Tips for Organized Travel with Kids : The Carry-on

Source: Mercer & Green / Photo by Mia McDonald

We have shared our tips for organized travels with kids in the past and now we are sharing our tips for organizing your kid’s carry-on bag. Once they are old enough, you can task them with the “heavy lifting” and make sure it is not just beanie babies and lollipops that make it in the backpack. 

Happy Organized Travels! 

Carry-on for Kids

Once you little traveler is old enough to bring their own bag, work with them to pack their own carry-on that is full of tricks to make the whole experience go much smoother. 

• Pack a full change of clothes, a swimsuit, sunhat and sunscreen just in case your luggage is lost and you still want to hit the beach before it arrives. 

• Outside of the toys that you know will be a hit on the plane, try packing a few new surprises to keep your child entertained. We really love magnetic games like the ones from The Purple Cow (so pieces can’t be lost) and new marker sets and pads of papers so you have supplies for the duration of the trip. 

• We all know that snacks are key to keeping children entertained but outside of the normal healthy items you typically give them, try having a few “forbidden” items in case you need reinforcements. 

• As an alternate to iPads and other screen devices, we pack headphones and audible books on CDs for older children to help keep them entertained during the flight or even on the beach if they are tired of playing in the sand.

Carry-on for Baby + Me

Here are a few tips if you are sharing a carry-on with your littlest one. 

• Along with all of the baby essentials – wipes, blankets, bottles, diapers, etc., pack an extra change of clothes, a pair of leggings in case of a cold plane, sanitizing wipes for the arm rests and tray table as well as some Infant/Children’s Tylenol. You don’t want to get stuck without medication should a fever come up suddenly. 

• For mom, bring an extra top in case of a spill, a swimsuit and cover-up so you can hit the beach immediately, clothing for a day should your luggage yet lost, any important electronic chargers and extra batteries for any devices you are carrying that may need them. 

For more travel advice when traveling with kids, check out our other post here and read our tips for Sara of Mercer & Green here.

Tips for Organized Travel with Kids

Source: Mercer & Green / Photo by Mia McDonald

With little kids, you take trips, not vacations.  And, yes, while traveling with kids can be challenging, there are lots of memories to be made and laughs to be had so don’t let the work scare you.  Preparation is key and, with our tips honed through years of traveling and helping our clients travel with their own families, your next trip will be a breeze – or at least a little easier. We can’t guarantee fewer meltdowns but hopefully we can help make the harried a little more relaxing. 

• Sign, Sealed, Delivered: If you are traveling with small children to a hotel or place that can accept packages in advance, we recommend drop-shipping through Amazon or similar sites all the essentials such as diapers, wipes, formula, etc. This way you only have to carry the essentials on the plane. 

• Love it & Share it: No need to pack your beach toys, send toys and pails ahead of time to the hotel to use while we are there and then “gift” them to another family when you leave the hotel.  

• Lighten the Load: Make things easier on yourself by checking to see what items can be rented - you can often find items like cribs, sun umbrellas and jogging strollers. However, we typically recommend bringing your own crib sheets and other essential accessories to make sure that your days and nights go smoothly. 

• Map it Out: Make your holiday days easier by mapping out a rough daily schedule for each day of vacation so you can make sure that you are bringing enough of the right clothes.  Once the schedule has been mapped out, set aside daily outfits for each child and pack them together to make getting dressed each day a little easier. And, depending on whether or not you have laundry access, pack a few extra outfits - cause you never know what may happen!

• Pack it Up: Save space and keep things organized by using packing cubes or even rolling outfits together. We find these packing cubes from CALPAK excite the littlest of travelers and keep their daily outfits all in one place so you can grab and go. 

• Make it Last: Take advantage of extra beach time on your last day by bringing an extra-large ziplock bag in your bag or a Reusable Wet Bag to pack wet swimsuits for the plane ride home. Baby Powder is also a quick fix for removing sand from sticky fingers during your quick change on your back way home. 

Happy Organized Travels! 

For more travel advice when traveling with kids, read our tips for Sara of Mercer & Green here.

Source: Mercer & Green / Photo by Mia McDonald

What to Buy: For Organized Travel

Clockwise Top Center: Leatherology | Cuyana (set) | West Elm | Calpak | Paravel (middle) | Truffle | Paravel | Eagle Creek | Pottery Barn | Mark & Graham | Cuyana

Spring Break is right around the corner and, while we are all excited about the prospect of escaping winter in the city for a little bit, one thing that stands in our way - packing. Whether you are packing for the family or just packing for yourself, it’s not the most fun but we have found a few tools and products that will make it a more organized process and perhaps a little more fun.

CATEGORY: Toiletries

Everyone has the drill down of containing liquids in a quart size bag, but for the rest of our toiletries, it is nice to house them in something that is aesthetically a bit more pleasing. Hanging travel bags are a great option as you never know how much counter-top space is going to be available in hotels. The Leatherology Hanging Travel Bag or West Elm Hanging Toiletry Kit offer a hanging option. The Cuyana Travel Case Set provides ample space for all of your travel needs and has a lovely smaller version for your purse. 

CATEGORY: Makeup

We all carry it and can agree it is probably the most important thing to contain. Everyone has experienced that broken eye shadow that conveniently coats all loose items in your purse. Truffle and Paravel have zipper cases that include transparency into the pouch so you can quickly grab what is needed. The Calpak Hardshell Vanity Suitcase is helpful because you never have to worry about your makeup being damaged with the hard casing. 

CATEGORY: Packing Cubes

Our favorite go-to item for organization when it comes time to get the suitcase out. Most packing cubes have a compression feature and excess air can be eliminated. You will actually have room to pack more. They also prevent overpacking. By assigning each cube a category such as one for clothing, one for sleepwear, etc. you cannot add more than what fits in the cube. We love the ones from Paravel and they even make a set just for shoes. They just launched a line of negative nylon that are 100% made from plastic water bottles. Eagle Creek makes fantastic ones because they compress to eliminate excess air and are water repellent. There are several advantages to cube packing.

CATEGORY: Jewelry

Packing jewelry can be hard. There are so many small bits and pieces. We find it best to invest in a case that has separate components for all the different parts. Find a case that has hole cut outs is great to keep earrings intact. We like the Jewelry Binder from Pottery Barn for shorter trips where you only need a few options. The other challenge is keeping long necklaces from tangling, this Mark & Graham case has individual snap and pouches to keep them separated. If you are partial to large chunky pieces such as bangles, the Cuyana Jewelry Case has ample room for all your favorites. 

Happy Organized Travels! 

Check out our other what to buy posts here, here and here.