FreshCruiser Approved Travel Essentials
Travel Gear We Actually Use
These are the travel products that have actually earned a spot in our suitcases, carry-ons and road trip bags over the years. From cruising, flying, road trips and bigger adventures, these are the things that have made traveling with kids a little easier.
I’ve included longtime favorites we’ve used ourselves, along with a few newer finds I think are especially useful for family travel. I’ll keep adding to this page as I discover things worth packing because if it doesn’t make travel easier, it probably doesn’t need to take up precious suitcase space.
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Cruise Essentials · Flying With Kids · Road Trip Favorites · Packing & Organization · Adventure & Outdoor Gear · Beach & Pool Essentials · Abby’s Travel Must-Haves
Cruise Essentials
After plenty of cruises with kids, there are a few things that always seem to make their way into our bags. Some are practical, some are just for fun, but these are the cruise extras we actually use.
Packing Cubes
Best for: Keeping a cruise cabin organized and making unpacking a breeze.
Packing cubes are a must for cruises! Cabin storage can be tight, so I love being able to unpack quickly and keep everyone’s clothes organized. Everyone in our family has their own color, and I often just unzip the cubes and place them directly into the drawers. It makes unpacking—and packing back up at the end of the cruise—so much easier.
Magnetic Door Decorations
Cruise cabin hallways can all start to look the same, especially on a big ship. A few magnets on our cabin door make it much easier for the kids to spot our room and add a little personality without taking up much room in the suitcase.
Best for: Making your cabin easy to find and adding some cruise-day fun.
Cruise Essential Quick Links
Cruise Ducks
Best for: Adding a little extra fun to sea days and exploring the ship.
Cruise ducks are completely unnecessary but are one of my kids’ favorite things to pack. We bring a few decorated or tagged ducks to hide around the ship and, of course, keep an eye out new ones. It’s a simple little tradition that makes exploring the ship even more fun.
New to cruise ducks? I have a complete guide to cruise duck hiding, including how it works, where to hide them, and everything you need to know. Read my Cruise Duck Guide →
Coffee & Tea Travel Mug
Best for: Coffee or tea drinkers who want a bigger cup that stays hot while exploring the ship.
Cruise ship coffee cups are usually small, and I don't want to make multiple trips when I'm trying to enjoy my coffee on the balcony or walk around the ship. I bring an insulated travel mug so my coffee stays hot longer and I can take it with me.
Phone Case with Card Slot
Best for: Keeping your phone and cruise card together without carrying a purse or wearing a lanyard.
If you don't want to wear a lanyard, a phone case with a card slot is my favorite alternative. Your phone is probably already coming everywhere with you, so keeping your cruise card with it means one less thing to carry around the ship. I switch out my phone case as part of my pre-cruise packing. It saves so much hassle. Also, if you don’t want to carry a purse, I recommend a chain to use.
Cruise Day Bag
Best for: Carrying water bottles, sunscreen, sunglasses, cruise cards, and all the little things you need during the day.
I always bring a lightweight bag to carry around the ship. Between water bottles, sunglasses, sunscreen, cruise cards, and whatever the kids hand me five minutes after leaving the cabin, I inevitably need somewhere to put everything. Look for something lightweight that’s easy to pack and big enough for the essentials without feeling like you’re carrying luggage around the ship.
Travel Essentials: Road Trip Favorites
Snackle Box
Best For: Flying with Toddlers, Road Trips
A snackle box is one thing I never skip on a road trip with kids. I pack a mix of healthier snacks and a few fun treats that they don't normally get at home because road trip snacks are always more exciting.
I love that everything stays organized and within reach, so the kids can help themselves without me digging through bags every time someone is hungry. And because everyone gets their own snackle box, there’s a lot less negotiating over who gets what. Anything that cuts down on backseat arguments earns a spot on my travel gear list.
Travel Blanket
Best For: Naps, chilly car rides, and kids who always want to be cozy.
Even in the summer, someone always gets cold! My kids love to be “cozy,” so a blanket is a road trip must for naps, chilly mornings, and overenthusiastic air conditioning. We’re big Squishmallow fans, so their blankets are our go-to for road trips—and even movie theaters. Just make sure whatever you choose washes well!
