The Ultimate Family Travel Packing List
Are you off on your family travel adventures and wondering where on earth to start with the packing? Our ultimate family travel packing list will leave you prepared for any type of adventure!
So you’ve read the Lonely Planets, trawled through some amazing Instagram posts for inspiration and maybe even booked your flights. Now comes the task of deciding what to pack for your family travels. Packing for yourself can be a challenge but packing for a whole family can be even more daunting. Especially if you’re embarking on long-term travel with kids or a family gap year.
Based on our own experiences packing for a whole range of family trips – plus our own family gap year – we’ve pulled together the ultimate guide. We list all the packing essentials for family travel, specific considerations for packing for a family gap year and a sprinkling of reviews of our top picks.
Explore our complete family travel packing list and get all the top tips to pack smart for your family gap year (or any family travel!).
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Table of Contents
- Why a Family Travel Packing List Matters
- The Complete Family Travel Packing List: Essentials for All Trips
- Family Gap Year Tips: Packing for a Longer Journey
- Product Reviews: Our Favourite Family Travel Gear
- Packing Tips for Family Travel and Gap Years
- Download Our Free Family Travel Packing Checklist
- Want even more family travel planning advice?
Why a Family Travel Packing List Matters
So, why do you need a family travel packing list? As with the rest of your family travel planning, a bit of preparation when it comes to packing goes a very long way.
Of course you *can* leave your packing to the last minute if you really want to. But this increases the chances of over-packing and then having to carry around a lot of stuff you really don’t need. For your whole trip. And believe me, for some of that time at least you WILL end up carrying both your own bag AND the bags of your child(ren).
Avoid overpacking
Putting together a family travel packing list and sticking to it is your best bet to avoid overpacking. Listing out the things you REALLY need first will make packing much less stressful.
When packing for our family gap year, I found it useful to make a list and then lay out all of the things on the list for each person in the family. This gives you a REAL sense of how much stuff it is that you’re going to be carrying with you. As with the Marie Kondo method of decluttering, once you see the whole amount in front of you it makes it much easier to then see if you actually have too much. And from there you can whittle down the number of tops, shorts and toys etc to what you actually really need.
Top tip: try to remember that just because you have the space doesn’t mean that you HAVE to fill it!
Preparing for Diverse Needs
Any family travel packing list is going to need to take in to account the varying needs of the whole family.
Kids are going to need engaging (but packable!) toys and games to keep them occupied on long journeys. Parents are likely to need their own tech and forms of entertainment. And if you’re working remotely, you’ll also need to consider the work essentials that you’ll need to carry.
On top of this, if you’re travelling for a longer period (such as a family gap year) you’ll need to consider medications. And you’re likely to need variations of these for different ages.
Again, this is where a well put-together family travel packing list comes in. Listing these things in advance – and really thinking about what the whole family needs – will reduce problems when you’re on the road.
Family Gap Year Readiness
If you’re packing for a family gap year, this is where you need to remember that you will be carrying your stuff with you for a LONG time. And every time you move location, everything will need to be re-organised and re-packed.
One of the first lessons I learnt was to leave at least *some* space in each bag. If not, that constant re-packing becomes very stressful and difficult. Plus, if you are traveling with kids they *will* pick up stuff as you go. This might only be interesting little rocks, keyrings and pin badges but it does need to fit in somewhere!
You may also need to consider the different climates you’ll be travelling to if you’re traversing the globe. This is where versatile clothing options come in – trousers that zip off into shorts and lightweight layers for example.
One of the aspects we took in to consideration when planning our family gap year was the climates we’d be in. We deliberately opted for hot, tropical climates for the whole year so that one set of packing would be sufficient.
The Complete Family Travel Packing List: Essentials for All Trips
We’ve broken down the essentials that should be on any family travel packing list below. Wherever your family travel adventure takes you (and for however long), these are the things you shouldn’t leave home without.
We’ll breakdown the specifics for family gap year packing a bit further down in the post.
Clothing for the family
For most family travel, the following items of clothing should be sufficient.
5-7 versatile outfits per person, to include:
- Short-sleeved and long-sleeved tops
- Lightweight trousers
- Shorts
- Warm hoodie or light jumper
Plus the following essentials:
- Rain jacket
- Sturdy walking shoes (ie good pair of trainers or low-rise hiking boots)
- One pair of slip-on shoes such as Crocs, flip-flops, sliders or walking sandals
- One set of swimwear
- 5-7 pairs of socks
- Up to 10 sets of underwear
Depending on the destination, you may also need warmer outerwear or other climate specific items.
