PACK FOR THE UNEXPECTED – HOW TO BE THE QUEEN OF TETRIS WITH YOUR CARRY ON AND YOUR KIDS IN TOW ON YOUR NEXT FLIGHT

Finally, your long awaited vacation is upon you.  In just a few days you’ll be sipping margaritas by the ocean with your feet in the sand or not.  But before that, you need to hop on a plane with your carry on and your kids.

It’s difficult these days knowing what you can bring on board and it makes it even harder to pack.  If it’s a sunny destination it is almost a no brainer, but let’s say you’re going to Iceland over Winter break (see our Iceland guide) packing can be tricky, especially with only a carry on.

More often than not, we try to only travel on an airplane with carry-ons.  Since we usually have to pay extra to check a bag and we don’t want that, we try to make do with as little as possible while keeping some space in our bags for travel souvenirs to bring home.  If we can’t make do with just carry on bags, we only check 1 bag.

Now, if you are traveling with a baby or toddler, packing will become even more trickier and depending on your destination and your length of stay, you might have to check a bag.  However, when kids are a little bit older, they can not only have but are able to carry their own bag.

One general rule or maybe two that you should follow when you pack your carry on is that less is more and to plan for the unexpected.

Hopefully, this packing guide will make your upcoming trip a piece of cake.

How and what to pack in your carry on

If you are going to check a bag, put everything that you won’t need to use during your flight.  That being said, always have a spare outfit or two with you in your carry on, in case your luggage gets lost or didn’t make it on the flight.  

True story. On a week-end getaway from Paris to Galway, Ireland, our luggage stayed in Paris.  We had to buy a change of clothes once we arrived because we hadn’t even brought a carry on with us. I have since then learned from that mistake.  Hence, I always bring a carry on, with extra clothes and my toiletries.  If we are going to a beach destination, I pack my bathing suit and travel towel in my carry on.  I am not leaving anything up to chance.

Even when you travel with a baby on an airplane (see our baby airplane travel guide), the baby is allowed a small bag.

• First you’ll need to check with your airline what the bag limit is.

Usually, on long flights you can bring 2 carry-ons and a “purse” that can go under the seat in front of you.  The purse is not considered  a carry on, at least not from my experience.  As a ‘purse’, I use a small backpack which I use as a day pack when we are visiting places.  It might not be stylish, but it is practical. I don’t travel to make a fashion statement.

Clothing

• Don’t over pack and pick versatile clothing to wear. Unless there is a special reason for it, pack clothes that you can wear more than once on your trip.

• Always pack a sweater and something you can use as a blanket on the plane.

It can get really cold on an airplane because of the AC. If you are travelling barefoot (in sandals), bring a pair of socks.

• Pack a light waterproof jacket in case it rains.

With your sweater, you can thicken your jacket in case it gets cold. Obviously, if you’re going to a wintery destination, you’ll forgo the rain jacket and bring your Winter one instead.

• Don’t pack Toys R Us in your kid’s bag and don’t bring loud or small toys.

Loud toys are going to annoy everybody on the plane.  It’s already annoying when people are speaking on their cell phone next to you, you don’t want to add Beep Beep Boom to the mix. Also, the smaller the toy is, the more chance it will get lost under a seat.  If you’ve been on a plane before, you know that we don’t get much leg room.  Therefore, imagine having to bend or kneel down to look for the batman figurine, a hot wheels car or Barbie’s shoes.  Let me tell you, it’s not fun!

Shoes

• We ladies love shoes, but they can take up a lot of space in a bag.  I usually bring two pairs.  If it’s a sunny destination I’ll bring sandals and a pair of fancier shoes to wear at night or sneakers if I plan to do some hiking. I love my Birkenstock sandals which I like to wear with dresses in the evenings.  It’s actually what I did while on our honeymoon in Colombia and I even ended up hicking in them in a tropical forest (see our Tayrona Park experience).

The same rule applies when travelling with kids. For a beach destination you’ll possibly need water sandals or flip flops and a pair of closed off sandals for walking around or sneakers.

• If you are putting closed shoes in your carry ons, use the inside space to store your socks, underwear or anything else that could fit inside.

Wear shoes that can be easily removed for when you have to pass airport security.

Dress style

• On the airplane, wear comfortable clothing and pick something that would take up the most space in your carry on.  Usually it will be jeans, sneakers, sweater or sweat shirt. 

• For a Winter destination, if you don’t want to have to check a bag, wear your snow pants on the plane.  They tend to take up a lot of room in a luggage but you can’t make do without them.  However, you won’t have to bring a blanket because you will be nice and warm on the plane. 

Things to put in your purse – The Essentials

Your “purse” or small day pack, should have all your essentials and necessities. 

This includes:

• Wallet
• Passport 
• Boarding pass
• Itinerary
• Phone
• Phone charger
• Camera
• Ipad
• Prescriptions
• Health record
• Guide book
• Pen (to fill out immigration and custom forms)
• Toothbrush / toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Hair brush
• Pair of socks

An extra pair of socks will keep your feet warm.  If traveling with sandals bare foot, you can use your socks to walk around the airplane.

Use your “purse” to put all your valuables and important papers inside. Put the toiletries in a clear reusable ziplock so that they are easier to find and take out when you pass security.  The ziplock can then be used to store snacks on your day trips.

What to pack in the Baby carry on

In a baby carry on you’ll need to pack everything you’ll need for the meals, diaper change, change of clothes and a toy or two.  Always pack a little extra in case your flight is delayed or your checked bag gets lost.

Here is a quick check list:

• Food formula /baby bottles

Bring enough formula for 3 days. 

• Wipes
• Snacks or meal

Feed your baby before boarding as the meal service on a place can take a while to come.  If you are breastfeeding, this is a non issue.  It’s possible for the flight attendant to warm up your baby bottle, but the baby can drink formula at room temperature as well.

• Diapers
• Teddy bear or special toy
• Change of clothes
• PJ
• Diaper change mat
• Towel
• Wet bag in case of big over flow in diaper and you need to change clothes or vomit

You can gate check your stroller (FREE) if you have a long walk through the airport or a layover.  This allows you to navigate the airport more efficiently.  However, to pass security, you’ll gave to remove everything from the stroller, baby included.

As for other baby gear, leave it at home and rent it at your final destination through Babyquip.

What to pack in the kids carry on

As the kids start getting older, they can carry their own bag.  You can start small, packing only their own personal belongings to entertain them.

Here are some ideas:

• Dot stickers
• Plastic animals
• Simple in flight games
• Book / colouring book 
• Paper / coloured pencils
• Flash cards
• Teddy bear
• Blanket

This will make your plane ride goes smoothly.  Also, you can pack a special new toy to make it a surprise.  You might not want to pack their favourite toy though in case it gets lost.  This is a good way to avoid unnecessary drama or tantrums.

Then, you can also pack a change of clothes, a pair of shoes, jacket, etc.

A good backpack that works well as a day pay for kids 5 to 8 years old is Tarn 12 by REI.  If in Canada, MEC has some great backpacks as well for kids.  Pick one that will have side pockets which are practical to store the water bottle and a pair of flip flops.

By organizing your carry on well, you’ll find that you’ll have extra space to store some travel souvenirs on the flight back.  Packing cubes, zip locks or Cotopaxi backpacks will help you pack easily.

Are you an eco-friendly traveler, check out our Zero-waste packing guide.