Preparing for Travel with Young Children

We are headed to South Carolina in a month and I am so excited and ready to have a break from the cold weather! I have begun my pre-trip preparations. Before having children packing for a trip was me at the last second throwing a bunch of stuff in a suitcase. I tried this technique once on our first trip with Anika when she was a year old and quickly discovered this style was no longer going to work for us. We were overpacked with stuff we didn’t need, under packed with stuff we did and all around unprepared and unorganized. I’m a few more trips and additional child in, and I can confidently say I’ve mastered this trip preparation with young children thing. Here’s my strategy.

Create a packing list

About a month before we go I start making a packing list using the notes app on my phone. I divide it up with the categories Nikki, Anika, Jake, Toiletries, Misc, and Airplane. Jamie packs his own stuff, it’s better for everyone. Creating a list in advance helps me to remember everything. The reason I start this list early is over the month I will gradually remember more items I’d like to pack. It also gives me time to purchase anything that we will need that we might not have on hand at our house (for example disinfecting wipes for the plane) This helps me to intentionally pack and avoid overpacking. If I’ve had a month to think about what we are bringing I am much less likely to start throwing random things we won’t need into a suitcase.

Create a meal plan

I also create a note on my phone with meal ideas. When on vacation we typically only eat out dinner. It saves money we can use on other things and we just don’t enjoy eating three meals out a day with young children. We have breakfast in the room, pack our own snacks and have picnic lunches (I bring a foldable cooler and we use hotel ice). We then eat one meal out a day, but even this could turn into take out pizza in the hotel room if needed.

Before we leave for the trip I’ll create a meal plan with a couple ideas for each category, based on the appliances we will have in our hotel room. Usually it’s just a refrigerator, occasionally we will get a microwave too. Then I will create a grocery list to go along with it. The first thing we do after leaving the airport is stop at a local grocery store and buy what we will need for the week. When our kids were in diapers we would also buy those and wipes. This way they didn’t take up space or weight in our luggage.

Create a plan for the plane

I also create a plan for plane entertainment for our children. Any sort of rules we have about screen time goes out the window when we travel. This trip the kids will have unlimited use of their new tablets with headphones. I do try to hold off on pulling them out as long as possible. After screen time my kids tend to have loads of excess energy to burn. It’s preferable for everyone if the tablets are the last thing they do on a trip.

I will pack a couple of activities for the kids to do first. It is always something new so it’s exciting and holds their interest. How much I bring depends on the length of the flight. This time my plan is for each child to have; a sticker book, book to read to them, new figurines, and their tablet. I will pack these things in their own little back packs they will carry. I also plan to bring a few of the supplies from the Busy Toddlers Easy Airplane Activities list. I’ll prep some of the activities for the kids (crayons, construction paper, dot stickers, tape, matchbox cars). Of course there will also be lots of yummy snacks too, including a lollipop. That will all go in my backpack.

Start packing early

A couple of days before the trip I will start making piles in our bedroom of the clothing we will be packing. It helps me to see it all out. I can make sure there will be outfits that can be made, and further edit what we really need. Our strategy at this season in our life is to bring one large suitcase for the family that we check. Then we each have a back pack we use as a carry on. This helps reduce the cost of checked bags and makes traveling so much easier. With young kids, car seats and a stroller to lug through the airport, the last thing I want is additional baggage.

A morning of list

The day before I will pack everything except the things we need the morning before we leave. For those things I make a “morning of list on a post it. I make sure to go through it before we leave the house, so I don’t forget anything.

Depending on what time the flight is we will wake up and usually just get ready to go. Most things are already packed but I’ll look at my “morning of list” and add the last few things I have left. At that point we are good to go and enjoy our vacation without forgetting anything or overpacking stuff that will weigh us down. I’ve found taking a little extra time before our trip to do these few above tasks sets us up for such a more enjoyable travel experience.