How many suitcases?

[postwomanbear]

We've just booked our first abroad holiday with kids. Two adults, two kids (3 and 4) for one week in Spain. We each get a 10kg hand luggage and we've paid for one 22kg case too. So 5 cases. Except we don't have 5 hands to pull bags along never mind the hands require to keep the kids from running riot through the airport. Can anyone advise a good solution? Trunkis - a gimmick or useful? We'll also be bringing a babyzen yo-yo as everyone assures me that even kids who don't usually need the buggy anymore may need a resting place on holiday. So it's both another thing to carry, or possibly somewhere to load a bag or two on (assuming backpack not suitcase).

We've both managed much longer holidays on hand luggage sized bags so there's no issue packing light, except we've never taken the kids away and for tiny people they need so much crap and teddies. Maybe the big case, 2 small pull along cases and then two rucksacks? Plus a small rucksack for the kids to each put a teddy and snack in?

How much to buy a second hold case?
I'd ditch the pushchair, if you don't use one at home, you won't need one by the summer.
2 cases in the hold. 2 rucksacs for the cabin. Plenty of free hands to juggle kids and passports and boarding cards etc.
Don't get small rucksacs for the kids. Don't get trunkis. It's all just more stuff for you to carry!

Rucksacks as carry on! For everyone!
do not underestimate the ability of young kids to go in deep sleep as the plane lands
you do not want to deal with having to carry a child and deal with a trunky - another reason why the push chair is a winner, you can use it to put bags on it

I agree with @SnowsFalling get another hold suitcase and take as little as possible as hand luggage. Less to haul around the airport before you board and less to find space for once you are on. It’s only worth maxing out hand baggage if it means you don’t have to wait for hold bags to come out. Take backpacks as hand luggage to keep your hands free.

The one suitcase should be fine if you don't need to pack nappies. 5x shorts and tshirts and a pair of crocs each for the kids, have them wear trainers, a pair of long trousers and long sleeved top and hoodie for the travelling. Same goes for you and dh - wear the "bigger" stuff. 22kg.

Then take one cabin suitcase, largest you can get away with - whoever isn't pushing the pushchair can pull that. 10kg. Additional clothes etc in here.

Then whoever is pushing the pushchair carries a backpack onto the plane. 10kg. Passports, paperwork, chargers etc in here - all the tech, so only one hand luggage needs anything taken out at security.

Then get the 3yo and 4yo a mini backpack each to wear onto the flight - teddy, book, stickers etc to keep them entertained and once through security add water bottle to each one. 10kg max each.

You can then use their little bags and the backpack day to day on holiday.

Mini backpacks for the kids just to carry what they need on the plane. (And maybe a change of clothes.)

Carry on for adults x 2 should be 1 rollie case and 1 rucksack, so that 1 person can handle both while the other manages the suitcase.

Or rucksacks for both adults if you want the pushchair. So you both have hands free.

Thanks everyone, lots of helpful advice!

If it matters, 3yo will only just have turned 3 and is still napping now so may still need a siesta by then (May so not too long away) so that was my logic for bringing the buggy as the only time we use a buggy is if he needs a sleep out and about during the day at home. Although we don't use the babyzen day to day, I actually hate it but had been hanging onto it for if we ever went on holiday.

No nappies required tho, thank goodness!

Now leaning towards forking out for another 22kg. It's £76 I think but maybe that is worth having spare hands in the airport and just having a big rucksack for each of us and a wee one for the kids each.

I would do an extra hold luggage and both adults with backpacks for hand luggage. Toddler size backpacks for the flight for both DC with a teddy, change of clothes, a snack and a small toy in.

I’d take two cabin size backpacks instead of wheeled ones for adults and then small backpack for kids - take some carabiners too so if the kids get sick of carrying there’s you can hook it on to yours somewhere.

also ask at check in / bag drop if they want any volunteers for cabin bags in the hold

if you’ve got the cabin pram then you can sometimes carry this on and place in locker if you’ve got a spare allowance of a cabin bay or if it’s not full but if not it’ll go in the hold - hence why take back packs so you hold hands with the kids especially when it’s a rush off the plane going to passport control.

