Here is another travel blog in the ‘How To Pack For A Holiday’ series. Are you planning a trip with your kids? Are you looking for ways to carry the best out of you have? And what are you willing to carry when you reach your destination? It is always a difficult task to travel with kids whether it be a train, automobile, or a airplane journey. I have a few tips to get your packing moving along quickly and easily.
Start packing one or two weeks before your travel date. Here’s what you have to do:
1. Make a list of everything you need to carry
If you want your trip to be a memorable and relaxed one then try thinking of what you actually need. Do not load your baggage with unwanted stuff. This will make your travel unpleasant. Do smart work and make a list of essentials so that you do not forget anything important. Make a packing list for each member of the family.
For more travel tips and hacks – Read this
2. Carry an easy access bag (with convenient zipped pockets) to reach essentials on the road
It is very important for a parent to carry an easy access bag while travelling with children. You might need anything on the way, kids might start nagging for something which might be kept in the main luggage bag. Thus it gets crucial to carry a canvas tote or a backpack that holds everything we might access easily on the go.
3. Check your baggage and weight limits in advance
Consolidate everything that truly matters into one small, light backpack (and don’t let it out of your sight). If you’re flying, don’t start packing until you know the luggage weight and dimensions you can take on the plane. Check in advance about carry-on regulations for your departure airport as well as your airlines’ baggage and weight limits. This will make your travel convenient and will ensure there is no last minute confusion.
To save more space while traveling – Read this
4. Medicines, essentials and travel documents
Make a list of stuff you absolutely can’t forget (like prescribed medication) and tape it to your front door for final checks before you leave. Documents like passports, tickets, identity proofs, birth certificates, insurance papers and a printed itinerary with hotel and transport details should be in your hand bag and easily accessible. Also keep recent photographs of your little ones just in case they wander out of your sight.
To know what is not necessary to pack – Read our next post
5. Let the child help you in entertainment section
No one knows better than a child about their favorite toys and games that they would love to travel with. Let them tell you what they want to carry with them, let them decide. But on other hand keep in mind about the space you have in the bag and the toys with which the child is actually going to play. Entertainment options can include paperback books, colored pencils and drawing sheets, coloring sticks and puzzle books, card games, etc.
6. Clothing: Use packing cubes and zip top bags
When you travel, it gets hard to find a particular outfit if the clothes are not segmented and arranged properly. We keep on digging for a dress until we find it, as a result we mash everything up. If we use packing cubes and zip top bags while traveling, children will be able to find their own clothes and get dressed up. If your kids aren’t old enough to dress themselves, you’ll be able to find their outfits easily. Put anything that might get wet or leak in a zip top bag. Example: Shorts, top, socks, underwear, headband, bracelet. You are all set.
7. Consider toiletries and pajamas to be kept on top:
Pack pajamas, clothes which are comfortable and toiletries (towels, tissue paper, toothbrush, face wash, soap, etc) at the top in the bag or we can say mark them to be packed last so that you can use them easily and keep them after use. Prefer toiletries and undergarments that are on their last leg, so that you can use them up, and dispose them while you’re on your trip. This will free some space in your suitcase for the return trip.
8. Infant supplies: snacks, water bottle, milk powder, etc
There are some very important products which are to be carried along while you travel. Snacks like cupcakes, chocolates, milk products, gums, candies, and other essentials like color pencils, color sheets, hand towels, mobile adaptors, extensions, headphones, power bank, etc. are very important.
Get your kids involved in the planning process, being a part of these things will not only help you with the task but also teach them all of this for future. We wish you a pleasant and memorable holiday with your little ones. You deserve it after all!