10 Tips To Make Travel Packing For Kids Fast & Easy

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​We do a LOT of traveling as a family and invariably it falls to me, Mom, to do most of the packing for our trips.  I'm working on teaching our 12, 11 and 9 year olds how to pack their own suitcases or duffel bags but invariably when they try somebody ends up without underwear, or a sweater, or a second pair of shoes!  (We're getting there, poco a poco!)

Here are 10 useful tips I've found that really help the family travel packing go quickly and smoothly, so that I don't feel frustrated and grumpy late at night before a flight when I'm still preparing while everyone else in the family is asleep.
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• Do ALL Laundry In Advance
• Buy A Different Color Of Socks And Underwear For Each Child
• Make A Checklist For Each Child (Or Adult!)
• Make Seasonal, Trip Specific Checklists 
• Pack One Child At A Time
• Get A Second Pair Of Eyes To Double Check
• Label Your Bags
• Weigh Your Carry-Ons
• Have Your Child Of Any Age Pack His/Her Own Fun Bag!
• Put Passports, Health Cards and Travel Documents In YOUR Money Belt or Bag

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Do ALL Laundry In Advance

When packing for a trip of any length, it's useful to have all of the clothing clean and organized in advance so that you know exactly where to find that special sweatshirt from Grandpa or the exact pajama shorts with soccer balls that your child will wear without needing to be cajoled.  

Before I pack for trips I try to do all of our laundry ahead of time.  This is helpful in two ways: 1) I can find everything I need easily and without stress; and 2) I'm psyched to come home to a house with no dirty laundry waiting for me to do!  

(Except for the trip laundry, hahaha!)

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Buy A Different Color Of Socks And Underwear For Each Child

If you have more than one child, especially multiple boys or multiple girls, it becomes very important to know whose socks and underwear are in whose bags.

"He's wearing MY underpants!" is often the overture to a squabble in our family, as one child may be worried about the other one stretching out his precious undies.  Socks are also a hot commodity when we travel, with each child protesting that someone else is wearing their socks.  

I've found the quickest way to solve this is to buy each of my children a different color of socks and underwear. It's impossible to accidentally pack the wrong socks and underwear in the wrong bag when Soccer Dude only wears blue socks and The Scientist only wears gray ones. There will also be no confusion about sock-thievery! 

This strategy also makes it easy to see and count how many of each item you currently have packed for each kid. BONUS - you can keep track of which child goes through three pairs of socks in a day (while her brother may go through three pairs in a week, yikes). 
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Make A Checklist For Each Child (Or Adult!)

If you decide in advance exactly how many pairs of pants, tee-shirts and pajamas you want to pack for each child, this takes all of the thinking out of your packing process.  I make a checklist for each kid and then work my way through it.

With the checklist in hand I literally go to their bedroom and pull out all of the things on the list (e.g. 3 sweaters, CHECK!  4 pairs of jeans, CHECK!) and then get to the more time consuming work of neatly rolling them and placing them into the bag. 

As I pack each category, I can check it off the list and then I don't have to worry later that I've forgotten something important. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!


Make Seasonal, Trip Specific Checklists 

February Snow trip? 
Make and use your Snow Trip Checklist!  (Snow boots, ski jacket, warm hat, etc!)
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July Beach trip? 
Make and use your Beach Trip Checklist! (Bathing suit, beach shoes, sunscreen, etc!)

Google docs or spreadsheets work perfectly for this. You get the picture! 

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Pack One Child At A Time

Maybe it's just me, but when I try to pack multiple kids at once I lose track of things.  "Did I just put four pairs of pants in Soccer Dude's bag, or was that Little Angel?"  I find myself struggling to remember whether everyone has their rain jackets or hairbrushes.  Then I get frustrated and have to go check every bag to make sure I did it correctly, and that wastes time.

When you pack just one child at a time, using a separate checklist for each of them, you can be sure that if you've checked off a box for that kid, you're done.  You've successfully packed them and you can now move on.


Get A Second Pair Of Eyes To Double Check

It never hurts to have a partner in crime (e.g. Dad, an older child, etc.) double check the packing to be sure that you've not accidentally forgotten the toothbrushes or something. Hey, stuff happens.  We get tired.  It's great for your older kids to participate with this because once they understand the process, they can pack for themselves!

A second pair of eyes can prevent any packing nightmares... such as the time we arrived for our flight at the Tijuana, Mexico airport to discover that Little Angel's suitcase had been left sitting at home on the front porch of our house in San Diego, California... across an international border!  
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Label Your Bags

Has an airline ever lost your bag?  Yep, me too.  Our bags have also been misplaced at hotels and train stations. So, it makes sense to label all of your luggage - especially your kids' bags - before you leave for your trip. 

Children may be more likely to accidentally forget to pick up their bag in their excitement to board the airplane or jump into a taxi in a new country.  Having each bag clearly labeled with an up-to-date mailing address is the best way to make sure that your kiddo's bag can find its way back to him/her if for some crazy reason it goes on its own travel adventure!
 
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Weigh Your Carry-Ons

Each airline has pretty strict limits on weight and height for your carry on luggage.  I can't tell you exactly what the weight and height restrictions will be for each airline (you'll have to read that in the terms of your ticket purchase) but I can tell you that we've had our carry on bags measured and weighed twice recently when we were boarding full airplanes without enough room in the overhead storage compartments.

(One time we passed, and the other time our bags ended up getting taken to the hold!)

If you're trying to travel light and move quickly, it makes sense to weigh your own bag at home before you go to make sure it isn't too heavy.  You'll know in advance if you've met the airline's requirements and you won't face a last minute surprise of having your 'carry on' taken from you and stowed in the hold for your flight.  You may save yourself a lot of time waiting in baggage claim as well!

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Have Your Child Of Any Age Pack His/Her Own Fun Bag!

If you haven't read my original article about the importance of having a travel 'fun bag' for each of your children, please read that next!  Fun bags have saved the day (and night!) in countless situations where we suddenly found ourselves delayed, stuck without transportation, enduring a 15 hour flight, or staying in an AirBNB that had no television, radio, toys or even a view to look at! 

Even a three year old can decide exactly which toys they want to play with during your trip... and the selection process will mean that they have committed in their own minds to using and enjoying that toy, deck of cards, doll, book or iPod throughout the entire adventure. 

Toys that Mom or Dad pick may be easily overlooked or discarded... but odds are great that fun items that your own teen or little pick out on their own will be cherished and enjoyed throughout your trip.
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Put Passports, Health Cards and Travel Documents In YOUR Money Belt or Bag

I don't care HOW responsible your 12 year old may be, it is still not a great idea to hand over his or her only health insurance card or boarding pass and expect that NOTHING can or will go wrong!  

In reality, your children are learning responsibility and that's a great thing... but it will still take weeks or longer for the passport office to issue you a new one if your kiddo accidentally leaves their passport in the airport restroom. 

I keep all of our family's passports and health insurance cards in a money belt that I bought at REI years ago, and when I travel I can relax secure in the knowledge that even if the suitcases get lost or stolen, I'll still be able to get my kids home with ease thanks to boarding passes on my phone and all crucial identity documents hidden securely under my outfit!
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​To sum it up:
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Having a well packed bag can make the difference between, well, your kiddo wearing the same pair of shorts for a week (with YOU washing them every night in the sink!) and you spending that time instead on a deck above a lake, enjoying the sunset while your kids run around looking relatively clean and presentable. 

​I hope these packing tips can help your family have the best time possible as you see the world!

Life is short.  Get out there and choose your own adventure! :)

The Aventura children are packed and ready to go!

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