Ahh, what to pack. Always a chore. Hopefully, we can make it a little bit more simple with examples of what we used for our trips. Please feel free to e-mail us with any suggestions on what you used on your trips that worked.

Generic Packing List Use this as a starter to craft your own.

Suggested Packing lists for...

A One Week or Longer Trip to Latin America

Our Three Week Western U.S. Trip

Other Important Lists

Golden Rules of Packing

Items that you should carry on to planes

First Aid Kit for anywhere

Rules of the Road

Packing Snacks

Do I really need to pack all this stuff? The answer is easy. If a member of your family gets sunburned because they didn't have a hat, or gets a cut, how many activities do you want to miss out on waiting for them to recover, or how long do you want to spend looking for a drug store? You have spent a lot of money on this trip; additional preparation will help insure your expenditures against any risks.

Equipment and Game Providers

ToughTraveler.com Provides backpacks, sleeping bags, baby/child carriers and other outdoor equipment for both kids and adults. While their pricing is at the high-end, their products are superb.

Sibling Travel Packs great, durable, child-tested travel products, carefully selected and conveniently shipped to you. We do make travel easier!

Do you know of another equipment provider you would like to recommend? Please e-mail us and we will link to them.

Golden Rules of Packing

• Never pack more than you can carry by yourself for at least two full city blocks.
• Leave all expensive jewelry at home; wear a cheap plastic watch.
• If carrying traveler's checks, keep a copy of the check numbers in a place separate from the checks themselves.
• If carrying a credit card(s), keep the emergency number in a separate but handy place
• Place sturdy luggage tags on all your luggage including your carryon bag. Keep identification inside bag as well.

The following items should accompany you on your person or in a carry-on bag that is with you at all times and never checked in.

• Prescription medication, malaria medication, vitamins, if applicable.
• Glasses and extra contact lenses with a copy of your prescription
• Passport, vaccination documents, flight tickets and itinerary.
• Copies of all hotel, tour and car rental confirmations, if not on your itinerary.
• Health and travel insurance information
• A copy of your passport (inside front page) and a copy of your flight ticket (top flight coupon only). Your traveling companion(s) should have copies of your documents as well and vice versa.
• Any item that is likely to explode or burst under pressure such as perfume or shampoo bottles.
• Camera, binoculars, any other item of value
• An extra supply of underwear and whatever you need to take you through an extra 24 hours in case your luggage is lost.
• Tour book, maps, reading material for the plane ride

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First Aid Kit
Keep it simple. The contents should vary according to climate, destination, and ages of children.

• PeptoBismol or equivalent - Whether traveling in the U.S. or abroad, someone may get tummy troubles.
• Acidophilos, Culturelle or equivalent - Good tummy bateria to prevent the need for PeptoBismol.
• Ear Drops - Apply them to your children's ears before and after any swim in any body of water, natural or otherwise. This helps to ward off infections.
• Adhesive tape, gauze pads, alcohol swabs, band-aids - I carried a large supply of these items when my kids were little and constantly chasing pigeons or tripping over stones. Now I just bring Band-Aids. My daughter who gets frequent blisters uses a fairly new product called Compeed. It is currently packaged by band-aid. Not only does it prevent blisters, but it allows you to continue walking if you have one. We have also heard that Moleskin is good. For some, foot powder does the trick.
• Any medication you or your children normally take - such as vitamins, asthma or allergy medicine.
• Insect repellent and anti-itch creams or lotions -if you will be in mosquito infested areas
• Tweezers - to remove splinters, bugs, whatever. Remember to sterilize the tweezers first with alcohol or a match flame.
• Soothing creams - for chapped hands and faces if going to a cold climate
• Sunscreen and sunburn cooling sprays - if you plan to be outdoors in the sun. Children should never be allowed to get sunburned so apply sunscreen liberally and keep their little bodies covered with hats and shirts when possible.
• Aspirin - If you are going to carry one-size-fits-all, label the bottle with the dosage for your kids.
• Eye Drops for dry eyes on plane or dry locations.
• Lip Balm Also for plane or sunny locations.
• Motion Sickness medication - Ginger tablets, Dramamine, patches or wrist bands. Bring whatever works.
• Fever, Cold, Allergy Medication

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Rules of the Road
This is an excerpt from an three week US West trip that my family did (myself, my 19 daughter and 12 year old son and one 11 year old borrowed boy). I have included it here as an example. You will need to tailor your rules based on the destination and ages of your children. If you have any suggestions on additional rules, please e-mail them to me and I will publish them.

1) Seat belts worn at all times in the car.

2) Remain absolutely quiet when Mom drives over the Continental Divide.

3) Everybody carries and is responsible for his or her own luggage.

4) Everybody takes a turn helping Mom with the laundry.

5) We stick together at all times, especially on trails and in the woods. Anyone that departs from the group must notify Mom where they are going and when they will return. The boys must always use the buddy system. When returning to our cabin after a nighttime national park activity, we stick together without any exceptions, e. e. no running ahead to hide behind trees and scare us.

6) Do not feed or approach any dangerous wildlife, especially the bears.

7) Respect and obey all ranger rules regarding wildlife and trails or risk being fined and thrown out of the park.

8) Absolutely no littering.

Packing Snacks

To get a good start on your trip, plan on taking some healthy snacks. Besides saving you money and aggravation, your kids' tummies will feel better and you will be prepared for unforeseen delays. The night before a trip I prepare the following for the three of us:

• A half dozen easy-to-make sandwiches, such as ham & cheese, turkey & cheese, and peanut butter & jelly.
• One or two bagels with cream cheese, cut-up into small pieces
• Bottles of water and juice.
• Fresh fruits such as apples, oranges, grapes.
• Cut up carrots or other favorite raw veggies.
• Brownies or cookies (I make these a week before and freeze them so they are fresh for the trip).
• Sometimes I bring some packaged treats, such as cheese & crackers or locally made Tastycakes.

All of this will fit into a book bag or small backpack. If there is a flight delay or the kids were too excited to eat breakfast they can comfortably munch on healthful food and they won't badger you for money to buy the overpriced junk stuff sold at airports. If they don't like what is served on the plane, they have their own food. The fruit and desserts usually last another day and make a nice healthful snack in the hotel room. (Keep in mind you cannot bring fresh fruit and vegetables into a foreign country, but the kids will appreciate the familiar desserts from home while they last).

Also, leave yourself a big note on the door so you don't leave the food in the refrigerator. Prior to one of our long distance foreign trips, the commercial transfer vehicle showed up at our doorstep a half hour ahead of schedule. We skipped breakfast and hurried to finish dressing. As we approached the airport, I realized I had left our snacks in the refrigerator. My son, then a teen-ager, missed having his food bag close at hand and it cost me an extra US$20 in airport snacks before we even took off on our flight. After that lesson I left a note for myself and yes, I also switched transport companies.

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