How To Pack For A Family Trip Around The World
The one mistake we always see other travellers make, is carrying too much and luckily that's something that can be easily solved but if you want to avoid carrying it around and avoid shedding weight along the way, it's great to spend some time thinking about what you are ACTUALLY going to wear. We did a trial run before we travelled full time and spent a month in Mallorca. It was a test for us to see what we didn't wear and what we were missing. Especially if you are travelling hot countries, where your clothes will be thin and smaller in general, you don't need a lot.
Packing tips -
1. We are travelling for nine months but we only carry enough clothes each for one week. With washing it is plenty.
2. Keep shoes to a minimum. These weigh an awful lot and if you can carry universal shoes, you can really save on space and weight. When you are carrying everything, not rolling, this is really important.
3. Roll everything. When you are struggling for space in particular, it really helps to roll your clothes tightly.
What Bags Do We Use?
Our main bag is an OSPREY TRANSPORTER 130L. My mother always says 'you get what you pay for', and yes there are cheaper bags but there was no doubt after doing our research, speaking to other travellers and shopping around, that this is the perfect bag for us to travel with as a family and survive the whole thing. It is lightweight, durable, versatile and it looks amazing! It's weatherproof, has plenty of handles, whether you want to carry it as a backpack or put those straps away and carry it as a duffle, it has compartments inside and out and you can strap it to things or strap things to it.
It doesn't have any wheels but the few occasions you may appreciate having these, like through an airport or walking to your accommodation are so short and there are services to replace these, like concierge or trolleys. Until you have carried your luggage on your back, you probably won't realise how much more comfortable and practical it is when your using quality packs. For example, having two small children, with all our luggage, we always have our hands free to hold the children's hands, they don't get jammed or stuck or tip over, you don't have to worry about steps or lifting your case as its already on your back. This kind of bag is also great because it doesn't have a hard plastic case it is much easier to manipulate where you might want to squeeze things into it or even squeeze it into a space.
As a family traveller, we have also found you don't actually carry your bags very far. The term 'backpacker' kind of makes you think of someone trekking through a jungle with a backpack but its really not the case. Even when we have really travelled on a budget using local and public transport, getting on and off buses until we have travelled from one of Malaysia to the other, your bags go on and off the transport with you. This is the bag that gets checked in at the airport, so its the only bag we don't physically carry on the plane with us. This is the bag we use to carry all our clothes, some shoes and our toiletriess go into the side.
We also carry two smaller backpacks. These are suitable for children, so on travel days where Ian and I carry the large backpack and camera bag, the kids carry the smaller ones. When we have arrived at a place, these are then used as our packs for activities.
Osprey pogo 24- This is a good, all round, everyday bag that has a good bit of padding and a lot of room. It is the bag that is used to carry the children's work books, pencil case, some of my camera equipment and anything else we need to shove in it. There is a compartment inside that helps to separate these from a different section giving you room to carry other things. The large front compartment also has room for a number of A4 books and has handy netted compartments for things like a wallet or phone etc. As well as being stylish, we use this when out and about to carry our things for the day and a selection of equipment. It also has stretchy drinks compartments on each side which is always handy! We went for black because we knew it would be the bag we use the most and after nine months would likely be black anyway.
Osprey Jet 18- This is small and light empty, so is prefect for the kids to carry on travel days. When we are not travelling, we use this for the long walks or hiking. It has too many compartments and hidden compartments to count so we also use this to carry our valuables as they are not easily accessible. It even has sections on the straps for things like lip balm or energy bars. This gives us more protection against theft or loss as they are well hidden. Lots of spaces for water and to clip things on. The main compartment and even the drinks holders on the sides have adjustable tightening straps so its great for those more active or adventurous activities, nothing is getting out of this unless you really want it to, and even then you might struggle! You still have the handy, quick zip pocket at the front for things you just need to keep safe and handy strap that you can clip things onto. One of the most comfortable things ever to carry, especially for children with the padded straps, this pack, like the tog above has a ventilated back panel so it really helps to stop you from sweating. This pack is particualry great for hiking as it has an external reservoir pocket!
We never feel stuck for room using this system but we do struggle for weight on flights from time to time with our main bag, depending on the airline. Generally they vary on what they allow and this leaves us having to make sure we are under every time but its not too much of a problem.
We were recently asked to share some of our favourite travel and packing products, so here they are!
Packing Cubes - These things are great! You can get them in stores or online for the price of a beer! We found these helped when trying to locate our things. We are a family of four, travelling the world for nine months, so we have all our things in one large bag!
Found You Wrist Bands - We got these very cheap online but you can't put a price on the peace of mind they gave us. They are wrist bands that velcro around the children's wrists and inside contain vital information to help in getting them back to us if they got lost.
GoPro Action Camera - This helps us to capture memories in a different way. When we are on a rollercoaster, it films the same as what we are seeing and if we turn it around, it films our faces. We use it in the pool and in the sea, so we can really relive the experiences. We had it on when Maddison, our little girl swum for the first time :)
Last but not least, we have been asked to share some advice to help other families get on the road! If you really want to travel the world, everyone in the family needs to be on board. It has to be a family goal and everything you do everyday is geared toward making that happen. Planning is also really important and helps the family to get excited and prepared for such a big life change. Do as much research as possible and make sure you have enough money behind you. We made a lot of sacrifices in a small time to be able to save enough to make our dream happen, but it was so worth it! Keep an eye on our website for more helpful and in detail advice to help you make it happen.
You can click the links above to check out the bags we use but you can also click below to head straight to the Osprey website and check out their full range. Please leave some love if you found this useful and don't forget to check out our Instagram, Facebook and Youtube for regular and one time tips!
