high desert homemaking

Plus SCREEN-FREE kids carry on activities

When traveling with a large family, packing for a flight can often feel daunting and chaotic. Striking a balance between ensuring you have everything you need and keeping luggage light can be a challenge.

I’ll give you my effective strategies for packing efficiently, some tips for the kids, and ways to keep carry-on entertainment under control. With a little planning and creativity, traveling with children can transform from a stressful task into an enjoyable adventure for the whole family.

Stay tuned for my favorite screen-free kids’ activities!

Flying with the Whole Family!

On an upcoming flight, in an attempt to save money, we booked our tickets as “basic economy” on United Airlines.

On United, basic economy tickets do not come with a personal item or a carry-on bag. The difference in price to upgrade five tickets to economy was drastically more than checking one bag and bringing a few “personal-sized” items.

The decision was made for us. I was certain I could fit myself, my husband, and the things of our 6-, 4-, 2-, and 6-month-old children into one moderately sized suitcase weighing less than 50 lbs.

Trip Analysis

Here is the “Cliff Notes” of our trip. Seven days. Visiting family. Some outings, some lounging around. Some swimming. No special event.

This info informed the packing strategy massively. Being able to wash clothing was very important to my plan.

We did not have an event requiring special clothes, like a wedding. This meant I would be able to bring the bare bones basics of what we need daily.

Being with family meant that they would be willing to accommodate some of our needs. My dear sweet sister-in-law offered to pick up toiletries and diapers for us.

Start Early!

A lot of your packing success with depend on when you start packing for your trip!

Whenever I put off packing, I bring so many extras- panic mode kicks in. I think of every worst case scenario to justify bringing so much more.

A week or two before departure, I start setting aside the things I know were going to bring. Swim suits, water shoes, shorts. I start making outfits, and if anyone needs to wear those clothes, I make a note in my phone that I want to pack that item.

This method works because you will have days to figure out exactly what you’ll need, as opposed to a few hours if you have put off packing.

The day before you leave, look over your lists and make sure that everything you wanted to bring made it back into your bag.

You must do laundry

It might be obvious,s but to pack light, you will have to re-wear your outfits.

For kids, this is so easy. I know my kids are always waiting for their favorite shirt to come out of the dryer. They do not mind wearing the same clothes day after day.

When planning your trip, double-check that your accommodations provide a washer and dryer. We usually stay with family. I let them know ahead of time that we’ll need to run some laundry while we are visiting.

Mix and Match Outfits

Every piece of clothing you bring should be able to be worn together. It is easy to get into the mindset that while on vacation,n you’ll be dressed up and accessorized. The perfect version of yourself.

Let’s be realistic. Will you need a different jacket for each day? Or do you have one that will work in different weather? Do you need the perfectly matching shoe and purse combo, or can you make it work with one basic option?

Be critical of your choices. Avoid the urge to bring all the “just in case” items. This will save you so much space in the end.

Packing Cubes

Packing cubes seem to be all the rage! If I were packing for myself, I’m not sure that I could justify the expense. However, fitting six people into one bag – organization is essential!

Cubes in multiple sizes are useful. They help with smaller kids’ clothes. They also provide the option to organize better on longer trips.

Wear bulky clothes on the plane.

Wear the cozy sweatshirt on the plane. Pack your sandals and wear your tennis shoes.

I am certain the “airline code of conduct” has a policy against sandals on the airplane. The thought of walking barefoot through security is a scary one for me.

Simplify your packing and wear the things that take up a lot of space in your suitcase.

Container Concept

The container concept is the idea that whatever size “container” you have will dictate how many things you can keep.

In decluttering, this looks like: I will only keep as many pencils as fit in my pencil box. I will declutter the rest.

I use this principle for kitchen towels; I only keep as many towels as fit in my towel basket.

The container concept becomes extremely obvious when packing. Whatever bag I’m taking, checked bag or carry-on, everything must fit in there.

For this trip, I felt very strongly about avoiding any unnecessary fees. As the bag fees increase with each additional bag, I couldn’t justify bringing more than one checked bag.

So, my decision was made for me. My desire to save money beat my desire to bring more things.

Tips for packing light – Family of Six!

1. Start planning early
2. Plan for laundry
3. Mix and match outfits
4. Packing cubes
5. Container Concept

Steal my method and save so much on airline baggage fees!

Flying with kids- Novelty>Quantity

Packing carry-on activities for kids can easily get out of control. I almost packed half the coloring book collection.

For this trip, I picked up a few NEW activities for my 6, 4, and 2-year-olds.

My choices were driven by NOVELTY over QUANTITY. What does this look like?

1. One new coloring book, not three that we already had.
2. One new fidget toy, rather than packing a few other little toys.
3. New snacks.
4. A few new Yoto cards instead of the entire collection!
5. Sticker books.

All these little choices meant my kids could actually carry their backpacks. They weren’t weighed down by entertainment.

Kids’ Carry-on Travel Essentials

Sicker Books

Coloring Books

New Fidget toy

Screen Free Entertainment

Yoto Player

We use the Yoto player every day at our house. My kids love it. It is easy enough for them to use by themselves. Yoto offers a wide variety of cards, stories, songs, and podcasts for kids. We can always find something to enjoy.

Our favorite Yoto cards are: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Ladybird classics (abridged versions of Little Women, Treasure Island, etc.), and Frog and Toad.

Be Ruthless with your Packing

You can do it! Plan ahead, give yourself plenty of time to pack, and avoid making “what if!” decisions. Traveling with kids doesn’t have to be hard. Reducing the number of things you need to keep track of will relieve the stress of the trip.