PACKING FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR IN ONE SUITCASE
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by Kristin Young | Updated On: August 21, 2019
Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin!
Packing can make or break a trip. Too many heavy bags limits your transport options, makes it harder to hold little hands, and is just simply exhausting.
Elevators are not that common in many apartments around the world, so, how many pairs of shoes do you really want to drag up five flights of stairs? Everyone tends to overdo it. So, here’s our packing guide – I promise it’s all you need!
Did you know that they have stores around the world??? Yep, really! The only real essentials are a passport and money, and you can probably survive without the rest.
We travel with one checked bag and one carry-on. Want to know what we take on the plane with us?
READ MORE: FAMILY OF 4, ONE CARRY-ON
THE BASICS
Medium suitcase Yes, a medium-sized one (like this one). Do not be tempted to get the large one! Why not?
- If you fill it full, it will probably be overweight, and you’ll then pay hefty fees to get it on the plane. (Been there, done that – not fun.)
- When you don’t fill it, all of your stuff will rattle around and some things could break.
- The more space you have, the more you will want to bring.
Even knowing all of this, on our last trip the boys and I traveled a week ahead of Andrew, and therefore had more space in our suitcase. So, I filled it with junk we didn’t need or use, then hated myself for it when we had to lug it up three crazy steep (like ladder-steep) flights of stairs in Trogir. Just don’t!
Packing cubes These are a must for staying organized, especially when the whole family is living out of one bag. We use Eagle Creek folders, half cubes, quarter cubes and sacks.
Luggage scale Know what is allowed, and stay within the weight limits. That way you’ll avoid fees and the dreaded unpacking and redistributing of weight at the check-in desk. In Europe they often weigh your carry-on and personal item, and you’ll have to check it if you are over.
KID ESSENTIALS
Peapod travel tent Most places have cribs, but we have found that unfamiliar places make for hard bedtimes. We get the kids used to the tent before we go, then bedtime is easy-peasy! (Sold as ages 1-3, but we used it before they turned one.)
Mifold booster seat Super-tiny booster for the car – much cheaper than renting one for a week.
Tot seat Smashable attachment to turn any chair into a high chair.
Picnic blanket Great for the beach, picnics and naps outside.
1 set of travel cutlery We picnic a lot, so this really comes in handy.
10 diapers I buy a supply when I get there, but I make sure I have enough to be starting out with. You don’t want to feel rushed to get to a store straight away.
Toys We bring a small Thomas track and a couple of trains. Seems silly, but we tried a trip without it and regretted it. We bring just enough track to make a small circle, and the boys will be entertained for hours – sounds crazy, but it’s wonderful! Others go in our carry-on.
ELECTRONICS
Baby monitor Not necessary in hotels, but we sometimes stay in houses with multiple levels. Don’t forget both parts and cords.
Extension cord with additional plug-ins Nothing heavy-duty or super-long, but sometimes the outlets aren’t convenient. And, let’s face it, we travel with a lot things that need to be charged or use power. We only have three adapters, so a power strip gives us all of those extra plug-ins. That means we don’t have to decide if it’s more important to charge the Ipad or the phone.
Adapters As I just mentioned, bring at least a few. We travel with three, and I sometimes wish we had more. One gets used for the baby monitor in the kids’ room, Andrew gets one, and I have one.
Converter You could need this, but I haven’t traveled with one for years. Almost everything electronic has a built in converter, so they are mostly unnecessary. Sometimes small inexpensive electricals like blow dryers, straighteners or curling irons don’t have them built in, so double check yours. I don’t travel with a blow dryer (they’re everywhere you stay), and my straightener is dual voltage.
Many, many years ago, my blow dryer shot fire at my head, so sometimes converters can be important.
Small Bluetooth speaker Totally unnecessary, but this is my packing splurge. As a family, we have dance parties almost daily, and it’s an important part of our family time. So I will defend it to the end as worth the space.
Paper clip So useful when changing SIMs or clipping a baggie to store sims. I’ll explain all about SIMs in another post.
