When we started traveling again this summer, I had to dust off (aka, find) all of our go-to travel items… and when it came time to traveling with the girls, that took a little more thought. When we were traveling with Harper, and then Camille, early on, it always seemed we learned something new each time we traveled, which made the next experience more pleasant/easier. Yet, having taken a long break, I felt as if we needed to relearn all of our tricks again. After that first trip to San Diego back in June, it was almost just like riding a bike, and all the tips and tricks we used came back quickly. So when we were prepping for our longer road-trip, we were ready….

So whether you’re traveling with adults or with kiddos… or with a combination… I’ve rounded up the products that we’ve come to rely on over the past several years of traveling (and some more recent). I hope it helps in some way! Happy travels!

MAKE-UP BAG: I purchased this make-up bag last January and it’s a great travel bag for all your make-up… it holds quite a bit and the tabs within the bag are adjustable, so you can basically customize how you want the compartments to look.

HOT TOOLS CARRIER: I feel as if this is one of the most brilliant travel products ever created (… maybe that’s an exaggeration… but still, it’s pretty great). I always find myself doing my hair right before it’s time to zip up the suitcase and head out… yet I always have to carry my curling iron/straightening iron so it won’t burn anything in the suitcase. I discovered this product last year and was only able to use it once before the pandemic, but have taken it on our subsequent trips this past summer and it’s great! It can hold a curling iron and straightening iron and really does protect everything else in the suitcase.

COSMETIC BAG: This is a newer purchase for me, but I’ve been super happy with it so far… it has several interior compartments, with separate zipper sections, which allows you to keep everything really organized.

HAT CARRIER (not included in above collage): I forgot to include this in the above collage, but this hat carrier has been a great travel companion since 2019… I typically bring along several hats on our trips and I’ve tried packing them in my suitcase and no matter how careful I am I always find they get deformed somehow. So I invested in this hat carrier and now my hats stay intact while traveling….

WET CLOTHING POUCH: I love using this pouch when we go on vacations where we’re using our swimsuits… when the suits haven’t fully dried I simply toss them in this pouch and everything else stays dry.

SUNGLASSES CARRIER: If you like to bring along multiple sunglasses on a trip then this is for you… it allows you to pack up to four pairs of sunglasses and it’s a hard case so it keeps them protected. It’s also relatively compact so it doesn’t take up much space in a suitcase.

COSMETIC POUCH: So I use this for my tote bag that I take with me either on a plane or in the car… it’s soft and actually holds quite a bit… I can fit my sunglasses, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, chapstick, hair clip, small credit card carrier, and with all of that there is still a little bit of room left over. A much better option than having my items loose in my bag.

SHOPPER TOTE (10% off with code SHANNON10): I got this bag back in April and it’s wonderful! Sustainably made, and can be worn on the shoulder or crossbody. I love that it holds everything I need and I’ve taken it on all of our travels this summer. When we’re with the girls it holds all of their stuff and then some… and a good tote with kiddos is essential. It also cleans very easily… it’s had orange juice and chocolate milk spilled down the front of it and it literally just wipes right off!

FOR THE KIDDOS

TODDLER TRAVEL BED: We bought this back in 2019 when Harper transitioned to a toddler bed and we needed something smaller for her to sleep in at hotels… and then we brought it again on our road-trip this month. It’s great when you’re in a hotel and don’t have room for a large rollaway bed… or even when your little one is just starting out in a regular bed and you don’t want them high off the ground without rails on the side of the bed. It’s compact too, so doesn’t take up much space in a car.

ROLLER BAG: We purchased one of these for Harper a couple of years ago, and when we started traveling again got one for Camille. These are basically the girl’s “carry on” bags… they put all of their “toys” in them whether were just in the car or in flight (although we haven’t gone on a flight with the girls lately…).

PACKING CUBES: I love these packing cubes for keeping all of the girl’s clothes organized and separate… they work so well and even have a smaller case that is great for their accessories.

MINI MAGNET TILES: Both of our girls love the larger magnet tiles, so someone suggested we try out these mini travel magnet tiles for restaurants, etc… and they are wonderful! It keeps them engaged and they really enjoy them. Not really car-ride friendly… but they would be great in an airplane as well!

TODDLER HEADPHONES: These are excellent for when it’s time to turn on a movie in a plane or the car… they are small enough for a young ones head, come in cute color options, and really work!

COMPACT STROLLER: When we decided to do the road-trip up the coast we also determined that we needed a smaller stroller so that we could fit everything we needed into the car. After some research, we landed on this Cybex Pockit stroller… and it’s amazing… it literally folds into a small square so it’s nice and compact… the wheels work really well and it has a sufficient amount of storage space (for the size of the stroller) underneath. Highly recommend if you’re in the market.

STASHER SNACK CONTAINERS: My sister introduced me to these plastic free snack carriers and we use them all the time (daily) but they’re great for travel as well. They have an air tight closure and they’re also free of petroleum, PVC and latex as well as dishwasher, oven, and microwave safe.

CAR SEAT CARRIER: Love J.L. Childress travel items and we’ve been using this carseat carrier since we were traveling solo with Harper… it can be worn as a backpack, which is nice because it gives you free hands to carry all the other travel crap you have with toddlers (hahah!). It is padded as well!

THERMOS: Obviously this isn’t only reserved for travels, but when we’re traveling I like to ensure that whatever the girls are drinking isn’t going to spill all over the place (we’ve learned from experience) and these are great! Hold a lot of liquid and they. don’t. leak!