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Our Favorite Traveling Items of 2021

by Chrissy Holmes

Kylee (my husband) and I are used to traveling solo or just the 2 of us. But now with 2 kids, traveling took on a whole new world. Honestly, we never traveled with Callen as a baby. He was miserable to travel with. He'd cry for hours on end in the car, would never nap, complained as he got more vocal, you name it. Thank God I have a best friend who has always traveled with kids as I was able to lean on her for advice and tips. I'm determined Carson will be a little traveler now that Callen is at the age of being excited to leave for adventures. 

Back in my corporate America days, I traveled at least once a month to various office locations to check in and spend time with my staff. I quickly got used to packing smart and using a carry-on. No easy feat for me, I'm your classic over-packer. I mean, c'mon, a girl's gotta have 3 extra shoes and outfits to be prepared LOL!

If you don't already use packing cubes, I highly recommend you find a good set. Plus, you can use them around the house in your closet and dressers to help keep items organized. Grab a set like this one with different sizes to make short and long trips easier for packing. 

Food and Snacks for the Family

Whether we're traveling alone, as a couple, or now as a family, snacks on-the-go are a must for us. Kylee and I always pack our shakes for breakfast or a quick snack. They help keep some of the excessive eating at bay. It's also just our routine, so we like to try to keep that in place the best we can. We also always pack our electrolyte drink, Hydrate, to help us push water while traveling. I'll also tell you, our little eshots or BEA drinks are heaven on a daily basis with kids, but even better on vacation when you need a quick boost.  You can learn more about those products here. 

As for snacks for us and Callen, we like to keep the travel snacks relatively healthy. Seriously, the last thing I want is to load Callen up with sugar in the car! We pack things like trail mix, apples, carrot slices, applesauce pouches, or make protein balls. He's obsessed with Fig Bars, so those always get packed. For the record, they are pretty tasty for being whole wheat. I totally steal the Brownie ones!  

Carson's at that stage where we are just now introducing finger foods. Which makes packing a little easier because Puffs are life for an 8 month old! Happy Baby Organics was our go-to for Callen and we brought them back into our shopping rotation for Carson. 

Baby Essentials while Traveling

One thing we've learned quickly with Carson, he doesn't sleep the best when we're away from home. Naps are difficult. My best friend suggested a sound machine on-the-go and let me tell you, life changing! This is the one we fell in love with. It's budget friendly, has a timer, various sounds, and I can clip it to the stroller, car seat, or Pack N Play while we are away from home.

A stroller fan was also life changing. From being at the pool, to walking around on vacation, or even just staying in someone's house or a hotel that isn't the same temp we're used to, this little gem has been handy! It also has a nice LED nightlight attached to it. It charges like your phone so you don't have to haul batteries around. 
I learned early on when Callen was a baby that I needed a little bag for dirty/wet items so the diaper bag didn't get all gross or smell really bad while out and about. We use something like the below Waterproof Wet Bag. It holds anything from dirty diapers we can't throw away easily to dirty baby clothes and bibs. Throw it in the wash when you get home. Or spray it with our Odor Neutralizing Sprays to help keep it fresh. 

Simply Stated Bath & Body Products

Did you know a lot of our products are travel friendly? Here's what you'll find in my suitcase. I love our variety of Sprays...bug, sun, body, rest easy, so many options that easily fit into your toiletry bag!

Kid Activities for on-the-go

While I love the convenience of Callen's little Amazon tablet, I also don't want him to be glued to it for hours on end in the car or airbnb. If you're road-tripping, some of these ideas might be easier to pack than if you are getting on a plane.

  • Card games. Seems silly to even mention this, but Callen does better with a deck of cards that has images. He got this set for Christmas one year and it's well used! 
    • Usborne Books as a whole are easy to pack and they are by far Callen's favorites. There's activity pads, sticker books, wipe and clean books, water painting. We're kinda obsessed. If you aren't, let me know, I have a book lady to help with my obsession ha!
    • SimplyFun has been a new discovery for us thanks to a friend and I love these games! They are fun, educational, and you can complete a game within 15 minutes. We'll be packing a few for our upcoming Breckenridge trip.
    • Board games that are just fun. Marcia got Callen games like Trouble and Exploding Kittens to play on our next Mountain adventure. 
    • If you're brave, bring water color or coloring books for the car or plane. Marcia did find these cute rainbow scratch paper for Callen. They are small enough to pack away in a suitcase and haul out at a restaurant.

    What are your go-to traveling items for yourself or kids? Please share in the comments.

     

    The Simply Stated team,

    Chrissy & Marcia

    Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate Simply Stated Creations, LLC may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com

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