The midst of a pandemic may seem like an odd time to talk about travel, but we are hoping to be able to fly to Australia at some point in the near future so we are starting to dig out our travel supplies in the hopes we’ll make it soon. This has me thinking about some of the tools we use that make our long flights a little easier, that others in the community might find useful.
Bag Organizers
When traveling with little ones, one thing I would definitely recommend to help everyone stay organized are some sort of bag organizers. There are lots of options, but basically you want something lightweight so it doesn’t add too much weight, and something that kids can easily open and access. We use these All-in Organizers from Thirty One Gifts. I don’t see them currently available on their website, but they do have other similar products. The main reason I like these is that they can easily be taken out of the suitcase when we arrive, then each kid can manage their own organizer from then on. They actually hold much more than would appear, especially with the outside pockets. My kids can usually pack everything they need, even for long trips, in one organizer.
Another option is packing cubes. While these help to keep your suitcase organized, they are much harder for kids to keep organized upon arrival. You might want to use these for yourself though. You can sort by different types of clothing (pants, t-shirts etc) or you can put a whole outfit into separate cubes. They definitely meet the criteria of lightweight, and because of the mesh you can easily see what is inside.
Headphones
I am lucky enough to have a pair of noise canceling headphones which I use regularly in my day to day life and these are terrific on the plane. They are fairly expensive though so probably not something you need just for the flight. Comfortable headphones for the kids though are a must on a long haul flight. We really like these ones because they can connect to each other, so if you have one ipad both kids can listen on their own headsets. Like most kids headsets they are also volume limited so you know they are not blasting their ears.
Carry What They Can
My final tip is to get the kids backpacks to carry on the plane that they can comfortably carry. Anyone two years old or older can probably carry something, and every little bit helps. Between strollers, car seats and whatever else you are trying to manage, anything they can carry comfortably without you having to add to your load is useful. We also try to use suitcases that are manage for them to wheel so that everyone can basically manage their own luggage (excluding infants of course).
For more travel tips, check out Chapter Nine in The Mom Wing-Woman book where I detail how to prepare for travel from day trips to longer trips, by land and air.