on holiday.

Family travel packing essential #4:  Mosquito Bands

The best thing about these mosquito bands is that H and Zizi get really excited about putting them on. They clamber over each other to choose their favourite colours which is ideal when you’re trying to protect them from mosquitos. At night-time, we often pair the mosquito bands with glowsticks which can wrap around their wrists or be extended to make necklaces.  The kids love this glow-in-the-dark fashion and it means we can always see them, even when walking along dark beaches. Both the mosquito bands and the glowsticks make the kids look pretty cool too!

*If you’re visiting a malarial area always use a good quality DEET insect repellent as well as the bracelets.*

Family travel packing essential #5:  Frisbee

This one may sound a bit crazy as a family travel packing essential but bear with me… Items that are multi-purpose are inherently more valuable when packing.  I pack a Frisbee first and foremost as a toy.  It doesn’t take up much space and the kids enjoy throwing it around. The genius of packing a Frisbee is that you can turn it upside-down and you have a kid’s plate. Or even a bowl if you get one with an upturned rim. The toy becomes multi-purpose as crockery if there are no facilities on a picnic or where the available plates are too dirty, like a few too many apartments that we’ve had the misfortune to book!

Family travel packing essential #6:  Lego

I’ve written a separate blog on why I think Lego is the ultimate travel toy. In a nutshell, it’s a creative, multi-purpose, educational toy that can be easily packed in your suitcase.  Packed how?  In one of the packing cubes I described above of course!

Both H and Zizi love Lego and I find it settles them down when we get to an unfamiliar place.  Wherever in the world, we may be, if their small Lego sack is tipped out then they get comfortable and start playing.

Family travel packing essential #7:  Lightweight Sling

The baby/toddler sling that I used day-to-day was amazing but took up too much space when packing. I found I really needed one that could fit snugly into our small day rucksack, whilst allowing space for other essentials like snacks, water, nappies, toys, etc.

So I decided to invest in this Boba Air lightweight sling which packs up into a tiny space.  It’s always in the bottom of our day rucksack in case we decide we need it.

TOP FAMILY TRAVEL TRIP: We love visiting historical sites when we travel and the Boba Air has allowed us to clamber around dozens of ancient sites without having to worry a toddler falling down rocks or trying to push a stroller over uneven terrain. If you haven’t already, check out our post on Ancient Ruins with Toddlers: An Awesome Day Out! Really?

Family travel packing essential #8:  Yoga Mat

As I mentioned earlier, multi-purpose items are ideal as family travel packing essentials. My travel yoga mat doubles as a beach mat and a camping mat. Its main purpose is for my early morning exercise which H and Zizi are normally happy to join in with. It also can make a great play mat when the ground is a little hard or dirty.

The downside of a yoga mat is its size but I’ve often clipped it to the outside of a rucksack and taken it with hand luggage so that it doesn’t take up any valuable suitcase space.

Family travel packing essential #9:  Trunki

I’ve got mixed feelings about the Trunki but included it due to its add-ons. The idea of the Trunki itself is that it’s a kid’s suitcase which they will enjoy pulling at airports or being pulled along on. Whilst it has been useful on occasions, it also has downsides which it’s only fair to mention here. There isn’t much space to pack inside the Trunki and the odd shape makes it awkward for larger items. H and Zizi have enjoyed using it sometimes in airports. But at other times it makes an extra clunky bag to carry or simply just a hindrance when they are making slow progress in pulling it or because they are playing too much instead of walking.

However, the Trunki brand does have one or two excellent add-on items. We own this waterproof frog bag which both H and Zizi love wearing. H uses it to carry his toys for the journey and he can’t wait to open it when we get on an aeroplane. When we’re overloaded on a day out, one of the kids can carry a few light items for us that we can’t fit into our bags – beach toys like a bucket and spade, usually. It’s also waterproof which makes it brilliant for carrying wet beach clothes or on more adventurous days like taking a speedboat where it’s likely that things will get wet.

Lastly, we’ve seen these Trunki fold-up car booster seats which look really useful and compact. Whilst we don’t own one yet we can see the value as car seats are very bulky to carry around.

We’ve done umpteen trips lugging 1 or 2 car seats around; it’s even more painful trying to hire car seats and have been let down by a couple of car rental firms. So, I can see the value in this foldable booster seat and it’s an item that I might buy when the kids get a bit older.

Check out our post on Hiring Cars with Toddlers for more information and advice: Ditching Backpacks for Hire Cars: On the Road with Toddlers

Family travel packing essential #10:  Household Items

My packing cubes are stuffed with a few regular household items that I believe are family travel packing essentials. Here are the household items that I always pack:

Travel Wash – H and Zizi are really, really messy! Whether it’s getting caked in mud or dripping chocolate ice cream down their clean clothes, stains always occur! I always plan on doing some washing on holiday so that clothes don’t come back ruined and this travel wash is effective when I don’t have access to a washing machine. It comes in a small tube and is really good at getting stains out with a bit of scrubbing after a soak in the travel wash. Similarly, I always pack a travel sized bottle of washing-up liquid for when apartments don’t supply the basic essentials.

Pegless Washing Line – For hanging the laundry up, obviously! What else?? This pegless version is great as I don’t have to worry about carrying pegs too.  Although pegs can be useful…

When the children were younger, I used to carry pegs and a small ball of string as a makeshift washing line.  And the pegs were often used to pin a shawl to our buggy/stroller to create some calm and dark at naptime.  Plus the shawl was actually a sarong which I also used as a beach mat.  I think you’re getting the multi-purpose thing now…

Sandwich Bags – Finally, perhaps the ultimate multi-purpose item! I always pack a number of these family travel packing essentials.  What for? Firstly, on wet days these can waterproof your phone/camera/wallet. Secondly, they make great snack packs, for cut-up fruit or biscuits as well as sandwiches.  I’ve also used them as makeshift nappy waste bags and they could also be used, if necessary, as a vomit bag if your child is travel sick. The best thing about this family travel packing essential? The sandwich bags take up no room or weight in your packing!

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Welcome to World for a Girl!

Welcome to the World for a Girl community! Please share your own ideas for family travel packing essentials. What do you find really useful? What can’t you travel without? I’d love to hear about your family travel packing essentials so feel free to add some comments below.