Audiobooks
Best For: Long Road Trips
Audiobooks are one of my favorite ways to make a long drive go faster. We’ve listened to everything from short Curious George and Pinkalicious stories when my kids were little to longer chapter books as they got older. There’s something special about getting wrapped up in the same story together.
Before paying for an audiobook, I always recommend checking your local library. Apps like Libby and Hoopla let you borrow audiobooks for free with many library memberships. If the book we want isn’t available before a trip, Audible is a great backup.
Road Trip Bingo
Best For: Screen-Free Road Trip Entertainment
Car Bingo is an easy way to keep kids entertained on a long drive, and I especially like this dry-erase version because it comes with 12 different themed cards. Everyone can be searching for something different instead of competing to spot the exact same things along the way.
The cards can be wiped clean and reused trip after trip, and kids can switch themes whenever they want. Fair warning: the fast-food bingo card tends to be a favorite in our car!
…I should have known that! Game
Best For: Family Road Trips, Road Trips with Older Kids & Teens
…I Should Have Known That! is one of our favorite games to play in the car because everyone can play and everyone gets stumped. Parents, teens and younger kids all have those moments when they realize they really should have known the answer.
We’ve played it on longer drives, and it always leads to friendly competition, funny conversations and plenty of laughs. I especially love that it isn’t a trivia game where one age group has all the answers. Everyone has a chance to be the smartest person in the car or the one saying, “I should have known that!”
Owala Water Bottle
Best For: Road Trips, Keeping drinks cold and the mouthpiece clean on the go
This is my go-to water bottle for road trips. It keeps drinks cold for hours, but what I really love is that the mouthpiece is completely covered when it’s closed so it stays clean when it inevitably gets tossed on the car floor, shoved into a backpack, or ends up who knows where. They also come in tons of great color combinations, so everyone in the family can have their own.
Car Trash Bag
Best for: Keeping road-trip trash under control without taking up valuable car space.
Not exciting, but incredibly useful! I usually pack a few gallon-size Ziplock bags for trash as they take up almost no space and can be sealed when they’re full. If you prefer something that hangs from the back of the seat, I’ve also used Tossits Recycled Disposable Car Trash Bags with lots of success.
Motion Sickness Bags
Best For: Road trips, winding roads, wavy boat trips, and those times when you need a bag right now.
These are always handy to have in the car, especially with kids. I keep one tucked into the side pocket of each car door so they’re within easy reach if someone suddenly feels sick—no scrambling around or desperately trying to find a bag when you need one!
Travel Essentials: Flying with Kids
The North Face Surge Backpack
Best For: Flying with Toddlers, Organized Travel
I’ve been traveling with The North Face Surge backpack for years, and it was absolutely worth the investment. It has plenty of room for all the things I want within reach on the plane, while keeping everything organized and easy to grab under my seat. I love having a backpack as my carry-on because it keeps my hands free while juggling kids, and everything else that comes with getting through an airport.
I recommend traveling with a backpack so often that a friend recently left me a voice message just to thank me for convincing her to try one. She isn't normally a backpack person, but after using one for airplane travel, she told me it was some of the best travel advice I'd given her.
Toddler Headphones
Best For: Flying with Toddlers
These were our go-to headphones when my kids were little. The padded ear cups were comfortable, and the cushioned band helped them stay put on little heads. Most importantly, the kids could actually hear their shows over the background noise of the airplane. They’re also inexpensive, which is a big plus for something that can easily get left behind while traveling.
Munchkin Snack Catcher
Best For: Flying with Toddlers
One of my favorite toddler travel items is a snack catcher. My son could hold it himself and reach inside for snacks without immediately dumping everything onto the airplane floor.
Reusable Sticker Pad
Best for: Flying with Toddlers, Mess-Free Toddler Road Trip Entertainment
I love the Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pads for planes because toddlers can stick the reusable stickers just about anywhere without you worrying about getting them off later. Even better, if your toddler decides a sticker absolutely must go in a different spot, you can simply peel it off and move it—no ruined sticker and, hopefully, no toddler meltdown. Speaking from experience on that one. Rip out a few pages every time you go on a trip. It keeps it new and exciting.
Portable Charger
Best for: Long flights, layovers, and keeping everyone’s devices charged on travel days.
