Mark's Tip

Packing to travel with children

Children from around 8 yo and older are quite capable of packing their own suitcase (with a little help with sneaking in that extra T-shirt instead of the stuffed toy). This is especially useful when negotiating the family through airport terminals.

My wife Meg and I have found travel to be so much easier when each of our 3 sons ( 14, 10 and 8 yo) is responsible for wheeling his own luggage . This then provides a focus for each child. This is much more pleasant than stopping them from crash tackling each other and driving their parents to distraction!

Each child having their own suitcase encourages a sense of independence but responsibility for his own belongings. It also helps to reduce the amount of "treasure" such as rocks, shells, nerf guns and holiday books brought back from the holiday.