Packing for Travel With a Family of Four

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“Each trip we take, we get better at packing,” Felipe said to me the other day as we reflected on our most recent short trip to Los Angeles. It’s true that my first few trips as a parent were a little rough in the packing department. How are you supposed to know what to bring when traveling for 10 days to Hawaii with a 2 month baby? Once there’s a child in the picture it seems like the packing list doubles in size just for that tiny human to come along.

Priorities in packing are different for every person, but here are a few things that have helped me make it a lot better.

1. Use packing cubes!

This is the most important thing which is why it is first. I will never pack a suitcase without my cubes ever again. And I found out that many people still don’t use these so I wasn’t the last one to hear about it. The reason I love them is because I can separate everyone’s clothes without giving each person their own suitcase. We typically travel with just one big suitcase and one carry-on. If the trip is longer, we may do 2 big suitcases. Inside the case, our belongings are organized by these amazing little bags that just save you a headache when you’re looking for the baby’s pajamas when you get to your hotel after a long travel day. We have two sets of these packing cubes and use the big ones for clothes and the smaller ones for medicines, toiletries, etcetera. I also bring along an extra empty cube to use for dirty clothes.

2. Make a list

This feels obvious, but maybe you’re the kind of person who thinks they don’t need a packing list. I applaud you, and I will stick to my lists. I use the Notes app on my iPhone and use the mode with the little check bubbles that you can fill in. You can also share your list with other people, so I add Felipe to my list and he can check off the things that he packs and edit the list as well. Here’s a screen shot of my most recent packing list. I divide the list into categories for each person as well.

3. Pack clothes that you will actually wear

A trip is not the time to wear those pants that you never wear at home thinking that all of a sudden you will dress super trendy and different as a traveler. Nope. You’ll wish you had your old reliable leggings and loose-fitting shirt that you wear every day at home. I bring my favorite clothes. The ones I feel most comfortable in. I promise you will want to wear your stretchy pants no matter where you are in the world.

4. Don’t bring too much

Here’s my typical rule for clothing. I bring outfits for 5 days. For my kids, I bring almost double the number of outfits because they are babies and need a change of clothes almost every day. If we will be gone for longer than 5 days I just plan on doing laundry. You can always find a place to wash your clothes. Even on the ancient streets of Rome. I pack 2 tide pods in a plastic baggy and stick it in my toiletry bag so I’m ready to do a load whenever it’s convenient during our trip.

5. I say bring the diapers

I know that some people will tell you not to bring diapers because they take up space and you can buy them anywhere. That is true, and if I were traveling with just carry-ons I would leave them out. But here’s why I bring them. They are lightweight and fill the space in my bags that I will fill with whatever we bring back from our trip. Obviously for longer travel, I wouldn’t take THAT many diapers, but I would still bring enough for about a week so I can use that suitcase room later.

6. Put liquids in checked bags

I like to put all of my liquids in checked bags, just because I don’t want to have to worry about how many ounces they are. We bring travel-size soap, shampoo, and conditioner on short trips but on longer ones those little guys run out! So I like a small-ish size of shampoo like this. And as long as it’s in your checked bag you can fly with it. Another option is using what they offer at hotels, but in my experience that shampoo isn’t great.

7. Weigh your bags before you get to the airport

It’s one less thing to worry about! You can weigh your suitcases by stepping on the scale with the suitcase then without it and subtract your weight OR you can buy one of these suitcase scales that are very handy. We have had to move stuff around frantically when trying to check bags because one suitcase is overweight and the other is under. It’s embarrassing and stressful to do while checking in for a flight. Try to avoid it.

8. The only “just-in-case” items you need

Unless you are going completely off the grid and won’t be within 50 miles of any convenience store (which I will not be doing any time soon with 2 kids 2 and under) you don’t need to bring extra things “just in case”. Here are my only just-in-case items:

• Small First Aid kit – just bandaids and antibiotic cream really.
• Pain reliever. I bring a travel size container of Tylenol for me and infant Tylenol for my kids
• Felipe’s rescue inhaler. [In other people’s case this could mean and EpiPen or something similar, depending on medical conditions.]
• Menstruation cup. I bring it because you never know when something will throw off your period and I will not use tampons without applicators. Nope.

Our typical packing list

Here’s a sample packing list that would suit a family of 4 like ours. The list varies by destination, but these are the things we always bring for travel abroad:

Packing List

This list is not comprehensive but it’s a great start. To learn about surviving flights with little ones and knowing what to take with you in your diaper bag read my post Flying with Babies and Toddlers. This post is just about packing, but there are a lot of other things that will help you travel successfully as a family. I’ll be sharing more tips in the future. Be sure to subscribe to get updates for each new post.