These tips should help you find ways to travel light with kids – something which can sometimes seem like an impossible task!
There are lots of reasons you might want to travel light with your kids. It could be to avoid additional baggage charges, limit the risk of hold luggage going missing or even just to be able to make a speedy exit from the airport.
It could be because you’re going travelling and will need to carry everything with you or because you have limited space in your car or van for a road trip.
Whatever your reasons for wanting to travel light with kids, it does get easier the older they get. We definitely breathed a sigh of relief when we no longer needed to take sterilizer, bouncer and travel cot on every trip!
How To Travel Light With Kids
1. Limit Their Toys
As soon as you ask your children which toys are their favourite, they often start professing their love for every single one, even ones that haven’t played with in ages. Allow them to choose one or two genuine favourite toys and then limit anything else to the absolute minimum.
Colouring stuff can be ideal for keeping kids entertained in is fairly lightweight and easy to pack. Tablets are also ideal for keeping children entertained during long flights or busy waiting times. Just don’t forget to pack the chargers!
Things like footballs or racquets could be bought on arrival and then given away before travelling home. Don’t forget to pack any essential comforters, especially those that help with getting your children to sleep.
2. Buy Essentials On Arrival
Lots of bulky items can often be bought on your arrivals, such as nappies, toiletries and even beach towels. While this may add some expense, it’s worth working out whether another suitcase would be better moneywise or if the idea of skipping the luggage line and get straight on with your holiday outweighs that cost.
You could also your children choose a small book or toy on arrival. They’ll enjoy the novelty and it will likely get more play than a toy from home would have as it’ll be shiny and new.
3. Choose The Right Suitcase
Choosing the right suitcase is essential for ensuring you can pack in as much as possible without going over the luggage limit. Check you know your airline’s limits before leaving home if you’re taking a flight and not taking any hold luggage as it can vary slightly.
Usually, lightweight suitcases with a hard case work best. Pack shoes at the bottom of the case to avoid it toppling over due to uneven weight distribution.
4.Travel Light With Kids: Choose The Right Clothes
Keep your children’s wardrobe simple. Pack lots of items that can be worn together and avoid smart clothes unless they are really needed. Dark colours show up less dirt and one spare pair of shoes is usually enough. Avoid taking novelty or dressing up items as these likely won’t get worn.
Get them to wear any bulkier items such as jumpers or coats on the flight so they don’t need to in the suitcases.
5. Accept You *Might* Have To Do Laundry
While no one wants to spend any part of a holiday or trip doing laundry or washing clothes if you’re travelling light you might just have to accept this could be a possibility, especially if you’re unfortunate enough to end up with a tummy bug situation.
Before you travel, take a look to see whether your accommodation has a launderette/laundry area that you can use if you need to. This might give you peace of mind when packing, knowing you can easily get clothe washed and dried if you need to.
Is there anything you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments!
