Kids daypacks and longterm travel packing…
WHAT ARE THEY ACTUALLY CARRYING IN THERE?!
Child-size packing is a fine art.
On reflection, longterm travel packing is not that different to packing for a week-long holiday. BUT; you do have to carry it for much longer…
Kids daypacks – what type of daypack can they carry?
Since we first left for full-time travel with the kids in 2019, the boys have carried their own kids daypacks on any travel days.
The boys carry:
- Macpac ‘Limpets’ [daypacks that can attach to our big packs too]
It holds all their special treasures and they carry their own bag on travel-days.
It’s important not to overpack as it just ends up being another bag for the parents to carry.
We got the kids bags ready to pack a few weeks out from leaving, and gradually reduced the toys and extra ‘stuff'(!) that was in there as we counted down to departure.
- Tip: Remember – there isn’t any point packing a bag for them if they can’t actually carry it!
In our first year of full-time family travel we took highspeed trains in Japan, hiked to find dinosaur footprints in South Korea and took an overnight train in Uzbekistan. These are all the kinds of travel days when it is essential that the kids daypacks are ones they can carry on their own and comfortably.
And it needs to have things in that they are happy to take responsibility to carry.
Kids Daypacks – Harry’s Bag (6 years old)
- Macpac 16L Korora Backpack
- Medium size eBags packing cell (used as toy bag)
- Budding Builders NZ LEGO Block Buddy
- Pencil case
- Sistema drink bottle
- iPad Mini with Lifeproof case
- JBL Kids headphones
- Macpac Kids Tui Fleece Jacket (this lives in their day pack)
- TheNorthFace Neck Buff
- 2x lined exercise books/small story books
- Sunhat
- Sunglasses
- Pokémon and Bakugan cards
- Small collection of matchbox cars and tiny toys
[Dad carries the electronics on travel days].
Kids Daypacks – Oscar’s Bag (4 years old)
- Macpac 16L Limpet backpack
- eBags Medium size (used as toy bag)
- Budding Builders NZ LEGO Block Buddy
- Pencil case
- Sistema drink bottle
- iPad Mini with Lifeproof case
- JBL Kids headphones
- Macpac Kids Fleece Jacket (this lives in their day pack)
- Scrapbook/small story books
- Sun Hat
- Sunglasses
- Large collection of small-medium dinosaurs
- Bakugan mini cards
[Oscar hands over the LEGO and electronics for travel days, but carries all dinosaurs and Bakugan!]
- Does that look similar to the packing list for your kids daypacks?
Useful links for your travel and planning…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- Hostelworld– The largest inventory of hostel accommodation in the world.
- Skyscanner – This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home).
Read more about packing for travel
- Packing toiletries, medical and electronics (plus all the rest).
- 10 Daypack essentials: When that daypack really is a daily pack.
- Our travel medical kit: Have you packed yet?
- Our packing list for full-time travel: 2 packs, 4 people.
- Our complete packing list for India: Everything you wanted to ask.
- Kids daypacks: What is actually in there?