Good morning from the road! We are loaded up and headed north, first for a night in Connecticut, then Boston, and finally Maine! I’m so grateful we’ve had the opportunity to travel so many places as a family and look forward to all the adventures to come. Over the years I’ve picked up tips from fellow travelers to make the process of packing what we need go more smoothly. Some items I held off on for years for no real reason and now realize how some simple items can make a huge difference in convenience and ease of traveling as a family.

I’m sharing a few of my tried and true favorites in this post for easy reference, but you can always find all my current favorites of kitchen gadgets, books, family games, and gift ideas on my storefront. And if you have a favorite travel must have that I missed, please share with me! 🙂

Travel Purse

I have two different bags that I like to use as a purse while traveling. The first is a cute crossbody sling bag. It’s comfortable and thoughtful in its use of space, providing room for the essentials: credit cards, cash, phone, chapstick, bandaids, and some hand cream. I love this bag for airports and city travel when I want my valuables tucked close to me without giving me an aching shoulder.

The second bag is a fanny pack/crossbody bag. It’s best know for being the Lulu crossbody dupe, but it’s simple, comfortable, and comes in a variety of colors. There are mesh pockets inside to separate your items. It’s a really cute bag for tweens and teens while traveling, too!

Toiletry Bag

I joke that I finally felt like a grown up when I bought this toiletry travel case. It’s fantastic. It fits my makeup, skincare products, hair care, toothbrush, and more. It folds up and zips to neatly fit in a suitcase, then unfolds and hangs for easy access to everything you need when you get to your destination.

I also have finally retired our gallon ziplock bags that used to serve as the kids’ travel toiletry case. I replaced them with these cute and simple, clear, double layer travel cases. They are nothing fancy, but they work so well as an upgrade for the girls, giving them a place to pack and store their toothbrush, toothpaste, orthodontia needs, hair brush, and hair ties all in one, easily accessible spot.

3 in 1 Foldable Magnetic Apple Charger

This one is for my Apple people (not David, he’s still on team Android). But this three in one magnetic charger is a dream if you have an apple watch, an iPhone, and iPods. It charges all three, including the iPhone, by just placing it onto it’s charging spot. It folds up and transports easily to wherever you need to take it, so you don’t need to worry about packing multiple chargers for each device.

Portable Charger

I feel like most people today have a portable charger they love, but if you don’t, may I recommend these block chargers? We have two and they have saved us so many times, in national parks, Disney World, and more. They can charge multiple devices at once and holds a lot of charge. These are great to charge kid devices or your phone, which comes in especially handy if you’re known to drain your battery taking videos or navigating directions (guilty).

Medicine/Supplement Travel Case

Another travel case? Yes. And one I held off on for a while because a large ziplock worked fine enough. However, when we travel, I like to have what we need on hand, from medicine to vitamins to melatonin and electrolytes and this medicine bag fits the bill. Having a dedicated spot to neatly store these items is hugely helpful and the visibility makes it easy to access exactly what you’re after, quickly.

Silicone Pour Over Coffee Dripper

One of the items I get asked about the most is our travel pour over coffee dripper. It folds up to be tiny, then pops out to sit on top of a mug. Just add a filter and your favorite coffee grounds, then pour over boiling water for a convenient and delicious cup of coffee to enjoy whether you’re camping, in a hotel, or staying a rental house.

Compression Packing Cubes

We are a carry-on only kind of family when flying and these compression packing cubes make a world of difference. I’ve found multiple ways to use them: sometimes I put all my shirts into one, and all my shorts and pants into another, so they are categorized that way. Another way I’ve organized it is to place individual outfits in each cube. When we woke up super early at Disney (see our complete Disney pack list here), it was so nice to pull out each person’s labeled cube and have everything we each needed, from socks and underwear to matching headband.

Light Up Travel Mirror

Charged with a USB cable, this handy travel mirror folds up flat and provides multiple lighting options so you can do your facial care and make up anywhere. It’s really bright, lightweight, and a good size.

Security Door Jammer

Whether you are traveling alone or with family, this small door jammer gadget provides an extra level of security and mental peace. It’s easy to set up and prevents the door from opening from the outside even if the lock is somehow undone. David bought this for me for when he had to head home on a recent road trip and it was just the girls, me, and my mom, and it definitely helped us feel more secure at night.

Light Weight Backpack

This is an excellent lightweight but durable backpack for day trips, hikes, and traveling at a great price. I love this thing. It is compact, but still fits my laptop, a book, my wallet, a water bottle, and the other small random needs like toothpicks, Band-Aids, and ChapStick. It’s comfortable to wear and is water resistant. It comes in a bunch of colors, too!

For complete, updated list of travel favorites, click here.