The one thing I would advise packing extra of is underwear. In tropical climates you may find that you’re changing sweaty underwear more often than you would at home! Having extra sets a. Doesn’t take up that much space and b. Is a real life-saver when you’re trekking etc.
I would also advocate heavily for Crocs for the kids. Unlike flip-flops, they can wear socks with these when it’s colder or they want to avoid mosquito bites in the evenings.
When it comes to clothes packing in particular, I would very much recommend using packing cubes. The double-zipped ones not only save you a ton of space but they also mean you can organise clothes much better.
Toiletries and health
Remember that in most countries you WILL be able to pick up basic toiletries when you arrive. But there are a few essentials that you should include on your family travel packing list.
- Sunscreen (SPF50)
- Insect Repellent (you may want to use DEET for adults but will need to consider child-friendly options for the kids)
- Basic First Aid Kit (including plasters, Savlon, antiseptic wipes)
- Prescription Medicines – consider how much you will need to cover your whole trip
- Hand sanitiser
- Baby wipes
In some countries sunscreen and insect repellent are readily available and affordable. However, this isn’t the case everywhere. For example in Costa Rica the cost of both these items is pretty high, so consider packing a sufficient amount.
And whilst you *can* get shampoo, soap and conditioner on arrival, if you’re planning on travelling between destinations I would highly recommend buying these in bars. The options from Lush for example are great, last for ages and are much easier than carrying bottles of products.
Documents and Tech
How much tech you travel with depends on how digital you are as a family, how old your kids are and whether anyone will be working remotely. However, below is a list of all the basics you’ll want to consider for your family travel packing list.
- Passports
- Visas
- Copies of travel insurance documents
- Universal adaptor plug
- Chargers for devices
- Portable charger
- Kids tablets and headphones
- Kindles
- Multi socket extension lead
Top Tip: Make sure you have copies of all documents also saved on your phone/devices (including scans of your passports)
Kids essentials
As much as we wanted to encourage our boys to travel light it was also important to make sure they were happy and entertained. With this in mind we did allow them to pack a small soft toy each, a handful of Lego figures and some packable games. We also made sure to pack:
- Plenty of snacks for every journey
- Reusable water bottles for each person
- Crayons, pencils, a rubber and a pencil sharpener
- Drawing books
If you’re travelling with younger children there are also practical items you’ll need to consider for your packing list.
- Pushchair/stroller
- Baby carrier (when our boys were younger we LOVED the Connecta range)
- Comfort items like soft toys or blankets
- Packable changing mat
Misc stuff
Then there are always the little extras, some of which are actually very useful when it comes to family travel.
- Fabric tote bag for shopping
- Zip-up wet bag for laundry and/or wet items
- Small daypack for day trips (if you haven’t already used one for your main packing)
- Foldable lunch bag
- Travel laundry detergent (or even better, a laundry soap bar)
- Quick dry towels
Family Gap Year Tips: Packing for a Longer Journey
If you’re embarking on a family gap year then there are some further aspects to think about for your packing list. Here are some of our tried and tested family gap year tips for packing.
Seasonal and Climate Versatility
If you’re navigating the globe on your family gap year then you’ll need to take into account the climate and seasons in each destination. Check out the average weather conditions in each destination to make sure you know what to expect. And then adapt your family travel packing list accordingly.
Versatile lightweight layers work best in most climates.
Education and Entertainment
If you’re taking the kids on a family gap year then you will also be thinking about worldschooling them. Finding ways to keep up with education (in whatever format works for you as a family) will mean careful thought about what you need to pack.
For us as a family, this meant making sure we had:
- a fully-stocked pencil case for writing and drawing
- drawing pads
- travel journals
- Amazon Fire Kids Tablets (used for reading, adding blogposts to their school site, researching for fact file writing, DuoLingo, Spotify, maths and spelling apps)
- White Rose Maths workbooks
- Lenovo ThinkPad (for coding via CodeKingdoms subscription)
Check out our full post on our own experience of worldschooling here.
Family gap years often involve some very long journeys – whether by plane, train, bus or even boat. Keeping the kids entertained means packing the right items for your kids. Our boys would read on their Fire tablets (a LOT) and were allowed some gaming time on these on very long journeys. As well as these we had a number of family travel games such as Goat Lords, Exploding Kittens, Uno Flip and Top Trumps.
