As a traveling family, we know a thing or two about maximizing our space and ensuring we don’t leave anything important at home.
So whether you’re a roadschooling or world schooling family, taking a road trip with kids, a full-time RV traveling family, or starting to travel part-time, this list of travel must-haves should help you remember to pack everything you’ll need to have a memorable, stress-free trip!
Laundry Essentials
Tide to Go Pens – With all the time you’ll be spending outside, grass and dirt stains are inevitable. Plus, usually, it takes longer to get to a washer when you’re in travel mode. Tide To Go Pens have really saved a lot of our clothes while traveling.
Laundry Bag – The first time we headed out in our camper, we forgot laundry bags. Oops! Lesson learned. The laundry bags I linked are great because they are heavy duty and can hold up to 3 loads of laundry per bag!
Laundry Detergent – You can buy this on the road if you prefer, but I’ve found that bringing a few laundry detergent pods makes it more convenient.
Hangers – While most of your clothes will stay folded, it’s always nice to have a handful of hangers for the jackets and items you don’t want to wrinkle.
Luggage Essentials
Packing Cubes – In my opinion, packing cubes are a must. They save SO MUCH ROOM, plus they keep things so organized! When it comes to selecting which packing cubes you’ll use, you need to think of how you want them to function.
- Do you want all cubes to be the same size and each family member have their own color? If so, choose these.
- If you want a variety of sizes in the same color, these are the way to go.
- As a family of 3, we are able to get a 3 pack of cubes. My husband takes the largest 1, I use the middle one, and our son uses the smallest cube. We can fit about 1 week’s worth of clothes into our own cube.
Suitcases with Rollers – There are so many different types of suitcases, and it’s one thing I’m not very picky about. Just be sure that you get a suitcase with rollers and a handle!
Ride-On Travel Suitcase for Kids – Ride-on luggage for kids is a game-changer for those who travel with young children a lot. You can literally strap the child’s luggage to yours, have them sit on their luggage, and pull both!
Luggage Locks – Luggage locks are not a necessity, but if you want an extra piece of mind, the linked luggage locks are TSA-approved.
Luggage Tags – Although luggage tags aren’t a necessity, they do offer a bit of convenience to those that are picking up their luggage from airline baggage claim – especially if you have a non-descript suitcase.
Hiking Backpack – If you’ll be doing lots of hiking and exploring on your adventure, be sure to pack a hiking backpack. They are great because they fold up super small when they aren’t being used, but can hold a ton of stuff if needed. They are much more lightweight than regular backpacks, making them an excellent choice for hiking.
School Essentials
Clipboard with Storage – Perfect for on-the-go homeschooling.
Writing Tablet – We love using a writing tablet while traveling. It cuts down on loose paper and keeping track of pencils. Plus, when my son makes a mistake, he can quickly erase the screen by pressing the button.
Travel Tray – With a tablet holder, organizational pockets, a dry erase board, and a place to store writing utensils, this makes a great traveling writing table. Homeschoolers can do their formal lessons in the car and be ready for exploring by the time you arrive to your destination.
Open and Go Curriculum – If your children use a homeschool curriculum, I highly recommend choosing an open and go curriculum, such as The Good and the Beautiful. You can just open the curriculum and get started with very few supplies, if any! The textbook includes all the parent notes also!
Travel Storage School Supply Tote – If you appreciate being organized as much as I do, get yourself a school supply tote.
Folders with Pockets – Use 1 pocket for each child, 1 pocket per day of the week, or 1 pocket per subject. No matter which way you use it, it will keep all the school documents in 1 place.
Travel Journal for Kids – Have your children document your adventure in their very own travel journal. It will be an amazing memory, plus an excellent writing exercise.
Some extra essentials:
- Mobile File Box
- Pencil Bag
- Backpack
Sleeping Essentials
Sleeping Bags – lightweight, waterproof, all seasons, kids and adults with a drawstring bag to store it
Ear Plugs – Perfect for sleeping in an airplane!
Travel Pillow – memory foam with lightweight sack to help compress to save space
Entertainment Essentials
Snacks – The main thing that keeps my son entertained is, and always has been, snacks.