A portable charger is a flying must for us. Between watching movies, listening to audiobooks, playing games, and using our phones for boarding passes and travel updates, batteries can disappear quickly on a travel day. I always keep a fully charged portable battery in my carry-on so we aren’t searching the airport for an available outlet.
Quick travel tip: Portable chargers with lithium batteries should go in your carry-on, not checked luggage.
Beach, Pool & Everything Water Essentials
Munchkin Snack Catcher
Best For: Flying with Toddlers
One of my favorite toddler travel items is a snack catcher. My son could hold it himself and reach inside for snacks without immediately dumping everything onto the airplane floor.
Floating Sunglasses
Best for: Kayaking, boating, paddleboarding, beach days, and basically any vacation that involves water.
These are a must-have for any vacation where we'll be spending time on the water. I love Blenders floating sunglasses because if they fall off while you're swimming, kayaking, boating, or paddleboarding, they float instead of sinking to the bottom. One less thing to worry about when we're out on the water!
Waterproof Phone Pouch
Best for: Beach days, kayaking, boat trips, rainy destinations, and any adventure where your phone might get wet.
I originally thought of a waterproof phone pouch as something I'd use for beach and pool vacations, but it's just as useful on trips where rain—or any kind of water—is part of the adventure. I was so glad I had mine while kayaking in Alaska! It lets me keep my phone with me for photos without constantly worrying about it getting wet.
Toddler Headphones
Best For: Flying with Toddlers
One of my favorite toddler travel items was a snack catcher. My son could hold it himself and reach inside for snacks without immediately dumping everything onto the airplane floor.
Packing & Organization
Foldable Duffel Bag
Best for: Souvenirs, shopping trips, and those vacations when your suitcase somehow won't close for the flight home.
I almost always pack an extra foldable duffel bag when we're traveling somewhere where I know we might shop. It takes up almost no room in the suitcase on the way there, but gives us an entire extra bag for the trip home. We especially appreciated having one in Chiang Mai, where we knew we'd be bringing home more than we started with!
Luggage Handle Wraps
Best for: Quickly spotting your suitcase at baggage claim or in a crowded overhead
Such a simple little travel item, but we use these on every trip! The bright colors make it incredibly easy to spot our luggage—whether we're looking up at the overhead bins on a plane or waiting for our suitcases to come around the baggage carousel. Instead of checking every similar-looking black suitcase, we can quickly see which ones are ours.
Packing Cubes
I live for my packing cubes! Everyone in our family has their own color, which makes it so easy to know whose clothes are whose. When we arrive, I can unzip the cubes and put them right into the drawers—no clothes touching questionable hotel drawers! They're especially helpful on trips where we're moving from hotel to hotel because I can organize the cubes by what we'll need and avoid completely unpacking the suitcase every night.
Abby’s Must-Haves
These are the things that always seem to make it into my suitcase. Some are practical, some just make me feel a little more put together on vacation, and some I love because they're inexpensive enough that I don't have to worry about them getting lost at the beach, pool, or somewhere along the way. Consider this my personal travel favorites list!
Fun Vacation Sunglasses
Best for: Beach days, cruises, pool days, and having a fun vacation pair you won't panic about losing
I love bringing a fun pair of sunglasses on vacation, but I don't necessarily want to bring an expensive pair to the beach or pool. SOJOS has tons of cute colors and styles, so you can pick something a little more fun than your everyday sunglasses—and if they accidentally get left behind on a lounge chair, it's not the end of the world!
My Favorite Sunhat
This is one of those things that comes on almost every warm-weather trip with me. I love this Sunday Afternoons hat because it works for so many occasions—beach days, sightseeing, boating, or just walking around town. But the biggest selling point for me is that I can actually pack it in my suitcase and it still looks good when I take it out! That's surprisingly hard to find in a sun hat.
Munchkin Snack Catcher
Best For: Flying with Toddlers
One of my favorite toddler travel items is a snack catcher. My son could hold it himself and reach inside for snacks without immediately dumping everything onto the airplane floor.
Toddler Headphones
Best For: Flying with Toddlers
One of my favorite toddler travel items was a snack catcher. My son could hold it himself and reach inside for snacks without immediately dumping everything onto the airplane floor.