6 Kid's Travel Necessities All Parents Need

Traveling with kids brings an assortment of travel challenges. Here are a few items that will hopefully make your next trip easier.

A sun shade to help the kids stay more comfortable in the car.

If you are traveling at night then it's nice to have a portable light. My daughter reads a lot in the car, so this comes in handy.

If you are in the middle of potty training then you will literally be thrilled how much easier the fold-able potty thing is.

Going through airports with young kids? Get them a trunkie. It's a carry one and they can ride on it through the airport.

Kid's Travel Necessities

Traveling with children

Travel items that will make it easier to travel with kids. #travel #kids #familytravel

Baby Travel Accessories
Baby Travel Accessories

Zeepo Sleeping Mask

Zeepo sent me their new strapless sleeping mask to try out and I like it enough to actually recommend it.

I like the fact that the sleeping mask is black. I think that alone makes it stand out from many others on the market. However, that is not what makes Zeepo so unique.

Zeepo is a strapless sleeping mask that stays on your face until you take it off. Instead of having a strap it uses double sided tape. What this means is you will no longer go to sleep wearing a sleeping mask, only to wake up without it still on.

•  I can actually sleep until my alarm goes off, because it does a great job blocking out light.
• I've used my mask in the middle of the day when I was wearing makeup and was pleasantly surprised to see when I took it off that the tape did not mess up my makeup.

On our most recent trip to Disney I found an interesting use for Zeepo. I knew if would be good for sleeping on the plane, so I had brought it with me. On our flights my daughter's eyes got irritated. This is not uncommon for the eye condition she has. I thought wouldn't it be nice if I could put something over her eyes to protect them from the air on the airplane. Then it occurred to me with a little more tape I could seal off her eyes with Zeepo. This may sounds crazy, but if you have a kiddo that suffers from vernal conjunctivitis, then you know this is reasonable!

Zeepo Sleep Mask Starter Kit

Packing List for Hawaii

Packing for Hawaii is always a little different than packing for other trips. This could be also be a packing list for any beach vacation.










Packing list for Hawaii.

Medicine
Sunscreen
Bronzing lotion
Sunglasses
Towel (optional)
Snorkel set
Goggles
Waterproof Camera

Bathing suits
Bathing suit cover up
Sunshirt with built in SPF
Flip flops
Water shoes
Tennis shoes
light jacket

For Kids
Inflatable lifejacket
Sunshade
detangler

For Ladies
Dress
Hair pick
light cardigan
hair dryer
straightener
curling iron
headband

Inflatable Life Vest for Kids

One of my must have travel items is probably also one of the strangest things I travel with. It's an inflatable life jacket for kids. You never know where you might end up that doesn't provide a life vest. This was the case everywhere we went in Honduras. No one had a life jacket at any of the places we went, but it didn't matter because we had our own.
This is the exact inflatable life jacket we travel with for our kids. It takes up almost no space at all in your suitcase. It's easy to blow up and it's held up well. I initially thought because it's plastic that it would last long, but it is very durable. It also dries easily, because it's plastic you can simply wipe it down with a towel.

This life jacket has been to Hawaii, Honduras, Florida, and so many more places with us.

Do you have a strange item you always travel with?

Get a Luggage Scale

Until recently I never needed a luggage scale and I think most people probably did not either. Unfortunately the airliners are getting stricter about luggage all the time. Now days it seems like the airlines always weight your bag and if your bag goes over weight it can cost you a lot. My mom was recently charged $50 and her bag was only 2 pounds over the limit! 

Now I recommend getting one. The cost of a luggage scale is minimal and can save you lots of money when traveling. As you can see they are pretty small and come in lots of variations. They cheapest I found was at Sam's Club the Manual Luggage Scale only $5. The most expensive I found was $30 which is still cheaper than paying the extra baggage fees.

Water Proof Camera: A Must when Traveling

Have you ever had a camera that you just adore? I do, the Kodak PlaySport (Zx5) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera - Red (2nd Generation).

Last year I found my self in Honduras climbing waterfalls and snorkeling in amazing reefs and I didn't have a water proof camera. Trust me, you do not want this to be you. I only wish I had this camera then. After doing some research I decided to get the Kodak PlaySport.

I could go on and on about why I love this camera, but I will give you the short list.

• Water proof: You can actually swim under water with this camera.
• Durable: It's made well and it's got a great shape. It's like holding your phone.
• Picture quality: The pictures I have taken with this camera have come out bright and clear.
• Video: Yes, that's right it even takes video!
• Social sharing: You can assign pictures to automatically go to Facebook, Twitter, emailed to your friend, YouTube,and more.
• Built in rechargeable battery

After using this camera the last few months I now consider it one of my must have items while traveling.

Here are some other waterproof cameras, but I don't have experience with them.

Best Back pack for Traveling around Europe

The High Sierra 23" Transport Travel Pack (Navy/Graphite) is the one my husband and I both have.  I like these travel backpacks for multiple reasons. 

1. It has different sections and can actually make into two backpacks.  I find this feature convenient.  When we get to a destination we can leave our stuff in the room and use our little pack backs during the day. 

They do not weigh much.  This lets us maximize what we can put in them without going over weight.  This is important if you plan on traveling on a cheap European airline, because you can carry them on for free. 

It does not have wheels.  Having that feature would add weight.  It is also difficult to roll anything around on cobblestone and up and down stairs. 

The large pack has straps to cinch down your clothes and the small pack has multiple pockets making it easy to organize your pack. 

At the very top of the large pack is a small area where you can put your cell phone, camera, sunglasses or what ever you want to keep handy. 

Packing List for Camping

I have to keep around a Camping Packing list of everything to take camping, because otherwise I'll forget the most important thing like the camping tents!  Until last week I had my list on my phone.  When the phone went dead I lost my list.  I decided to make another here on my blog that way it is always handy and I can't lose it again! Medicine is always at the top of any packing list, because unfortunately we've had at least two trips cut short because we forgot our daughter's medicine.

Here is my list of essential Camping Gear!

Medicine
Tent
Air Mattress
Air pump
Blankets
Sleeping Bags (Winter weight)
pillows
Glow Sticks
Flashlights
headlamps
lighter
wood
Roasting sticks
marshmallows
chocolate
gram crackers
baby wipes
hand sanitizer
books
hammock
rope
ax
lantern
chairs
citronella candle
mosquito spray
sunscreen
ice chest
Frisbee and other outdoor toys
scooters (if there is sidewalk)
Camping Stove preferably one with a coffee maker
charcoal
paper products
trash bags
jackets
hiking shoes
shower shoes (we use flip flops)
life jacket