Traveling with Toddlers is tough. First of all, if you’re traveling with babies under a year, read this post! If your babies have gotten older and you’ve got toddlers on your hands like me, here are some things that have helped me every trip:

  • Do laundry ahead of time. Packing is SO stressful if you’re trying to laundry at the same time! Catch up on all of your laundry (as much as you can) in the few days before you need to pack.
  • Pack for yourself and your kids on separate days. This one sounds silly, but it helps me so much! My brain feels like it’s going to explode if I try to pack for everyone at once, but if I do it on different days I feel so much better.
  • Make lists of what you need in your phone before you start packing, and keep adding to it every time you think of something you’ll need.
  • Have some tricks up your sleeve. This is an obvious one, but save something for the plane or car ride, like a small new toy, book, activity, or snack you know they’ll love. We use these tablets shamelessly when we travel, and always make sure to download a few new shows/games on them before a trip.

Be as Healthy as possible! Traveling during winter is so risky health-wise, especially when you’re heading to different altitudes/colder climates. Just thinking about the re-circulated air on planes KILLS me. If you have time and live near one, I highly recommend a trip to something like The Hydration Room (I talk about it more in this post)! I also stock up on elderberry gummies, Amazing Grass Immunity, and these Wellness Formula tablets (don’t get the capsules, you’ll burp the the WORST taste, trust me!!) My friend swears by this spray – she sprays it in her kids’ mouths everyday and they never get sick! We are trying it this season for the girls.

Pretend like you’re a minimalist. Seriously, pack only what you need. If you’re headed to cold weather, just make sure you have your warm coat and boots and the rest will work itself out ;). Another thing that helps me not overpack is to plan specific outfits ahead of time. Lay them all out BEFORE you start putting them in your suitcase. Also, buying a few new things always makes me pack less because I’m excited to wear/pack them and don’t feel like I need as much!

Get the right gear. It really is worth investing in luggage/travel gear that is quality and convenient. It will change your whole experience, especially if you’re dealing with airports! I truly do love my Away bags, but I can get on board with any hard suitcase. I also love Calpak (they have the cutest designs), and packing cubes are always a good idea for staying organized on trips! Blake loves his luggage set from Herschel as well. My hands down favorite carry-all bags, weekenders, and diaper bag are by MZ Wallace. I always travel with 1-2 MZ Wallace bags!! I also love these car seat bags (on sale and free Prime shipping!), and we use these red gate check bags as well. The BEST new addition to our travel gear is the Bugaboo Ant. You GUYS – it fold ups smaller than my carry-on! Which means it fits in the overhead bin. We’ve had two strollers broken after gate-checking them, so I’m so happy to have a way now to keep the stroller with us and safe!!

Plan for Gift Space. Plan ahead so that you can ship other gifts to your destination. To bring gifts home, you can gift yourself (or someone in your family) and extra bag or suitcase while you’re there! Another thing I’ve done in the past is pack a suitcase full of presents for other people and the plane to use it for the gifts that we receive on the way home!

Happy travels!

xx

Jen