Essential Travel Gear: Our Favorite Products for Families

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When it comes to travel, a few well-chosen essentials can make all the difference in the journey. Over the years, I’ve found some products that truly elevate my trips, making it easier to focus on what really matters: chasing memories and connecting with loved ones. Whether it’s keeping my family comfortable on long flights, organizing our essentials, or capturing those magical moments, these go-to items are my trusty sidekicks on every adventure. And for all the traveling parents out there, I’ve also included a dedicated guide packed with my top picks for making travel with kids easier, along with some of our favorite family-friendly essentials.

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Luggage:

This luggage piece is great for a carry on. I love it's durability and compact size. This will fit most US airline carry on dimensions. This bag is great for kids to use, they can roll it with ease, or roll on it themselves!

Hands down this is the BEST carry on backpack. It's 40L and fits as a carry on for most US and international dimensions. There's so many anti-theft features to this bag and being hands free is crucial when traveling, especially with kids. The hip straps evenly distribute the weight and make this pack feel much lighter on your back.

Essentials:

This super slim wallet is FANTASTIC. It can hold several cards and the elastic portion on the front is great for holding cash. The best part of this, it's so small I can tuck it in my bra (don't judge, it's the best place to make sure it doesn't get lost or stolen) and no one can even tell it's there! Lots of patterns to choose from!

This is the slim wallet that my husband prefers. It's bifold and super compact. He can easily tuck it into a zippered pocket and you can hardly even tell it's there! Lots of colors to choose from!

This mini percussion massage gun is a lifesaver! After walking all day, sometimes on cobblestone streets, our muscles thank us for packing this travel size massager. And at the end of the day when they kids are complaining that their legs hurt, they love using this as well, and somehow it's like a magical cure all for every sore muscle.

I promise you don't ever want to go without a portable power bank. Travel seems to use up our phone battery much faster with all the information we are looking up, or constanly running the map features. This brand is the ONLY brand I trust and they have great customer service.

I like this power bank because it's compact, has the charging cord and wall outlet all built into this 3 in 1 design. It gets almost 2 full charges, and is fast charging. I highly recommend this one!

This universal adapter is so convienent because it covers most of the main type of outlet adapters you will need. Make sure to always check which adapters you will need for each country you will be traveling to BEFORE you travel.

Airtag 4 pack. These are fantastic for helping track all of your items! And even better becasue it tells you when you've left something behind! We put one in our hotel safe so in case we forget we put valuables in there, we will be alerted that it's been left behind!

This is just a single Airtag if you aren't needing the 4 pack!

I love these packing cubes because they can be compressed to take up less space in your suitcase! They hold up great. I recommend getting different colors for different days, or different family members depending on how you like to pack!

If you're traveling with your family you are likely in economy (at least we are to save money) and I promise you you'll want a good eye mask that can help you avoid the painful bobble head effect. This one straps to your headrest making it easier to keep your head in an upright position, saving your neck!

This travel first aid kid is essential when traveling with kids! It has 60 items in such a compact size, and I promise you'll be glad you packed this!

It's important for us to stay on track of our health and fitness goals, even when we travel (we are on the road too much to just take the week off!) and we LOVE this travel TRX system. We can get a great full body workout and this stores in a small mesh bag which is easy to throw in your suitcase. And it comes with an adapter that allows you to put it on any door. Future you will be grateful you got this (and actually used it)

Toiletries Must Haves:

L'ange is a fantastic brand all around, but the beauty of this for travel is it is dual voltage. Making this the perfect hair tool because it works at home and abroad! I've never loved a hair tool brand more.

I love these silicone travel containers because they are only a 1 oz. size. And let's be honest, rarely would we actually need a full 3 oz of our lotions, shampoos, etc. Just because TSA allows 3.4 oz doesn't mean we should allow that much space to be used in our carry on!

These containers are also a smaller size and our great for thicker products. I love the ease of the pop off lids.

This super compact steamer will help keep your clothes looking wrinkle free and fresh! I love the compact size so you don't have to comprimise on luggage space.

Ok, this one might seem silly but I am OBSESSED with this individual packets of hand sanitizer. They are so convienent and you can throw them in your purse, car, pocket, anywhere. It's a great way to always have cleanliness on hand!

Traveling with Kids Must Haves:

Keeping kids entertained without just being on screens the whole time is vital. Our kids get crazy with too much screen time, so it's important for us to have SMALL, portable, durable toys to help keep them engaged. We like toys that have a level of imagination to them so they can be played in so many different ways. Here's some of our favorites.

These magna tiles are MINI and pack a powerful punch in a small package. We love them!

We love these Pixar Cars because they are mini, and they are metal. Which means they are super durable and packable! Our little guy LOVES playing with his cars, and even his older big sisters join in on the fun!

Also durable and metal are these mini planes! Because if you're going to fly, you better have toys to help you feel like you're the pilot!

Please tell me my kids aren't the only ones who feel like they NEED to have their squishmallows (or other stuffy) to feel comfortable while traveling? I'm sorry, but this Mama doesn't have the space for big stuffys! Enter these awesome tiny (2 inch) squishmallows! They each take one and it's so compact it's perfect!

These reading lights that sit around your neck are a perfect way for us to get our child who's less than enthused to read to actually read while we travel.

I don't know what it is about these scratch it notes but my kids are OBSESSED with them. We only allow them for travel so it remains a novelty item. Warning they do leave the black scratched off bits behind, which is another reason we love them for travel...not our space!

These are so fun to create with and the possibilities are endless! It's very common to see my. husband or myself playing with these too, they are so satisfying somehow.

And for all the mini toys, these bags are the perfect way to store them and keep them organized!

Travel is about embracing the journey, not just the destination. With these must-haves by my side, I can fully dive into each experience, free from the little inconveniences that can detract from the moment. I hope these recommendations, along with my guides for parents and kid-friendly travel essentials, help you feel prepared and inspired to keep on CHASING MEMORIES on your next adventure. Happy travels!