When we travel as a family, we want to experience something different and absorb ourselves into the local environment. However, we do ensure we have a few basic items joining us on our adventures.
It doesn’t matter if we head away for the weekend camping or overseas for a beachside vacation, we always make sure we take the following items with us.
1. Refillable Drink Bottles
We find bringing a refillable drink bottle invaluable especially when we travel overseas. Not only do we hate the waste created by the little cups that airlines serve you water in, but then we always have water accessible. This is extremely handy when the seat belt sign is on, or when the kids want water and we are asleep. They also come with us everywhere once we arrive at our destination too. Many theme parks and attractions around the world offer refilling stations to minimise waste. Having them in Bali was also great to make sure we always had water at the beach or poolside with us. Most accommodations have water coolers so we were able to avoid waste and stay hydrated.
2. Travel Coffee Cups
Like the above, we find reusable travel coffee cups invaluable. Not only are we doing our part for the environment but they have come in handy for more than just coffee.
Some examples of how we have used them are:
- We went on a camping trip once and realised we had forgotten a container to mix our pancake batter in.
- A recent road trip from The Netherlands to Spain saw us use our cups for soups, two minute noodles, and even snack containers for the kids in the back.
- We have used them on more than one occasion for fruit and yoghurt. Handy for when you are staying in hotels that have a fridge but no “kitchen supplies”.
3. Travel Cutlery
We invested in some travel cutlery for a number of reasons. Not just for travelling but for a weekend picnic or a trip to the zoo. Having cutlery with us ensures we don’t have to use throwaway plastic.
When we were living in The Netherlands, it was easy to head to the supermarket and grab supplies to make our own sandwiches or salad as we kept the cutlery with us in the car.
As mentioned in the above section, we also find that reusable cutlery comes in handy when heading to hotels that don’t come with those provisions.
Our favourite set comes with a reusable straw and a handy pouch as well as an all in one tool that is a fork, spoon, and knife in one.
4. Card Games
While this is probably not an unusual item to appear on this list, it is literally one of the first things we check we always have with us; Uno. In fact, I think we have about 4 sets now after forgetting them a few times. It’s been a great way to spend time together as a family and can be a very handy boredom buster when waiting at train stations or airports. We encountered a rainy day in Bali once and as we love the humidity we just found ourselves a beach bar, settled under the umbrella with drinks and lunch, and played Uno all afternoon (as well as our favourite Dutch card game Kwartet).
5. Flushable Travel Wipes
A packing essential whether we are hiking near our home or on a road trip in Europe. When you gotta go, you gotta go, so having these handy wipes can really refresh you afterward. They have especially come in handy when we were road tripping from The Netherlands to Spain and we needed to use the truck stop toilets throughout France (please know that I do not mean the service stations and cafe stops which are extremely clean and spotless). I am also a firm believer in carrying a packet of flushable wipes when on long haul flights and long layovers when showers are not available.
6. Swiss Army Knife
Another item we can’t live without on journeys closer to home as well as being a must have in our checked-in luggage, is a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. Something so little has us covered for a sharp knife, toolset, corkscrew, and scissors. This handy tool also came in very handy when needing to fix skateboards while travelling and opening corked wine (which is everywhere in Europe) as you would be surprised how many self contained accommodations don’t supply a corkscrew!
7. Baby Wipes
Different from flushable wipes, a young families daily staple is our travelling families favourite item. From cleaning sticky hands, to spot washing clothing on the road, as well as a great cleaning tool (remind me to tell you about the time we train hopped around Vietnam, and slept in co-sharing sleeper cabins)! We buy unscented ones when we can so we don’t smell like a childcare centre but this versatile item is never far from our carry-on luggage. And you can get them in any country you visit.
8. Multiple Bank Cards
While you may think this is obvious as we are two adults with two preteens (with their own ATM cards), the reason we do it is not just for convenience, but for security.
Imagine you are overseas, and you go to use your credit card, and all of a sudden it’s been blocked. Or your account has been drained. Well, it has happened to us. But never fear, we have another card from another bank ready to use with us at all times. We even have a spare card with our passports (which never leave the accommodation safe except on travel days). And if we have ever been in extremely busy areas, we carry one in one wallet and another in a hidden jacket or RFID pocket on our person. You may think this is overkill but there is nothing worse than being on hold to your bank back at home (hello time difference), knowing that that is the only form of access to money.
Final Thoughts
The more prepared you are for your travels, the less stressful your time will be. And the more you travel, taking these items with you will be as natural as bringing your passport. We recommend purchasing high quality items where possible to avoid the need for replacing them while you travel.
2 comments
Great list! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure. Thanks for reading.