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Travelling with kids is not without its challenges and trying to keep your luggage below the weight restrictions is one of the more difficult. Fortunately, with a few tips and tricks, it is possible to travel light with the kids, which will remove the stress of carting huge bags around. As long as you’re prepared with a checklist of the essentials according to your destination, you’ll likely be able to grab any other items when you’re there. Here are five tips for travelling light with kids.
Ensure the essentials are reachable
However much you end up packing, to avoid stress it’s important to ensure all the essentials are reachable. For example, if you’re in the airport and you need to whip out your passport to check the duration of the esta or grab a tissue for your kid’s runny nose you won’t have to spend ages searching for it. If you’re allowed two bags, keep all these types of essentials in your handbag, or hand luggage for easy access, or even your pocket if not.
Pack versatile clothes
Travelling light is all about learning how to properly pack a suitcase. This means carefully choosing versatile clothes for the whole family. What you need will depend on the weather at your destination, but light layers are pretty practical, especially those that can be mixed and matched. Avoid items that will get dirty easily that you can only wear once and be very minimal when packing shoes. If you’re travelling with kids, especially younger ones or babies there may be other essentials that are more worthy of the space than clothes or shoes. You can even do washing when you’re there.
Use refillable travel-size bottles
When travelling with kids it’s a good idea to at least carry a sun cream or have water bottles. You may also want to carry a particular brand if your kids’ skin is sensitive. It’s advisable to switch to refillable toiletries, however, and bring them in travel-sized bottles. You may get complimentary toiletries at your accommodation and will probably be able to buy them there, so it’s not worth stocking up.
Research your destination
Research your destination and find out if you do have amenities such as laundry, towels, and toiletries. Check what kind of local shops are nearby and what they sell. You’ll probably be able to buy most standard items such as sun cream and other toiletries. If you’re going camping or somewhere remote, however, you don’t want to get caught out.
Pack smart, rather than light
If you aim to use the pack smart rather than packing light approach, you will hopefully reduce your luggage automatically but won’t forget the main essentials. These will depend on the ages of your children, the type of holiday, and the destination. Here is a list of packing essentials for your baby, for example. Make a list and prioritise the items. This way you’ll be able to ensure you’re organised and remember the essentials, but hopefully won’t be tempted to overpack.