Health and Safety for Long-Term Travel
If you’re travelling over a longer period such as a family gap year, you’ll need to think more carefully about what to pack for health and safety.
We packed a pretty robust health kit for our family gap year, based on a lot of research beforehand. We might not have used everything (which is a very good thing!) but it gave us peace of mind to know we had most basic first aid covered.
Our first aid kit included:
- Paracetemol
- Ibuprofen
- Plasters (including specific blister plasters)
- Antiseptic wound wipes
- Burn gel
- Small bandages
- Safety pins
- Self-adhesive wound strips
- Imodium
- Rehydration powders
- Antihistemine tablets (suitable for adults or children)
- Insect bite cream
- Tweezers
- Sterile needle kit
On top of this you’ll need to think about the destinations you’ll be travelling to and what vaccinations you may all need. Visit your doctor or local travel health clinic wel lin advance of your travels for advice. And make sure you add any potential costs to your planning budget too!
Packing Light for Mobility
The temptation for packing for a whole gap year is to cram in as much stuff as possible. But please believe me when I say that this is not the best idea!
Remember that whatever you pack, you have to carry. Family gap years usually involve a fair bit of moving around. Which means that you will have to re-pack EVERYTHING on a semi-regular basis. And then carry it along roadsides, between buses and trains, around the airport and everywhere else in-between. And whilst, like us, you might plan for the kids to carry their own bags, there will *always* be times when they just don’t. Sometimes they’ll be tired. Or just really hot and bothered. And at times you’ll be racing for a connection and they can’t move fast enough with the bags! So make sure you can, at a push, carry both your bag and your child’s.
For this reason I would highly recommend limiting your luggage to one bag per person. Ideally that in normal circumstances (if your kids are old enough) they can carry themselves.
We loved our bigger 60L plus 20L backpacks for the adults. These held everything we needed plus had removable 20L daypacks. This was super helpful as it meant that sometimes we could check the whole pack together in and others we could take the daypack on board with us.
For the boys we opted for these North Face Jester backpacks. These easily fitted in all their clothes, swim kit, drawing pads, games and toys for the year.
For the second leg of our trip we upgraded our bags to an Osprey Sojourn 80-litre wheeled backpack. This was versatile and had LOADS of space.
Remember that you will be able to access laundry facilities. We aimed to do one load of laundry a week. In places like South East Asia the laundry services are very affordable (US$1-3 a load) and there are options everywhere.
For a family gap year you simply won’t be able to pack all of your toiletries. Buying these locally in each destination will save you a lot of packing space!
Product Reviews: Our Favourite Family Travel Gear
North Face Jester Backpacks
We found that these were the perfect size and fit for our kids (aged 7 and 9-years when we left the UK). The padded shoulder straps made them comfortable to carry. There’s a smaller pocket on the front which was handy for games and snacks. The elastic straps on the outside also meant we could attach extra layers or wet clothes.
These took a lot of hammer while we were away but lasted the full year (and more) without any real signs of wear and tear.
Osprey Sojourn 80-litre
We upgraded to one of these partway through our trip and never looked back! They’re super handy for long-term travel. For one, the 80-litre capacity gives you loads of packing space. And then the versatility of the Osprey Sojourn is fab! You can use this wheeled-suitcase style or carry it like a backpack. This was really helpful in places where the pavements/roads were uneven and hard to wheel luggage on.
The only downside is that it’s one big compartment. But that’s where packing cubes come in!
Packing Cubes
One thing I wish I’d discovered much sooner! These were an incredibly useful addition to our travel kit. I now don’t go anywhere without them.
Not only do they squash your stuff down to make packing easier, they also organise your belongings in to helpful categories. Which is super helpful with the kids as it means they can actually find things!
Make sure you buy the versions that have two zippers on them. These mean you can really compress your clothing down to an easy-to-pack size!
Amazon Fire Kids Tablets
Every family is different and the level of tech you want your kids to have will vary. For us, the Amazon Fire Kids Tablets worked on a number of levels. Both boys are avid readers and we simply couldn’t carry around enough books for them. Plus in most of the countries we visited there were very few book shops or exchanges with kids books in English.
The Amazon Fire Kids Tablets come with an Amazon Kids subscription (£38 a year for Amazon Prime members) which includes hundreds of free kids books available to download. This was absolutely invaluable to us!
