Traveling, especially traveling with kids can require A LOT of gadgetry. This can add a lot of weight and complication to packing, and NO ONE wants packing to be a complicated ordeal. We have learned to travel SUPER light. I'm talking "I don't want to pay Ryan Air extra money for my carry-on so I'm going to be super anal and only bring a backpack" type of light. Let me show you how we do it.
*Cue the music "This Is How We Do It"*
Mom- It's all about the clamshell backpack. For real though. I can pack for a week long trip in this backpack.
Ok, ok... it takes a little ingenuity to make it fit, but hear me out. I pack a few bottoms and several tops, and voila! I don't know why, but a clamshell backpack works so much better than a normal backpack. It opens like a suitcase which makes things much more easy to find.
My favorite clamshell backpack is this Cotopaxi bag. The 28L fits underneath the seats in an airplane so you can take it on as a "personal item" and not pay for any baggage fees. I have heard the 35L also is great and has a bit more space. The 35L one won't fit underneath the seat, but still fits in the overhead bins and is still comfortable to wear as a backpack.
Dad- Having a reliable international power converter is key to lots of traveling. We've been through a lot of adapters and converters... and we've melted a lot of them. Oops. Burning plastic is the worst smell, right? BUT we have found one that we love and won't be able to ever go without.
This beauty is a voltage converter & international travel adapter/power Strip. Why I like it? It can plug in all of our gear at once because of all the USB ports. We can plug in laptops, camera batteries, phones and watches all in one spot. Genius. Linked here on Amazon.
Kid- Children can have so much gear right? It can be daunting. Let me share a few things that have made our travel life with a kid SO much easier.
Carseat Bag- This bag. Game changer. No more lugging around an awkwardly shaped carseat. Just put it in this bag and throw it on like a backpack.
I don't know how we lived without this. We all could use a few extra hands and this bag frees up your hands to hold luggage OR more little hands to help them navigate the airport. We have one similar to this one here.
Also, you don't have to carry this around your whole trip as most airlines will check strollers and carseats for free at the desk before you get back to your gate.
Portable Booster Seat- If you have an older kiddo, having a portable or foldable booster seat can make a huge difference. We have been using the "Mi-Fold Booster Seat" for the past few months and love it. It is so small and light.
We can fit it into a backpack or any type of luggage with ease. It makes grabbing a rental car or a zip car so much easier when we don't have to bring a huge booster seat with us.
The only con is that the seat is very flat, so it is hard for kids to see out the window with this booster seat.
Tablet- I'm sure we could contest with which tables are best for kids to travel with... but we had an old iPod... I'm talking 2010 old iPod, barely worked, took twenty minutes to load anything and now have the Amazon kids tablet. Naturally because our iPod was so terrible, we love the Amazon tablet because it is a huge upgrade from what the kiddo WAS using. Whatever tablet you decide on, just make sure you have one. A tablet is a life saver for those long travel days. Load it up with all your favorite shows and games and they are good for hours.
You can find the Amazon tablet here and if it isn't on sale, just wait a minute because it will be soon!
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