CLOTHING
These clothes are for summer/early shoulder-season trips. For shoulder season, I switch out a few short-sleeve tops and shorts for long sleeves and pants, but it’s always lightweight and moisture-wicking. If it’s a beach trip, I add an extra swimsuit or two, and swap out an outfit for an extra sundress.
MOM’S GEAR
Folder
4 lightweight tank tops/short-sleeve tops
2 sundresses
Cube
2-3 pairs shorts
1 pair North Face roll-up pants
1 pair lightweight jeans (sometimes, depending on the trip)
Sack
5-6 pairs underwear
1 pair socks
1 regular bra
1 sports/yoga bra
1 swimsuit
1 light jacket
DAD’S GEAR
Folder (he could really probably use a half cube instead, but this is what we currently have)
3 t-shirts
2 polo shirts
1 running shirt
Cube
2 pairs North Face zip-off pants (I know people think these are kind of nerdy, but they’re really pretty perfect for the kind of traveling we do, so we both have them. Mine are roll-up instead of zip-off though.)
1 pair North Face shorts
1 pair swim shorts
1 pair running shorts
Sack
5 pairs underwear
2 pairs socks
Keen sandals
BIG BRO’S GEAR
(4 YEAR OLD)
Cube 1
5 short-sleeve shirts (one to double as pjs)
1 swim shirt
1 long sleeve shirt
5 pairs underwear
Cube 2
4 pairs shorts (one athletic to double as pjs)
1 pair pants
1 pair swim shorts
3 pairs socks
1 pair sandals (wear tennis shoes on the plane)
Light jacket
LITTLE BRO’S GEAR
(1 YEAR OLD)
Cube 1
3 short-sleeve shirts
3 onesies (double as pjs)
1 swim shirt
1 long-sleeve shirt
1 sleep sack
Cube 2
4 pairs shorts
1 pair pants
1 pair swim shorts
1 reusable swim diaper (We love ours from the Honest Company, but it seems that they’re not on the website!)
3 pairs socks
1 pair sandals (wears tennis shoes on plane)
Light jacket
TOILETRIES
Travel-size shampoo and conditioner Bring a small size, even if you’re checking a bag. It adds too much weight and takes up too much space. If you want more, grab some at the market when you get there.
Travel diffuser Curly girls, check this one out. It folds up to almost nothing and attaches to any blow dryer. It doesn’t stay on the best, but works well enough for the size.
Travel straightener It’s more of a light-duty, touch-up kind of straightener, but it’s smaller than my hand, and dual voltage.
Makeup This is not the time to bring 30 of your favorite shades of eyeshadow. I have a small bag with just the essentials.
Travel-size skincare Again, just the basics. If you don’t use that eye serum every night at home, why are you dragging it across the world? My little travel hack is to get the sample bottles from my dermatologist – they’re perfect for two or three weeks. Save the bottles and refill next time.
Travel-size baby wash
Travel-size deodorant
Travel-size curl cream/regular mousse (for Kristin) I also splurge on this sometimes because I love my mousse and it doesn’t come in travel size. If we’ve only got a carry on, then I sacrifice it and use the curl cream.
Travel-size hair cream (for Andrew)
Travel-size kids’ hair gel
Toothbrushes
Travel-size toothpaste (adults and kids)
Makeup remover cloths
Hair pick/brush
Razor (for Kristin)
Electric razor (for Andrew)
Band-Aids
Hairclips
Bobby pins
Travel-sized sunscreen
EXTRAS
Printed itinerary with addresses and phone numbers I know, with today’s technology, this shouldn’t be necessary. But you’d be surprised how many times your cellphone just doesn’t work when it’s is supposed to. So I really like to have my info on paper too.
Foldable duffel bag We don’t leave any room in our bags when we travel, so this duffel gets us by for bringing back any souvenirs. It also works as an overnight bag when we have long layovers and want to spend time in the city without lugging our big suitcase.
Baggies galore Take a mix of gallon-size and quart-size. They’re great for so many things: traveling with wet clothes, storing stinky diapers until you find a trash can, packing snacks for the day, etc.
Small umbrella You can’t ever really trust the weather, can you?
Read Next: Family of 4, One Carry-On
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About the Author: Kristin Young