Travel Games – If you are looking for a complete list of great travel games we love, click here. Our favorite travel games are Uno, Travel Hangman, and the License Plate Game.
Activity Books – Activity books help keep kids occupied on long plane and car rides. Road Trip Activity Book, Really Fun Travel Activity Book, and the 50 States are all great options to keep your kids entertained. In addition to being fun, they are all educational as well.
Toiletry Essentials
Toiletry Kit for Women – Toiletry kits are so convenient! The one I’ve linked is great! It comes with travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial cleaning wipes, a razor, a comb, Qtips, cottonballs, filing board, loofah, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, a toothbrush cover, and a cute wristlet bag to keep everything in.
Toiletry Kit for Men – The men’s version contains a razor, shaving cream, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, baby powder, chapstick, a comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, toothbrush cover, mouthwash, dental floss, Advil, band-aids, nail clippers, qtips, cottonballs, and a carrying case.
Tinted Sunscreen – When you travel, you don’t want to have to fool around with putting on makeup. I love Cerave’s tinted sunscreen. It gives just enough color to even out my skin tone and it protects my skin from the sun at the same time. Love it!
Moisturizer – You can’t go wrong with Cerave. Non-greasy, great for your body and face, and it works!
Dry Shampoo – Batisse dry shampoo is the best I’ve ever used. The original scent seems to work the best for some reason.
Travel Documents Essentials
Depending on what type of trip you are taking, you may need quit a few travel documents.
Here’s a list of the most important ones:
- Passports
- Birth Certificates for Children
- Boarding Passes
- Tickets
- Drivers Licenses
- Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
- Cash
Electronic Essentials
Universal Retractable Phone Chargers Cord – If you have several devices that take different types of chargers, this is the answer for you.
Laptop Charger Car Adapter – I work in the car a LOT. Being able to charge my laptop using the cigarette lighter is a life-saver.
Power Banks – For extra charge on the road, you’ll want some power banks. Charge them before you leave, and once your cell phone starts to go dead, you can use the power bank to charge them back up. Great for camping and hiking.
Canon DSLR Video Camera – If you want to capture your adventure on video, this is the option we like best.
Go Pro – Go Pros are so fun if you want to video tape under water or doing action shots such as skiing or snorkeling.
Kindle – If you don’t want to have to take a ton of books on the road, take a Kindle!
Hotspot – In order to have Internet on the road, you’ll want to check with your cell phone provider to get the best Hotspot options.
Headphones
Car Essentials
Backseat Organizer – This is my number one must-have for traveling in the car. It keeps all the loose items off the floorboard and seats.
Small Plastic Travel Containers – Store your small items in separate containers in the glove box. Much better than having to dig to the bottom of your purse!
Shower Caddies – Ok, hear me out. Even though shower caddies were designed for the shower, they also double as a car organizer. By suctioning the cup to the window, your kids will have some extra items within their reach.
Clear Totes – Pack your items using clear totes and you will know right where your items are!
Camper/RV Essentials
Camper Hanging Baskets – These baskets make traveling in a camper so much better! Instead of digging through a suitcase for an outfit, you can hang these cloth baskets from the wall in the bunk bed area.
Over the Door Hanging Organizer – LOVE LOVE LOVE this. We also use this for our son’s closet at home.
Divided Clothes Organizer – The first time we went camping, we just put all of our clothes in 1 storage bin. We’ve learned a lot since then! This clothes organizer is great because it fits in the area under the bed and is a makeshift dresser drawer, making getting dressed a lot easier.
Walkie Talkies – If you’re hiking or traveling with another RV, walkie talkies are amazing to have.
Label Maker – We label everything in our camper, keeping us extra organized.
Shower Liner Organizer with Pockets – This is the best way I’ve found to keep our shampoo, conditioner, and soap from falling and leaking everywhere.
InstaHanger – Campers have limited closet space, if any. Create a makeshift closet with an InstaHanger.
Over Door Shoe Holder – With it’s clear pockets, you can use it to store anything. Snacks, cords, shoes, clothes, baby essentials, etc.
Adhesive Hooks – These hooks hold up to 22 pounds and requires no holes to hang items.
