Travelling with kids can either be the most enriching and wonderful experience or a complete nightmare (if you haven’t planned your trip properly.)

Travelling can teach children a lot of new things. They get to explore the world, enhance various skills – including social, sensory, communication, and so on.

But before embarking on a journey, it’s important that you be prepared to handle the excitement and requirement of your child.

So here’s a list of important things that you need to pack to enjoy a relaxed, care-free journey full of everlasting memories.

7 Must-Have Things While Travelling With Kids

1. Medicines, Sanitizer & Wet Wipes

You can’t go on a trip with kids without taking medicines!

It’s very important to make sure you don’t have to go running around for medicines in tight situations.

Also, kids get their hands dirty very fast. Carrying a hand sanitizer and wet wipes can come in handy, in case there is no place to wash hands.

“The most important thing to carry while travelling with your kid is Hand Sanitizer. Because it is a protective measure to keep infections away when we don’t have water and soap available to wash hands” explains Rahul Gupta, a parent.

2. Disposable Bags

Be sure to carry a couple of empty bags with you while travelling.

You can put in leftover food or any other waste. Or even use it to carry the dirty clothes so that they don’t mix with the clean ones!

“The one most essential thing to carry while travelling with kids is a disposal bag. It can be used to throw in diapers or in case they vomit!” says Suruchi Rahul Lakhotia, a parent.

3. Their Favourite Toy/Blanket

Does your child have a favourite toy or blanket?

Then taking it along is a must!

Any time your child starts to feel overwhelmed by the new things around him/her, the familiar toy or blanket would make them feel more secure and closer to home.

“When travelling with kids, organize the contents as logically as you can so you don’t have to rummage too much.

My daughter is 2.5 years old. When I travel with her, I never forget her toys, small stuffed animals, and her favourite soft-toy(doggy)”, explains Shilpa Alok Bansal, a parent.

4. A Travel Journal

A travel journal is a must! Especially with little kids.

They constantly do or say things that amuse us. So when you take them to a new place, their imagination is sure to run wild. So, make note of what had happened all through the day – whenever possible.

Perhaps, years later you can sit together and talk about them again. It’ll be so much fun!

5. A Magazine

Make sure you take a magazine along. Wondering what to do with it? Play with your child!

Go through the pages, spot a picture, and hand him/her the magazine. Describe the picture, and let your child search for it.

For small kids, limit the search to one or a few pages.

6. Child-Friendly Camera

Give your child a child-friendly camera and be surprised by the pictures taken from the knee-high view!

It’s a great way to get them to observe their surroundings. Not just that. It will also help them explore their passion for photography.

7. A New Toy

How about a nice surprise?

Get them a new toy or stuffed animal that you know they will love. Maybe 2-3 days before you leave you can start giving them hints about someone joining them on their journey.

And you can reveal their new toy at the right time and sure enough, that’ll keep them occupied for a good amount of time!

Also, a few days before you make the trip, talk to them about the place you’ll be visiting.

Show them pictures, make them do activities related to the place. Prepare them for the trip, so that it doesn’t get too overwhelming for them.

Do you know of any other essential things that might come in handy when travelling with kids? Then share them with us in the ‘Comments’ section below.

Image credits: freepik, Cheryl Holt