Tips for Carry-On Only Travel With Kids

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Want to try traveling light with your family on your next trip? Ann has mastered the art of carry-on only travel with kids, and offered to share her tips with us. Thank you, Ann! — Kat

In this recent post about a portable wash bag, I mentioned we are a carry-on family of four — and it seemed like there was a lot of interest in how we do it! Keep on reading and avoid checking bags on your next family vacation!

(Psst from Kat: We’ve talked about business travel when you’ve got kids, shared tips for pumping when you’re traveling for work, and rounded up readers’ top tips for frequent work travel — but we haven’t talked about this! Meanwhile, over at Corporette, we’ve also discussed readers’ favorite items for business travel, tips for packing for a one-day business trip, and shared great gift ideas for people who travel often.)

Tips for Carry-On Only Travel with Kids

Choose Your Bags Wisely

My kids are nine and four, so they can at least carry their own backpacks. But even when they were younger, we still flew almost exclusively with carry-on luggage (at least domestically — more on that later). The key is to choose the right luggage.

For trips of a week or more, each parent will each take a standard-sized rolling carry-on (we each have very ancient Travel Pros) and a large travel backpack. (I use this travel pack from Cotopaxi and my spouse has an old Osprey that looks like this one.) So, that’s a total of four carry-on bags, which matches the carry-on baggage allotment for four people on most airlines (aside from basic economy).

Then each family member takes one personal item: The two kids each carry a backpack, I’ll often carry this Lo & Sons tote, and my spouse will carry an old LeSportsac duffle bag that looks like this, but bigger. If you’re doing the math with me, that is exactly eight pieces of baggage. (Kat’s mentioned on Corporette that they really like this large, packable duffle bag also!)

Now, how do we waddle through the airport carrying all this stuff?

This is one situation where having a kid in a stroller is helpful: We hang the kids’ backpacks off the stroller handles. Then Adult #1 wheels both suitcases with a tote/duffle riding on top of each one and carries a large travel backpack on their back. Adult #2 also carries a large travel backpack and pushes the stroller (or our oldest, if she’s feeling those big sister vibes, will push her younger brother). 

{related: tips for flying with kids}

Choose Your Clothes Wisely

Now what should you put in your carefully selected luggage? 

If we’re going to do laundry on the trip (especially if we’re handwashing in a hotel room), we pack workout clothes — since they’re thin and lightweight, they wash and dry quickly. For kids’ activewear, check out Under Armour, Primary, and REI. Just make sure to take a little detergent meant for fitness wear since regular detergent may not get all the odor out. 

If the gym look isn’t for you, there are lots of stylish pieces made from easy-care tech fabrics. Check out Athleta, Lululemon, Ministry of Supply, and M.M.LaFleur for some great travel-friendly pieces. 

I also love Uniqlo’s Heattech and Airism innerwear. Depending on the weather, I’ll wear a Heattech or Airism tee under my outer shirt or sweater so it stays clean enough for a second wear. Uniqlo’s innerwear is also really thin, so it washes and dries quickly like activewear.

Merino wool is also a good choice for cooler-weather travel, because it resists odors so you don’t have to wash it all. Take a look at Corporette’s recent roundup of the best merino wool sweaters. 

Outerwear, especially winter outerwear, consumes a lot of luggage space. Instead of bulky coats, we wear packable puffers. I have an old coat similar to this one from L.L.Bean and the kids have puffers from Primary. If it’s really cold, I’ll also bring a vest or thin fleece for layering. 

Finally, all this clothing gets compressed into packing cubes: Each person has their own set so it’s easy to figure out what belongs to whom. 

Choose Your Airline Wisely

Domestically, we almost exclusively fly Southwest Airlines. Along with their generous ticket change policy (because kids get sick and trips get canceled), families with kids 6 and under board after the first boarding group so there’s plenty of space for carry-on bags. Their free checked bag policy is also a bonus if you don’t want to go all-in with carry-on only.

Now, if you’re traveling internationally, carry-on bag rules for non-U.S.-based airlines may be different. For example, most standard domestic rolling bags are too big for the overhead bins on some international carriers (that was the case for our SAS flight from D.C. to Copenhagen). So check your airlines’ rules and measure your suitcase. 

{related: 3 tips for using Airbnb with kids}

Choose Your Accommodations Wisely

As for accommodations, we often stay with family and friends, which means free laundry! 

Even when we’re not staying with familiar faces, we still do laundry on vacation. We will try to stay at an Airbnb (filter for a place with a washer/dryer) or an extended stay/apartment-style hotel that has inexpensive machines to use. Nearby laundromats are also an option. In some places like New York City or London, you can also find wash and fold laundry services that won’t break the bank. 

If it’s just a few small things, we will often wash them in the sink or bathtub. Along with detergent, we bring a clothesline for hanging up laundry, and ask housekeeping for a few extra bath towels to roll and squeeze out wet clothing. We also make sure we do laundry near the beginning of any stay so we don’t end up packing wet clothes when we need to move on.

So, for your next family trip, ditch the checked bags and be on your way! Bon voyage!

Stock photo via Pexels / Oleksandr P.