Our Must-Have’s for Family Travel Abroad
When we first packed for our year-long trip around the world, we ended up with a mountain of carefully researched “must haves.” After our first flight, we said, never again! So we sorted all of our things again and shipped a giant box back to the US. We did the same thing again in Italy two months later, and then in Turkey.
By the end of our journey we distilled our stuff to the essentials. Setting aside clothes and personal items, here are the things that we actually used all the time. Disclaimer: The amazon links below are our affiliate links for which we may get compensation.
Table of Contents
The universal plug adapter
Having 2 (or more) plug adapters with you is crucial to staying connected. These little “boxes of goodness” are light and worked in every single country across 5 continents. They also have spaces for USB plugs, which we used for our phones, nightlight, chromecast, laptops and other equipment that regulates voltage on its own. Pay attention to whether you need USBs or USB-C plugs this day in choosing the right one for you.
The voltage converting adapter
You already have the plug adapter, why do you need this? Aside from working as a splitter (it’s amazing how stingy some places can be with outlets), having one voltage converting adapter with you is important if you are carrying things like an electric razor, rechargeable battery pack, or a small hair straightener/curler. Many countries have different voltage levels in their plugs, so without an AC converter, tools like these will blow the electrical plugs in your AirBnBs. This item is a bit bulky/heavy, but if you need it, count it as one of your adapters. It has USB plugs for extra convenience.
The dyno nightlight
If you are traveling with a kiddo, we found a few things crucial -- one soft cuddly toy, some art supplies, and a nightlight. We loved this little dinosaur (or other animal) one. It’s lightweight and folds down flat for packing, but pops right back into shape. Your kiddo can change the light colors and carry it with them to the bathroom or elsewhere at night. Rechargeable via USB.
The battery charger
If you are carrying reusable batteries with you for remotes or other electronics, consider a portable re-charger. Here is an option that charges both AA and AAA. The one we took with us was bulkier, so I would go for one like this next time.
Small hair straightener
My hair went crazy in most places we traveled, especially humid Asia. Having this little guy with me helped keep the bangs in check when I wore a ponytail. I like ceramic plates on straighteners. (Note that hair dryers were available in 95% of our accommodations, so I don’t recommend carrying one with you.)
Chromecast
We used our laptop/ipads often entertainment, bu it was really great to easily watch movies together (and have access to our home-based media) on the TV as well. For example, you can VPN to your US-based Netflix, Hulu or Prime accounts, or stream anything from your phone or other device. Note: Make sure to install the VPN before you leave the US to make this work. NordVPN is what we used and it worked well. Here is our referral link to get a few months free (we will get a few months free as well): NordVPN Referral Link
Portable luggage scale
This was a light little addition to our electronics bag, but super useful. Because we had suitcases and backpacks for flights, we were constantly trying to balance our weight between them. This helped us not have to deal with all that at the airport.
Luggage chain lock
This was useful a few times to connect backpacks and suitcases when we left them on a luggage rack in the underbelly of a ferry. It would also be useful when snoozing in a train station or airport, or when you don’t want to lose something. I think we underused it a bit. It’s light and easy to use.
Travel door alarm
Lets just say that I don’t love ground floor AirBnBs with flimsy doors. Because of my desire for a bit of extra security at night, we decided to bring along a small and light alarm. I used this in many places - hotel rooms and AirBnB’s. Find one that’s light and easy to use and you can just fit under or in the rim of the door. Ours unfortunately is no longer for sale.
Luggage tracker tiles
These little guys were super useful for us when we misplaced suitcases (or rather the airline left them in Naxos) and when we were concerned about leaving backpacks on luggage racks in trains and busses. We kept one in each bag, my purse and on the kid when we were in crowded places.
If you don’t use Apple products, consider the Tile. It also works well!
Carbon Monoxide detector
After reading some horror stories about carbon monoxide poisoning, I decided to take a portable monitor along. In the vast majority of the countries we visited, there were no carbon monoxide or smoke detectors in housing units. I couldn’t find a portable fire alarm to take…otherwise I would have. I plugged in the batteries every time we settled into a home, and removed them for the airline travel (so the alarm wouldn’t go off by accident). The Kidde brand is reliable, lightweight and available on Amazon.
Laundry detergent sheets
Another item I was SUPER grateful for — small laundry detergent sheets. They are great for sensitive skin, and very light. Put them in a ziplock bag, instead of the box, and never worry about laundry.
Self-Sharpening Knife
We are well-versed in how bad AirBnB knives can be. I couldn’t bear to beat my vegetables with a metal stick instead of nicely slice them. So we decided to take a nicely sharp knife with us. This knife has a sheath and a sharpener in the sheath. It was wildly useful. Note: You can only take this if you are checking in a suitcase as we did.
Sleep masks
We have a hard time sleeping, so we bought comfy eye masks to help with the problem. They ended up being even more useful in hotel rooms! We used it so the kiddo could sleep while we still had lights on, and we used it in northern countries when the curtains weren’t enough for the sunny nights.
Afterbite stick
We loved this little itch quencher. We saw similar ones along the journey, but they had different ingredients and never helped as much as this one. There are a lot of mosquitoes out there folks…
Portable shower hook
Ok, so Mike and I are split on the importance of this one, but if you value comfortable showers, it’s a necessity. More than once on the trip we stayed at apartments with no hook for the showerhead, so you would have to hold the showerhead with one hand the whole time! This is most common in central or Eastern Europe and Asia. With this suction cup shower hook, you can insure hands-free comfortable showering. Works with virtually any tile.
Travel toiletry bag
We used this toiletry bag for all three of us, and it did a stellar job keeping wet things contained. It’s also a great shape to fit into a bag any which way. I wanted the pink color but Mike won with the black.
Cotopaxi backpack
This Cotopaxi travel pack was pretty awesome as Mike’s backpack. It was a bit too big for me. It held up well against lots of wear and had lots of pockets to fill -- like a comfy suitcase on your back really.
Kombio and Exploding kittens
Games are an obsession of ours, so we definitely needed a few to take along. The two we played most are light, small and easy to play in small places. Kombio especially, became an obsession. Enjoy!
Coloring pencils
These were great for drawing together with the kiddo. She loved the variety of adding drawings to our homeschooling lessons, and it just made everything better.
