Practical children's travel bag as a must-have for your trip

If you start early to prepare and set aside clothing, toys, documents and the like for the trip, packing is a breeze! And of course the right travel bag also plays a crucial role in relaxed packing. Our children's wardrobe trolley has accompanied numerous families on their adventures over the past two decades and delights young and old as a real space-saving wonder on wheels. Because the trolley can be packed like a wardrobe for your family vacation, where nothing gets lost – with various compartments, practical mesh pockets, trolley bag and children's toiletry bag.

Packing list for a holiday with children: Trip planning & travel documents

Shortly before the holiday the excitement grows – the suitcases are packed, the children can hardly wait and the trip may already be starting a little in your minds. To keep this special moment just as easy and carefree, a quick check is worthwhile: Take a look at our checklist on the topic "Which documents should you have with you on holiday with children?" – so you'll be well prepared and your trip will be simply wonderful from the start.

• Payment methods: debit & credit card, cash

• valid passports for adults & children

• vaccination records & health insurance cards

• driver's licenses for all drivers

• Booking confirmation for hotel, holiday home, rental car, etc.

• Flight or train tickets for all travelers

• emergency numbers

• recommended: international health & trip cancellation insurance

• if applicable: adapters, depending on which country you're traveling to

• travel guide

Packing list for a car holiday with children

On a family holiday by car you are particularly flexible regarding luggage and route planning. When taking long car journeys with children consider the following:

• Pay for a vignette or toll (in certain countries, e.g. Austria, Switzerland, Hungary)

• First aid kit, reflective vests & warning triangle (if necessary also tow rope and jumper cables)

• Vehicle documents and insurance card

• Cooler with drinks & snacks

• Travel cutlery, cups & plates (e.g. our children's tableware)

• Thermos flask for coffee/tea

• Kitchen roll/napkins, wet wipes, rubbish bags & hygiene wipes/disinfectant spray

• Car charging cable/power bank

• Child car seat

• Blankets, pillows or neck pillows

• Sun protection (e.g. sun shades)

• Audiobooks/games or tablet (don't forget headphones!)

• Change of clothes (always keep within easy reach!)

• Umbrella or rain jackets

• for entertainment: travel games, children's books, drawing materials (e.g. on-the-go craft bag), dolls or soft toys

Packing list for vacation with children on a plane

For many small and big vacationers, flying is a big adventure, that requires special preparation to ensure everything goes smoothly. In addition to travel documents, payment methods, health insurance & Co. we give you the following vacation checklist for flying with children to help you:

With sufficient lead time:

• Check departure date & time

• Plan how to get to the airport

• Research children's entertainment at the airport (play area, possibly viewing terrace to watch airplanes)

• book parking if necessary

• book seats if necessary

The evening before departure:

• Check and prepare passports, flight tickets/boarding passes, other travel documents (hotel, rental car, etc.)

• Check suitcase weight

• Pack carry-on (snacks, small toys, essential medications/hygiene items in travel sizes, change of clothes, empty refillable water bottle, possibly sugar-free chewing gum or earplugs to equalize ear pressure during the flight)

• Pack compact pillows (neck pillows), possibly small blankets

• Audiobooks/games or tablet (don't forget headphones!)

• compact travel games & Books, coloring supplies, the favorite doll or small magnetic toy

Packing list for the kids' travel bag

On your travel checklist with children of course also includes packing the to pack the travel bag for or, depending on age, with your little ones. You can neatly store in our kids' wardrobe trolley and check off directly on the checklist:

• Clothing, such as T-shirts/long-sleeved shirts, long/short pants, sweaters, jacket(s)

• Underwear, two to three more pieces than vacation days

• Socks, two to three more pieces than vacation days

• Pajamas,

• T-shirts/sweaters/jackets

• Pants/skirts/dresses

• Swimwear

• Headwear (cap/sun hat/beanie)

• Outdoor clothing: lightweight jacket, rain jacket, Mud pants

• Shoes: sneakers, water shoes, sandals, rubber boots, slippers

• Travel laundry detergent, because stains happen on vacation too

Packing list for a vacation with children: toiletries

When traveling you sometimes forget important items that are taken for granted in the bathroom. Remember to pack these, too.Hygiene and health items:

• Travel first aid kit for children

• Sunscreen/after-sun lotion

• Mosquito repellent

• Shampoo and shower gel

• Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss

• Hand cream, body lotion

• If applicable, don't forget braces!

