Tips for making travelling with or without children as easy as possible

[gingercatpat]

Inspired by a thread about what people take to the beach. So whether it be flights, hotels, car journeys, theme parks etc. What are the essential must haves and little hacks? And this can be travelling solo, or with several children etc.

Without is definitely easier

Don’t take children is my tip.

to pp - my hack is minstrels are a great chocolate snack that don't melt!

Pack what you think you need then take at least a third of it out again. Everything is easier with less luggage. When flying only take on board a bag that easily goes under the seat in front, that only has stuff you need on the flight and valuables. It’s less stressful to wait for your bag to come through on the carousel than to search for space in the overhead bins. Also much less hassle after you check in than dragging a wheely case around.
Make sure everyone has at least one outfit in someone else’s bag, so if a bag goes missing they have a change of clothes. Bags hardly ever go missing, especially on direct flights.
For long haul always sit on the aisle, you can’t get trapped there if you need the loo. Take your own headphones, and an eye mask on a night flight. On a night flight accept that everyone will recline their seats when the lights go down, even if you don’t want to, it’s not worth getting annoyed about.

I think halve your luggage and double your spending money is always a good rule of thumb.

With toddlers... a sling/carrier. Saves your arms.

A genius idea from a woman I saw at the airport who was travelling by herself with 3 small children. All of them, including the mother, were wearing identical very bright noticeable t-shirts - if any of the children had wandered off, it would have been very obvious who they belonged to.

Baby wipes and a couple of plastic bags (regardless of age of child or even no child!)
Pack of cards
Flannel, spare pants and a hairbrush in hand luggage ( agree with the potential lost luggage issue)
Some sort of ribbon or bright tag on suitcase so can spot it easily at carousel
When our kids were little, trunkies were useful
Think about timing of flights. You do not want to be shuffling along in a 2 hour immigration queue at midnight with a child that needs to be asleep on you but is just that bit too big and heavy.

I always book early morning flights to maximise our time away so a hotel in the terminal the night before is essential. Then have your clothes and toiletries for the next day in hand luggage so you don’t need to open your big suitcase.

Appreciate this may not work well with children!

Oh and for any toiletries that will need replacing soonish but still have a few more uses, I buy a new one to save for when I get home and take the running out one away with me. That way I can throw it away at the end of the holiday and have more suitcase weight left for holiday purchases.

Another tip, if you don’t want to pay for hold luggage but want full size toiletries is to order them for collection from Boots in the terminal after security.

I mostly travel by train and agree, less is more. I usually go for a few days at a time and make a point of taking bags that can stay with me, never a suitcase. My clothes and things go in a duffel at my feet in the seat. (Pakt one, if you like to know) and then a handbag with work things and stuff I’ll use on the travel.

Always wear something with pockets, so i can pop my phone and train tickets in and have easy access.

Keep a carrier bag in my handbag in case i need to put rubbish away with any spills and there’s no bins.

Cash for taxis and if food trolley card machine isnt working.

Plan wardrobe carefully. To keep things minimal i try to bring one pair of shoes that covers everything and I can wear to travel (usually a work type flat that matches any evening outfits). I try to keep my outfits to one piece items like jumpsuits or dresses that don’t crease badly. Or really plain trousers that I wear at least twice so I can only pack tops.

If anything does crease, i tend to run the shower and get the bathroom steamy straight away and hang clothes in there so that theres no last minute panics during the trip.

Winter travel - i don’t over layer. If im walking from station to hotel etc I get hot. I pack a scarf and gloves/hat in my luggage but dont wear a big thick coat. I always get hot on the train or when rushing around and sometimes dont have the space or hand free to carry it!

Plenty of drinks/snacks for dcs. Game consoles. Travel bands/patches. Rucksack

@Chemenger
Mine would be the opposite advice! With young children pack way more than you think you’ll need for all weathers in the U.K. and preferably drive. Always pack 2 pairs of trainers for kids.

A genius hack for air travel (can we remember that?!) with a family I stole off MN a few years ago is put a strip of washi tape on the back and front cover of each passport then write each holders first name on both pieces of tape. No more faffing at the departure gate matching each to correct boarding pass. And it's easy to remove if needed

Meant to say, write using a sharpie so it's nice and clear

The t shirt ideal is excellent Borka

If travelling alone with children... always send them through barriers first and train them to stop the other side. Its a lit easier to sort problems that way.

And make sure they know their proper names... they may be asked at passport control.

Most of this is rural/camping based, but the principles extend to less basic trips and accommodation:

Rule Number One: If you can't carry it on your back - and be able to sit down and take off/put back on your pack without being pulled over like a stranded beetle - you've packed too much.

Douglas Adams was right - you should always know where your towel is. Wrapped in a waterproof bag and secured on top of your stuff, underneath the top flap.

Separate pouches inside the pack are great - if you have different colours, it's really easy to pull out the one you need, rather than having black which you can't find easily in the depths of a pack, especially when it's dark. Include one for dirty clothes, so you don't have to smell your own socks all week sort through what you've got that's clean.

Split out an emergency 'It's cold/pissing down/the tent's blown away' pouch which contains a woolly hat or buff, pair of socks, some big knickers, preferably the shorts type, lightweight longsleeved base layer, sports leggings and cheapie pac-a-mac, along with a foil blanket, some 3x5 inch dressings (perfect for grazed knees, covering heels properly, hot spots on your sole or side of the foot) and a couple of high energy snack bars. Equally useful if you find yourself stranded somewhere unexpected due to transport issues and you need a pyjama alternative as it is for tent related troubles.

If you've looped the laces together and attached a pair of boots to the mid point of your pack with a carabina, shove a pair of socks in each one in plastic bags, as this means you a) have another two pairs of socks and b) if it rains, the inside of the boots stay dry.

Summer weight buffs are cheap as anything, pack down to absolutely nothing even if you don't have them on your wrists and have multiple uses,, including head coverings for hot or cold, bags, neck coverings, arm coverings, sweat bands, bandages, slings, flannels, bag handles and hand warmers.

Much can be done in an emergency with gaffer tape and a couple of bin bags.

Pack sun block, shower gel and more sunblock (you really can't have too much) on the side pockets so they're always easy to access and if they get crushed, it's only the outside of the bag that is potentially covered with factor 50, not all your clothes.

There is often a small internal pocket on top of the usual ones - put a spare house key in there. The very top pocket on the pack needs paracetamol, tick grabber if you're going somewhere grassy (including parks), head torch, couple of dressings, saline wipes, a buff and is a good place for tinted lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrush, handful of hair bands and a mini bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner.

Just in case it all gets too shit and you decamp to a hotel, have a lightweight jersey fabric dress at the bottom so you can have a shower and change into something comfortable.

Pack lightly
No point in struggling with huge, over weight luggage