Airplane Comfort

• The Trtl neck pillow is a personal fav

• Inflatable pillows - traditional style or neck pillow style 

• Airplane sling/foot rest 

• Inflatable foot rest (We have not personally used this, but have friends who swear by them. Please note that these are not allowed on all airlines, so be sure to check with your carrier on their specific rules before purchasing)

• Kids Sleep masks - choose a fun character (or this one or this one) that your kids will love. Also helpful for sleeping when the sun rises early in Northern Europe!

• Self-adhesive black felt - stick with me (haha) here. Sometimes those little airplane screens won’t turn off or little bodies can’t seem to leave them off. And who wants a bright screen approximately 12” from their child’s face when trying to sleep? Slap a sheet of adhesive black felt on the seatback and, voila! (It will at least be dimmed)

Packing Ease & Luggage 

• Keep everyone’s passports, tickets, and vaccine cards organized in one place with a document organizer 

• Packing cubes. These not only help to make clothing compact in suitcases, but are great organizational tools. Assign each person their own cube, put all swimsuits or towels in one cube, etc. There are so many great ways to use these to help keep items separate and organized. We also love products made by Eagle Creek.

• TSA Approved travel containers 

• Checking bag for strollers and car seats

• If you are bringing a car seat, there are many options for making it easier to bring these through airports. Ideas include travel belts, car seat backpacks (which double as a protective bag), or car seat strollers/travel carts. As always, check specifications to make sure gear will accommodate your specific seats. 

• Lightweight, durable carry-on suitcases (easy enough for kids 5+ to push)

• Another durable carry-on suitcase option

• Gorgeous hardside luggage with a lifetime warranty on all functional aspects

• Bright and unique luggage tags 

Helpful Airplane/Train/Road Trip Items for Children

• Babies/Toddlers

• Snack cups or a snack spinner 

• Collapsible water bottles

• Water Wow and puffy sticker activities - always a hit with toddlers 

• Removable road tape + some small cars provide a lot of entertainment

• If you are doing screen time, some cozy headphones can help 

• School Ages

• A travel journal is a great way to have your child become invested in the trip, as well as a way for them to record their own special memories.

• LCD writing tablets hardly take up any space and saves you the mess of paper and crayons.

• Activity books! Mazes, puzzles, paint by sticker books - there’s something for every interest. 

• Don’t bring clunky art supply organizers. Have each child put drawing supplies in a different pencil pouch to keep things separate between siblings. Easy for them to put into their own daypack and access on the plane, train, or in the car. 

• Magnetic blocks (also really great for toddlers and even babies!) a handful of these can be helpful on the plane, waiting in restaurants, on the floor of a museum, you get the idea. We love these because they are wooden and finished in a nontoxic water-based lacquer finish

• Tablet (pre-loaded with downloaded shows/games usable without wi-fi. If buying the Amazon Fire tablet, note that these go on sale for 50% off on Prime days) 

• Headphones 

• Teens+

• A travel journal designed for teenagers.

• Digital camera or - currently very trendy with teens - Polaroids 

• Kindle 

• Headphones or earbuds 

Food/Drink

• Lollipops or other small, lightweight, and easily portable snacks that can serve as motivating “treats”.  

• Lightweight, easy to clean bibs.

• NUK leakproof water bottles

• Stainless steel water bottles for ages 3+  (our favorite brand) 

• When traveling with a young toddler, we also have always found it helpful to bring familiar, child-sized utensils along when possible. 

Sightseeing

• Water bottle holders for adults and for kids

• For long, active days, consider a high quality daypack (also great for older children). 

• High quality baby carrier (great option for places that are not easily stroller accessible)

• Umbrella stroller

• Budget: Summer Infant (also comes in a compact double stroller option) 

• Super compact: Pockit Air 

• Mid-range: Cybex

• High end: UppaBaby Minu v2 and its traveling bag

Other Helpful Items

• Apple AirTags to keep track of your luggage if you become separated from it. This is also a helpful way to track your children.

• For laundry on the go - Tide Sink Packs are great to have on hand 

• Toothbrush protectors - especially helpful if you are storing multiple toothbrushes in one dopp kit. 

• Stain removal wipes. Kids are messy. Be prepared. 

• Portable clothesline. Many apartment rentals in Europe may provide a washing machine but no dryer. Easy to set up and use, this is one item we will always bring when traveling abroad. 

• Travel adapter - a must for worldwide electronic needs.

• First Aid Kit. Our family builds our own, but it’s also nice to have one put together for you. Just remember to at minimum have Tylenol for each age needed and a medicine syringe if needed, a thermometer, and bandaids!

• Wet bags. A million different uses. Particularly helpful if traveling with a diapered baby or if going to a beach destination and need to keep wet or messy items separated. 

• Lightweight towels. We love Turkish towels. Basic, lots of color options (have each person pick their own color), and they dry quickly! Here’s another good option if you are looking to take advantage of Amazon Prime.       

• Probiotics are especially helpful for kids whose eating may become much more picky during travel, which in turn can disrupt their digestive system.   

• Inflatable booster seats, like BubbleBum or hiccapop. Always be sure to check height and weight requirements and be sure to check the rules for car safety at your destination(s).          

• Collapsible travel mugs     

• While many Airbnbs and hotels can arrange a crib for you, the Guava travel crib is extremely lightweight and can be carried on. We also have loved flying overseas with the Baby Bjorn travel crib.

• Portable games! Cranky kids in a restaurant? Delayed flight? Taking a rest in a park between museums? When traveling, we always have a game like Spot It, Uno, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, or a simple  deck of cards on hand. These prove to be super helpful when you are tight on space but want to ensure your kids can be entertained. Throw one or two in your purse or day pack and thank your lucky stars later you had it on hand. 

• Will there be swimming at your destination? Don’t forget goggles for your star swimmers and inflatable  floatation aids if necessary. While these items may be available for purchase at a store at your destination, it’s better to bring something your children are already familiar with.             

Having the right gear can make an incredible difference in your family’s travels! Here are products the WanderWell team love and recommend.