• Towels/washcloths

• Tissues

• Disinfectant

• If applicable, face mask for illness

• If applicable, diapers/swim diapers and wet wipes

Vacation checklist for baby & toddler

What should I absolutely not forget when on vacation with a baby? Anyone traveling with a baby naturally wantsthe little ones to be completely comfortable on vacation and for every situation to be coveredCheck off this checklist before your trip with a baby, and you'll be on the safe side:

• Onesies, rompers, baby pants, tops, pajamas

• Diaper bag, changing mat

• Diapers, muslin cloths, wet wipes

• Small bags for soiled diapers

• If applicable: potty/toilet seat reducer

• Diaper rash cream

• Baby food, bottles, infant formula

• Bibs, burp cloths

• Baby sunscreen, head covering, swimming armbands

• Favorite cuddly toy, toys such asBaby books orSoft toys

• If applicable: travel crib/baby sleeping bag

• Travel first aid kit for babywith all necessary medications

Summer holidays by the sea: packing list for the summer vacation

Once you arrive at your destination, the excitement is great – because there is so much to experience and discover! So that you have everything you need for your adventures have what you need, it's worth taking a look at our checklist. In it you'll find answers to the question: “What should I pack for a holiday with a toddler at the seaside?” A tip: The overview can be variably used as Checklist for a beach holiday with children, the short break with a child in a holiday home or at other great destinations with sunshine:

• Wagon/backpack carrier/buggy/carrier sling

• Charging cables for all electronic (play) devices

• Travel cot/sleeping bag/cuddly blanket/pillow

• Music box/night light/flashlight

• Swimming aids

• Umbrella, rain pants, rubber boots

• Sunglasses

• Sunscreen, if applicable UV-protection clothing

• Swim trunks/swimsuit, water shoes, children's beach towels

• Water toys/Sand toys such as buckets, shovels & molds

• Active play toys, such as Frisbee, balls & co.

• Travel games for bad weather

• Beach mat/beach tent

• if applicable bikes & bike helmets

• Camera (incl. memory card & charging cable)

• Child seat for the rental car

• if applicable baby monitor

• if applicable water bottle & lunchbox

• if applicable children's tableware

Packing list for the winter holiday with children

You want to travel with children in winter? We also have the suitable checklist with special considerations for the colder season ready, which complement the items from our general checklist for holidays with children:

• Winter clothing (snowsuit, hat, scarf, gloves, thick sweaters/sweatshirts, long trousers, possibly tights/long thermal underwear, thick socks/leg warmers)

• sturdy winter boots (possibly with lining)

• warm slippers

• rain jacket, waterproof pants, umbrella, possibly rain poncho

• sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm & after-sun lotion

• cold medicine, fever thermometer

• possibly sled/snow slider/child's snow shovel

• possibly hand warmers/hot water bottle

• travel games for the long dark evenings

• possibly water bottle & lunchbox

• possibly children's tableware

Planning a family vacation made easy

You may be wondering: What should you consider when planning a trip with children? And: How early should you start packing for the family vacation? So that you pack your suitcases for the vacation in a relaxed and well-organized way you can, we recommend you start to begin preparations some time before departure. Use the following 7 questions as a guide:

1. Where are you going? What you pack depends heavily on how and where you travel. In a car you have much more space than on a flight, and in a vacation rental you'll need different items than for a hotel stay.

2. What is available on site? Before packing you can research the destination online and plan accordingly. If there's a supermarket nearby, you may not need to transport so many groceries. Many hotels also offer childcare with lots of activities. Accordingly, when packing your suitcases you can focus on small travel games and children's books to keep them entertained on the go.

