Over the years we have built up a list of items that we love to travel with. We have two boys, 3 and 7, and there are some things out there that make all the difference when traveling with little ones. Here is our current list of recommended travel gear! Links are provided to buy directly from Amazon via our affiliate program.
Designed for children 1 year and older weighing 22 to 44 pounds and up to 40 inches tall. Once our boys fit the above requirements that bulky car seat was checked under plane along with the hassles of lugging it through the airport! This harness works great to keep them safe and still while on the flight. Flight attendants love seeing them safe with this as well!
This is a car seat must-have accessory. Not only does it have wheels, it also sports backpack straps so that your hands are free.
We pack all of the boy’s clothes in these zippered packing organizers. They do a great job at compressing clothes into a small area in the suitcase as well as keeping everything tidy when you arrive at your destination.
We anxiously waited for a CamelBak to comfortably fit the boys, as soon as it did, we filled it up and immediately got rid “I’m thirsty” during our explorations! One less thing for us to carry around for them as well. Win-win!
Depending on how your family chooses to embrace electronics (we definitely use them when on flights), headphones are very important. Picking up an inexpensive pair of ON-EAR headphone is a great idea, especially if they are designed for kids. We chose ON-EAR over the smaller earbuds to ensure that they stay put for the entire flight.
This one is for your older travelers. Our 7-year-old loves a good game of Farkle! It packs up small and is a great game for the whole family!
When our 4 wheel suitcases needed replacement, we went for these large rolling duffel bags. They have their Pros & Cons so make sure you weigh them for yourself and your needs. They are extremely lightweight allowing for more stuff before hitting the 50lb limit and stow in much smaller spaces when both empty and full HOWEVER they are not as easy to pull behind you as a 4 wheel suitcase. We can pack a family of in two of the large versions of these bags for a 7-day cruise. Also, purchase one of these handy scales to avoid overages or repacking at the airport!
Like most, we travel with a bunch of devices, luckily most can be charged over USB. This device saves on bringing a ton of wall chargers (cables still required). While traveling internationally you also only need a single adapter!
We are big-time water drinkers as well as being very conscious of overuse and disposal of plastic water bottles. These do add a little weight to your bag but do an awesome job of keeping your drinks nice and cold. Remember to empty them before hitting security and most airports now having filling stations to top them off. We found that you can also ask most restaurants to fill them as well if you don’t want to hunt down a station.
Hydro Flask Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle Wide Mouth with Straw Lid
Photography Gear
I am a big photography nut. On most trips, I carry way too much gear, but you never know when you might need that extra lens! Here are the items that come with me on our travels. For short trips, I will often just bring the Nikon D750 and the Nikon 24-70. One must have in my opinion is the Peak Design strap and capture device listed below. This allows you to mount your camera to a backpack strap to have it readily available without an extra strap or having it in your hand.
Nikon D750 FX-format Digital SLR Camera Body
Nikon D3400 w/ AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR (Black)
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED Zoom Lens
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8E ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 80-400mm f.4.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Lens
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens
YI 4K Sports and Action Video Camera
Peak Design Black Slide Camera Strap SL-2
Think Tank Airport Navigator, Photo Airport Roller Series Camera Bag
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