Plus the boys had access to educational apps like DuoLingo, TTRockstars (for times tables), spelling apps, music on Spotify and more. We did also allow them to download a certain number of games that they could play on really longer travel days.
The tablets are incredibly durable and sturdy. They were dropped, got wet, were squashed into bags and left out in the heat of the day. And still they kept on going!
Anker PowerCore 13,000 Portable Charger
If you’re planning on doing any travel off the beaten track then a portable charger is an absolute must. This one charges two devices at once which is very handy. It kept our electronics going on long travel days, and kept us charged up when we ended up in places without a reliable electricity supply!
Remember that these are NOT allowed in your hold luggage when flying. They have to be carried in hand luggage for safety reasons.
Travel towels
I don’t love lightweight travel towels as a rule but these were great.
You absolutely cannot pack big, fluffy towels for long-term travel. They take up way too much space and take too long to dry. These microfibre towels are incredibly lightweight, roll-up super small for packing and dry really quickly. We also had one travel towel robe for changing under at the beach which was a godsend.
Almost every single place we stayed during our family gap year provided towels. Which means you’ll likely only need these for a handful of stays and for beach days.
Nosilife Clothing
If you’re an absolute mosquito magnet like me then you’ll need to pack some good stuff for keeping the biting insects at bay. After years of suffering with mosquito bites I invested in a set of Nosilife clothing when we went on honeymoon to South America. And it was one of the best investments I ever made!
The Nosilife range from Craghoppers is lightweight with mosquito repellent built-in for the lifetime of the item. It’s all optimised for travel life with hanging hooks stitched in and breathable fabric that drys super-quick.
All of us had a pair of trousers and a lightweight long-sleeved shirt. This meant we could completely cover up and avoid bites, even in the most mosquito-ridden environments.
Remember that it’s not just the irritation of mosquito bites to consider. If you’re travelling to anywhere with malaria or dengue fever then the right clothing is even more important.
Full Length Swimsuits/Stinger Suits
These were particularly useful on the boat trips we did in Komodo National Park and on certain beaches in Malaysia and Thailand. At Komodo the sea was full of sealice (tiny jellyfish spawn) that are not dangerous but feel like nettle stings. So can be quite uncomfortable! The stinger suits for the boys did their job of protecting them from the stings so they can stay snorkelling for longer.
Whilst we packed the standard swim shorts/rash vest combos for the boys I was also concerned about jellyfish stings (particularly in South East Asia). We opted to get the boys a lightweight neoprene swimsuit – or stinger suit as they are also known. This gave them SPF50 full-body protection and also at least some protection from any stings in the water.
They’re really lightweight so take up minimal packing space. They are also not widely available to buy overseas (except in Australia) so are worth buying in advance.
Integra Baby Carrier
When the boys were young we carried them everywhere, at home and on our travels. The Integra Baby Carriers (formerly Connecta) were always our absolute favourite options. They’re sturdy but flexible and pack-down small for travel.
At various stages we had a standard baby size, a toddler version (for up to 3-years old) and a Solar (made specifically for hot climates). They’re perfect for moving through airports, navigating uneven paths and generally getting around when you’re travelling.
Top travel games
We loved a good family travel game while we were away! These are just a few of our top picks:
Packing Tips for Family Travel and Gap Years
Our family gap year taught us SO MUCH about how to pack for life on the road with kids. These are some of our absolute top family gap year tips for your own trip!
- Use Packing Cubes
- These are an absolute must for family travel. They squeeze your stuff down so you can get more into less space. Plus, they make life much easier on the road. When you want your kids to find a clean t-shirt, they can open the packing cubes with their tops in it. Instead of emptying out everything in the backpack!
- Pack for the Destination
- Check the weather for your destination for the time that you plan to visit. Knowing what to expect will make it much easier to pack for!
- Involve Kids in Packing
- If kids are encouraged to pack their own small bag of toys and snacks they will feel much more bought in to the process. For older kids this is a great chance to give them some responsibility on the road.
- Plan for Laundry
- Often doing laundry locally is much easier than you might think. You really only need to pack for 7-days – you can then do laundry just once a week.
Download Our Free Family Travel Packing Checklist
We’ve put together a comprehensive family travel packing checklist for you to download – and it’s completely FREE.
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Want even more family travel planning advice?
We share our top tips, advice and guidance from our own family travel experiences – check out these posts below for more helpful information!
