What should I pack for a long-haul flight with kids?

The thought of traveling with kids can be fraught with overwhelm and fear for many parents who are desperate for a much needed break, need to visit family or, like us, are just chasing the sun on the other side of the world.

If you are heading overseas for over a month then I can assure you that it is always worth the hassle of the flight with kids (especially when you take that first dive into the sparkling turquoise sea). With just a little planning even the 20+ hours flying across continents and timezones with a bunch of children, is manageable with a few tricks up your sleeve.

My story of traveling with children:

I loved traveling before I had kids and I didn’t quite understand the way my life would change. I thought I’d just strap the baby to myself and continue on living exactly the way I had been up until that point.

Obviously that wasn’t the case for many aspects of my life (including travel and trying to attend new years celebrations). I’ve had to do a lot of inner work around my values, my personal needs in life and the various archetypes that exist in me.

I know that my highest values are freedom and family. I also know that my wild woman archetype is not happy when I cannot access salt water to swim in and feel the sun on my skin every now and then.

In Melbourne, that can be hard to do and when you don’t get a good summer season then you are forced to endure a year of unstable weather and often experience four seasons in one day.

In 2016, when my eldest son was six months old, I decided to take my sleep deprived self off to Europe despite my dread of having to potentially stay awake with him for over twenty hours. Since then, I have traveled on long-haul flights with my kids from Australia to Europe five times! We have been all over Europe and have been drawn to Greece multiple times because of how easy is to travel through Greece with children. Also, the warm weather, beautiful beaches and easily accessible roads make Greece our favorite place to visit…so far!

Each time has had its challenges in terms of the flight and each time has been amazing! I regret nothing. So, I know a little bit about what to pack in your carry-on for the smoothest possible 20+ hours of flight time.

When it comes to packing for the flight, I’ve tried every gadget in the book to help every member of the family have a restful and entertaining time during the flight. From toddler beds to mattresses to play dough (not recommended) and color in books – you name it, I’ve tried it. So this list has been finessed through years of trial and error.

Even though I am not traveling with a baby or a toddler this year – for the first time in over 9 years – I will add a section in the last part of this post about essentials for baby travelers because I know how important this article is for all of you mamas.

Important considerations when packing your carry-on bags:

The two most important things to think about when you are packing are: comfort and entertainment. These should take priority for a smooth, stress-free flight. This is where snacks and screen time will serve their purpose for existing! I’m serious here, you do not want to be worried about restricting these – give yourself permission to relax and make this flight as stress-free for yourself as possible, even if that means your child is still watching the screen at midnight whilst sucking on a lollipop.

Another important thing that you must consider – and that I learned the hard way (when I had two sleeping children to carry and four carry-on bags to hold) – is that less is best. You can read more about how I like to minimize the number of bags I take generally when I am packing for our three month world schooling adventures because there’s nothing better than only having essentials and living out of a suitcase for three months. For our family of five, I only take one suitcase that I check-in and two carry-on bags so that, if needed, we can carry one of our kids. This is super important with kids under five years old (and when you only have one pram) when you are crossing timezones because they may need to sleep during transit times.

What to pack for the flight:

Here’s what we are packing for the long-haul flight from Australia to Greece this year, stopping in Doha for three hours.

On this trip I am giving each of my children a bum-bag to take with their own goodies inside. I will also take one Flyte scooter for my youngest (he’s four years old). These Flyte suitcases double as scooters that you can fold up carry on-board the plane. My kids absolutely love scooting around the airport on these and they make the journey to your boarding gate fun and quick. And lastly, I will take one small carry-on for the rest of us and my handbag.

For inside the kids’ bum-bags:

• • Lollipops
  • Chewy lollies or gum for the take off and landing
  • New book to read
  • New toy for each child (this is especially handy in case of meltdowns) I usually buy one of those surprise toys like LOL, blox fruits figurines, so even if the kids see it before the flight they don’t know what it is until they open it on the plane.
  • Glow sticks (these are liquid so they must comply with airline standards)

For inside the kids’ Flyte Scooter:

• • Change of clothes for kids
  • Paper/ notebook
  • Pencils
  • One toy each from home that they chose to bring
  • Pretzels or chips or popcorn or all of the above
  • Healthy food from home (I bring spanakopita because most of my family, besides me, will not eat the airplane food)

• For inside our bag:
• • Travel pillows – the only ones I have ever found to actually improve the amount and quality of sleep I got on the flight was this one by Trtl. It keeps your head supported while you sleep so there’s no head drops and sudden wake-ups. I’ll be buying two for my older kids this year.
  • Ipads – Remember you are entering survival mode – this is no time to start restricting screen time!) I’ve written a post here about apps to download when you are traveling while homeschooling. The kindle app is a great one if your kids like to read so that you don’t have to carry loads of books.
  • Laptop and chargers
  • Leave lots of room in this one for all of your cardigans and long sleeves that you are wearing but will want to take off once you get warm. Trust me, you don’t want to have no space and then have to hold all your jackets.

For my hand bag:

• • Water bottle (that the crew can refill for you on the plane)
  • Wet wipes for face
  • Sanitizer wipes for hands
  • Lip balm
  • Face spray: I love this Jurlique Rose spray. I used it when I first traveled alone when I was 20 and now it just reminds me of the sea and adventures in new places.
  • Paracetamol (for adults and kids) in case of sore ears on take of and landing or headaches.
  • Bandaids
  • Passports, documents, insurance, boarding tickets, travel cards etc.

For the baby/toddler:

• • A pram that folds up and is compact. We used the Maclaren stroller.
  • A new small toy. These vtech ones are great for toddlers.
  • Nappies
  • 2-3 x change of clothes on-board for the plane.
  • Stickers and a sticker book for toddlers
  • Small foam change pad – this was the product that allowed me to get sleep. I held it with my baby on top of it and rocked them sleep in my arms and then laid them down once they fell asleep without moving them off the mat. To get it onto the flight I rolled it up like a pillow so it was squished and compact.

I will update this list as I continue to pack for our next trip, but that’s pretty much it!

And don’t forget this…

Everyones specific needs will be different but these are the essentials that I pack in my carry-on luggage for long-haul flights. I’ve traveled with one baby, I’ve traveled pregnant with a toddler, then a toddler and 4-year-old, then a toddler and a four and a six year old…so I’ve really had a taste for all needs and challenges and these are the essentials I won’t go without packing.

Last but definitely not least, bring with you a warm, calm, connected and loving presence for your family – this will work wonders in ensuring everyones flight is pleasant.

I hope you got some useful tips from this article – feel free to add your own tips in the comment section.