I'd take the 22kg case and two 10kg cases.

You need the puschair.
take rucksacks on the flight. I would also suggest taking 2 large suitcases.

1 person can pull both suitcases and have a carry on rucksack on their back.

other person has a carry on rucksack on back and pushes 3 year in the pushchair and can easily release a hand to hold on the 4 year old is necessary. Each child gets a small rucksack. The 4 year old wears theirs and the 3 years old goes under the pushchair. If the 4 year old isn’t wearing it properly put it under the pushchair.

Backpacks all around for hand luggage, yes to a buggy (double if you have one!!) you'll be fine. We just send to take one big case a backpack each plus a double buggy until it gave way when dd1 was just turned 5

Mi e always had mini backpacks, teaches responsibility and o po packing skills

We are a family of four, we have two suitcases for the hold. DP and I have a backpack each and we find both of them are full just with cameras, tablets, mobile phones, chargers, medication, travel documents, snacks etc. DC have a Trunki each but they don't hold very much - a teddy, pencil case and colouring for the flight, water bottle and snacks for the flight and that's it full!

You can pile everything onto a luggage trolley when you arrive at the airport. You only have to take the two cases to the check in desk and then they are gone. If you don't need the pushchair at the airport you can check it in with the cases (which is what I do as DS is four and we only take it for evenings out). When you land you can get another luggage trolley to transport everything to the transfer bus. When we arrive at the hotel we check in then DP will take half the luggage and go and find the room while DC and I wait in Reception with the other half until DP returns (easier than us all wandering aimlessly in all directions looking for the room). Repeat on the way home.

2 hold suitcases and 2 backpacks. If you wanted to give your 4yo a small backpack he could take comics, snacks, a Teddy. Your 3yo might do the same but I've always ended up carying the youngest's stuff.

Don't forget Teddy can strap on to the back of a back pack if you have the right bag.

Trunkis are the work of the devil. You'd think that it'd entertain them. Our younger dc always looked sad to see other children who were skidding around on theirs but we'd learned our lesson with his brother who played on his for 5 seconds and the rest of the time dh carried it. The case itself is really uncomfortable to carry. It's amazingly impractical as it splits in half so unless you use an inner bag everything falls out when you open it. They exist to part parents from their money.

I'd try to avoid that second case if you can. Once you and DH are wheeling one case, pushing the buggy, presumably holding the 4yo's hand, you're not going to have a lot of free hands left between you for a second case plus all the other things you need to negotiate through the airports.

We've tended to do 2 Cabin Max rucksacks for hand luggage and one suitcase for the hold, 2 buggies and no rucksacks for the dcs. If the older child doesn't need the buggy then the rucksack gets put in it. Sometimes we'll take a 3rd Cabin Max rucksack as one of the kids hand luggage and then we don't need a suitcase, but one of us will wear it/carry it. We always stay in places with laundry facilities so don't pack much, but we have one dc in nappies still.

Dont give the dc rucksacks to carry. If its light enough for them to carry it wont have anything useful in it. If it has enough to be useful then they wont carry it and its one more thing for you to wrestle. Condense into as few bags as possible.

take bags with 4 wheels, you can stack carry on bags on top and push the lot one handed

Husbad and I went to Italy last summer with 1 year old twins and a 4 year old. We took 3 checked in suitcases (even though we had an allowance of 5). We took car seats for all 3 and a doubel stroller. Another tip here some airlines if your on an early flight will let you bag drop the evening before. So we dropped the suitcases and car seats off the night before. Then in the morning (for our 7am flight) we just had 2 rucksacks as carry ons, meaning my husband and I had a rucksack on our back and thus free hands for a baby each. Plus 5 year old had a small rucksack she could carry with her doll and Teddies in.

Next trip is to south africa. Planning to check in 4 suitcases, a rucksack carrier for each twin (planning on doing some hikes) and a double stroller. We are hiring car seats this time as much cheaper than in Italy. And same as our previous flight to take a rucksack each.

I would seriously limit as much as possible as you just end up with stuff all over the plane and no hands to carry it all.