8 Brilliant Travel Tips for Family Trips

23rd February 2023

One of my most favourite things is going away as a family. However, going away with kids can be so stressful, both before and during a trip, whether you’re staying at home or going abroad.

Packing for lots of different people, with all of the things you need for kids, can mean you have so much stuff to take, and organisation is key to ensure you have everything you need, without taking the kitchen sink, or not having room to fit the children in. Plus it’s good to be organised ahead of time so that once you’re there you can relax (or try to!) and enjoy your break.

Travel Tips for Family Trips

So I thought I would share some great tips for family trips to help you get organised and plan ahead, as well as have a great time once you’re away.

Plan outfits

It can save so much time as well as packing space to plan outfits ahead of time, particularly for kids. I’ll be honest I do find it hard to do this for myself as I never know what I’ll feel like wearing or if I’ll just feel rubbish in something that day, so whilst I do try to plan stuff, I don’t do it exactly and I do have extra outfits, but I still try to make sure I have outfits that go together and not end up taking a pair of shoes that don’t go with anything.

For my daughter I like to plan outfits for each day we’ll be away, and then sometimes I’ll put a whole outfit with underwear into separate bags which really helps with organisation when we’re there.

Use packing cubes

My packing is so much more organised since I started using packing cubes a few years ago, especially if I’m taking a suitcase. They’re so helpful to keep things together or to have different coloured ones for each person’s clothes if you’re sharing a case. I also keep all of our chargers and any other wires in one to make them easy to find and keep them safe. I have some like these as well as Travel Hack’s compression packing cube which is great.

Also, roll your clothes rather than fold them – you can fit so much more in this way, but it also tends to make them less creased.

Use a Trunki for kids

I’ve written about Trunki’s lots of times before and we love them so much. They’re great for packing kids’ things in, you can fit lots in them, and they’re also brilliant for keeping them entertained as they can ride on them. They’re wonderful to have at airports, particularly. I love to fill them with any snacks we need for a journey, as well as a few new activity books, small toys, and a change of clothes just in case.

Click and Collect your shopping

This is only applicable if you’re travelling in the UK, but it’s such a great idea. If you’re staying in a holiday home you could also just arrange to have your shopping delivered once you’ll be there, so you don’t have to fill your car with shopping, but click and collect once you’ve unpacked your car is great too. Whether you need to do a big shop with food and wine, or just pre-order bulkier items like nappies, wipes, and some toiletries, it will save so much space in your car, as well as saving you time going round a supermarket with tired kids (and adults!) too.

Take an iPad or tablet and headphones

Load it up with a couple of new tv programmes they like or a new film as a treat, as well as lots of games they like to play. You can even download some films and TV programmes on Netflix now for when you don’t have internet. You may not want to rely on a tablet too much whilst you’re on holiday, but kids get exhausted so they’re always good to have, particularly on long car journeys when you’ve absolutely had enough of cries of ‘Are we nearly there yet?’. Plus a lot of games that Ava plays on hers are educational anyway so I’m happy for her to spend a while on them.

Take a backpack for days out

There’s always so much stuff you need for days out with children – sun cream, bottles of water and snacks, extra layers in case it gets chilly – so it’s so much easier to carry it all in a nice backpack when you’re away. It’s more comfortable to carry, but it also leaves keeps your hands available for holding onto little hands.

Always make sure you have plenty of snacks

Especially in case you get stuck somewhere or there are traffic jams or delays and they’re suddenly going to miss their lunch when it wasn’t planned. I always have some raisins and one or two of those ‘Goodies’ snack bars or something like that in my bag. But, I’ll always try to have a bit of chocolate too – Buttons are good so you can spread them out if you need to bribe them more than once, but whatever you have, chocolate is a necessity for when you really need it!

Use identity bracelets for kids

Obviously, it’s a terrifying thought, but kids can get lost in crowds or little ones can run off if you take your eyes off them for a second, especially in strange new places, so getting them to wear an identity bracelet is a great idea so that they can quickly be returned to you if the worst should happen. Littlelife make cute ones (here) that they might actually be happy to wear. We had the pink unicorn one for Ava when she was younger and she was always happy to wear it, and it was great for festivals or any days out where there were lots of people.


Hopefully, these tips will help you a little bit on your next family trip and make it slightly less stressful for you! Have a look at Kirsty from Navigating Baby’s post too, for lots of great tips on plane travel with kids if you are off abroad soon and you can get some great hotel booking deals here too. If you have any tips for travelling with your family then please share them in the comments!

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