3. Which things can you already set aside?

   The vacation is about to start, you're standing in front of the wardrobe and don't know how many pairs of pants or which toiletries your child might need? You can already approx. two weeks before the trip to begin noting everyday items on the children's packing list, so that when packing you can see at a glance what is needed. Items that you don't necessarily need in everyday life, but do for the vacation (such as sand toys or the indispensable neck pillow for travel on the plane), you can already collect in a specific place.

4. Is everything washed? Do the favorite pants, the cozy jacket, or the colorful socks definitely have to come on the trip? Then schedule all these must-haves early for the next wash! After all, drying needs to be considered too so that your kids don't have to go without their favorite items on vacation.

5. Which luggage can come along? Flying also includes checking the baggage policies of the airline you're flying with for the trip. If you drive, you should check whether everything you want to take will fit in the car. While on flights, hard-shell suitcases are practical, since they protect your luggage well, while on car journeys soft travel bags are often the better choice, because you can store them more flexibly in the car.

6. How can I involve my children in packing for the vacation?

   If you have older kids, you can involve them in packing with small tasks – for example, tell them how many t-shirts, pants, socks, and underwear they should pick out and have them prepare everything. This boosts their independence at the same time and increases the anticipation for the shared family vacation! You can use our following checklists and note responsibilities next to each item, to distribute tasks clearly – to all family members!

5 pro tips for packing suitcases with children

Are you wondering how to pack space-efficiently for your family vacation? Our checklists help you gather all the important items. And the following 5 tips from the HABA team and product designer Dunja Bauer are the best foundation to pack everything space-efficiently, neatly and clearly in your travel bags:

1. Let your kids help with packing the suitcase! Depending on their age they can pick out their

   clothes themselves or even pack them into the suitcase by themselves. To make sure nothing important is left at home, you should once againcheck everything using your respective travel packing list.

2. Take the opportunity and show them smart packing tricks! Our top 3 tips: Put heavy items at the very bottom, fill gaps in the luggage with rolled-up socks or underwear and roll clothes to avoid wrinkles and pack space-efficiently.

3. Dunja Bauer recommends for luggage: \"The best choice for a vacation with children are

   travel bags that give you a good overview of all clothes, accessories & shoes. That way you can quickly find all the things you're looking for on holiday and don't have to empty the whole bag to find them. A bag like our children's wardrobe trolley with different shelf compartments, for example, allows you tostore pants, T-shirts & co. separately from each other in different shelf compartments in the bag.\"

4. In addition, it is recommended, to store hygiene items as well as items that are needed during the trip separately. For toothbrush, shampoo & co. we recommend our spacious kids toiletry bag, which fits the wardrobe trolley perfectly. For all items needed during the trip, we recommend a handy carry-on bag like our small trolley bag with a volume of 13 liters – perfect for storing toys, art supplies, headphones and co. safely! Tip: Attach the trolley bag conveniently to the telescopic handle of your travel bag.

5. Finally, make sure that the travel bag isn't too heavy. Our children's wardrobe trolley holds 40 liters, which corresponds to 15 kilograms. That's a lot that fits in the bag! Our expert Dunja Bauer recommends: \"Check with your packing lists at the end whether everything is in, the compartments are not overstuffed and the bag is not too heavy for your kids if they, for example, carry it on their own in between.\"

After the vacation comes the next vacation!

You all know it – the wonderful family vacation is over and everyday life is already starting again. How about taking a moment beforehand to reflect on how the vacation went and what you learned from it?

Our pro tip: Write down what went well and what you'd like to do better next time. What did you pack, but not use at all? Which important things did you forget? And which tips would you give yourselves for the next family vacation? Write everything down and set your notes aside for the next trip. Your future self will thank you!

Image credits

Boy and girl using a tablet in the car © Yakobchuk Olena - stock.adobe.com

Mother walking with child © EVERST - stock.adobe.com

Happy family in a car on a road trip © New Africa - stock.adobe.com

Tourist family with luggage cart at the airport © Jacob Lund - stock.adobe.com

Smiling boy with family on the beach © Westend61 - stock.adobe.com

A woman takes notes © nataliaderiabina - stock.adobe.com