Stackable Clear Fridge Containers – You’ll want to organize your camper fridge using clear containers. Otherwise, when you open the fridge after move the camper, you’ll have quite the mess on your hands.
Other camper essentials:
Baby Essentials
Sound Machine – You’ll be thankful you came prepared when your baby doesn’t wake up to every passing car or airplane announcement.
Travel Harness to Turn Chair into Highchair – You don’t have to buy a highchair! This is so helpful when you need your baby to stay in place, such as at restaurants, airports, and when you’re trying to feed them.
Mini Folding Portable Crib – My friend used this on our camping adventures last summer and it was nice to be able to put it away during the day, allowing for extra room.
Diaper Bag with Travel Bassinet – Game-changer! Have you ever attempted to find a clean area to change your baby while traveling? Look no further. This also doubles as a napping area!
Other baby essentials:
- Swimmer Diapers – Don’t skip this. Regular diapers soak up all the water, but swimmer diapers do not.
- Diapers
- Diaper Wipes
- Stroller
Cleaning Essentials
Collapsible Broom – Campers have such limited space. Collapsible brooms come apart, making it take up much less space when not in use.
Multi-Purpose Cleaner – You don’t need to pack every cleaning product you use at home.
Other cleaning essentials:
- Magic Erasers
- Paper Towels
- Trash Bags
Medication / First Aid Essentials
Don’t forget other medication essentials such as:
- Kids Ibuprofen/Tylenol
- Acid reducer
- Ibuprofen
- Melatonin
- Allergy Pills
- Bandaids
- Cold Medicine
- Bug Spray
Beach Essentials
Sunglasses Storage Case – There’s nothing worse than getting excited to go on an outdoor adventure, and having to spend 15 minutes looking for your sunglasses every time. When we come inside each night, we place our sunglasses in a storage case so we will know exactly where they are the next morning. It keeps our sunglasses protected and helps keep us organized.
Beach Blanket – Waterproof and sandproof and folds up into case.
Beach Towels – Set of 4 in different bright colors
Beach Chairs – Turns beach chairs into a backpack for easy transport. It has a cupholder, can change into 4 positions, and has a sunshade.
Cooler Backpack – Lightweight and leak-proof.
Umbrella Attachment for Beach Chairs – Umbrellas are a must for the beach. These attachments come in so handy if you already have your own beach chairs and want to add an umbrella. They are inexpensive and clip right on! They fold up and are less than 2 pounds each, making it lightweight for transport.
Other beach essentials:
- Beach Bag
- Straw Hats
- Life Jackets – So important!
- Swimsuit Covers
Kitchen Essentials
Portable Travel Utensil Set – You never know when you’ll need utensils while traveling, which is why packing a set is a great idea. You can even get one for each family member, label them, and each person is responsible for cleaning their own utensils after dinner.
Magnetic Spice Dispenser – This keeps your spices in 1 place and since they are magnetic, they can’t slide all around your camper. The small jars are a space saver as well.
Food Storage Containers – Use to store leftovers or use for storage for small items.
Collapsible Food Prep Bowls with Lids – Space saver!
Other kitchen essentials:
- Salt & Pepper
- Ziploc bags
- Foil
- Dish Soap
- Water Bottle – Be sure to get the non-spill thermos-type.
Camping Essentials
Cookware Set – This set comes with:
- Spatula
- Serving Spoon
- Serving Fork
- Chef Knife
- Multifunctional bottle opener
- Multifunctional scissors
- Salad food tongs
- Multifunctional small fork
- Gloves
- Cleaning cloth
- Organizer bag
Tent with Rooms – This waterproof tent sets up in 1 minute, can fit 4 queen air mattresses, and has a room divider.
Headlamps – If you’ll be spending time outside after dark, you’ll want this pack of 2 headlamps. It allows you to be hands-free.
Lanterns – Great for power outages. They are collapsible and have batteries included.
Camping Chairs with an side table attached.
Conclusion
So whether you decide to travel all 50 states or just take off for a summer vacation, these essentials are such to make your trip much less stressful.
Travel homeschooling truly changed my life, and it can change yours too if it’s something you’re interested in. Kids learn so much through traveling.
Happy Travels!
