Updated Oct 2025 We haven’t always been experts when it comes to making a family vacation packing list for travel – in fact, Dan and I used to be pretty terrible packers! A year after we got married, we built … Read More
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This post on travel tips for Morocco with kids contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. That means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but it doesn’t affect your price at … Read More
This travel with a baby post contains affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own. That means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link, but it doesn’t affect your price at all. Thank you … Read More
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Updated Oct 2025
We haven’t always been experts when it comes to making a family vacation packing list for travel – in fact, Dan and I used to be pretty terrible packers!
A year after we got married, we built in a summer of travel before we had to return to school and jobs. And we took two large checked suitcases. Plus backpacks. For two people. When traveling across multiple continents and using multiple modes of transportation.
I’m horrified just writing it and knew we needed a packing list for vacation with kids.
It took some practice but we’ve really honed in on what to pack for a child when traveling. When packing for kids, it can be so tempting to every thing for every potential situation. I know I’ve been overwhelmed trying to figure out how to pack light with kids and have definitely been tempted to pack kitchen sink when packing for babies.
A family travel packing list for kids and babies has been really helpful in not forgetting essentials and also resisting the temptation to overpack. Plus a kids travel list is easy to put together!
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It was really a game changer when I started making kids visual packing lists. It has allowed even my young kids to start participating in the packing process, and getting them accustomed to helping out with preparing for travel.
What is a visual packing list for kids?
A visual packing list is a packing list that uses pictures instead of or in addition to words . This means that even non-readers are able to start helping out! A visual packing list takes advantage of this interest when it’s at its peak.
And don’t miss our winter packing list for kids!
After 11+ years of lots of travel with kids, we’ve managed to get our family packing system down pretty tight. Having a kids packing list for a trip has been so helpful in feeling confident we have all the baby travel essentials.
One summer, we spent 10 weeks in Europe with our family of 6 and took 1 large suitcase & 2 backpacks, plus a lightweight stroller and car seat. Another time, we spent almost 3 weeks in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. We fit our entire family and kids packing list in 2 carry-on suitcases and 2 backpacks plus stroller/car seat/baby cot – largely because we stuck to our family vacation packing checklist.
If you’re wondering what to pack for a family vacation and looking for a family packing list that has every single thing you could possibly need, this is not it. Because honestly, if you really end up needing that Ace bandage or whatever, you’ll probably be able to buy it wherever you are. This baby travel checklist gets us through 95% of situations on trips ranging from 3 days to 3 months.
A kids travel packing list keeps us organized and focused when packing for family travel. Here’s the minimalist kids packing list we always use to cover our needs but still stay super lightweight and agile. I love knowing that with our kids vacation packing list we have all the baby travel essentials while sticking with minimal packing for babies.
Regarding number of outfits, per our kid packing list, we typically pack 3-5 per person for our family and baby travel essentials. We personally feel comfortable wearing outfits a couple times if they’re not dirty, and sometimes handwash an outfit and air dry if we need something before we can do a full load. That way, we can minimize the number of outfits we pack. Between 3-5 is enough that you have options, especially when mixing and matching, but a small enough number that everything gets plenty of use.
We typically pack the smaller number if going to cold weather destinations (easier to rewear outfits, we often wear base layers under, and have coats on top so they don’t get as dirty), and have more options when traveling to warm destinations.
Here are some of our most popular posts detailing what we’ve packed for trips to different places in all seasons:
Here’s our full family travel packing list for kids and families!
Babies do have some unique needs so we follow a slightly different packing list for babies. Namely, we take an extra couple outfits because you never know what will happen!
We really try to limit shoes as much as possible since they’re bulky and heavy! We don’t usually worry about dress shoes when packing for kids and do our best to limit our family packing to 1-3 pairs of shoes per person, depending on where we’re going. Here’s more about our favorite travel shoes for men & women.
We don’t go crazy with the medical items when we travel with kids. We’ve found that we’re able to purchase most things in most places, and the likelihood of needing them is slim. Still, we do take along a few things that get more regular use and helpful in emergencies.
I love having a printable kids travel checklist to print for each of my kids. I just fill in the number of items that they need to pack, and cross of anything they don’t need (like gloves if we’re going to a tropical destination, for instance).
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