🏝️ Family Vacation Must-Haves: What We Packed, Loved, and Would 100% Bring Again

We recently got back from a family trip to our first ever all-inclusive resort. After almost 9 months of watching YouTube videos of the place and taking notes from active Facebook groups, it may have been the first time I didn’t find myself saying, “Ugh, I wish I had packed…” every single day.

Whether you’re headed to the beach, a cruise, or just anywhere that requires you to parent inside a suitcase, I’ve pulled together a free download of our favorite family vacation must-haves, with a focus on flights and water. But I also wanted to share the stories behind a few of the best ones—because packing lists are helpful, but real-life context? Even better.

Before You Even Board: Flight Prep That Pays Off

🎧 1. Download Everything Before the Airport

Seems obvious… until you’re stuck on the tarmac and your Netflix downloads show as expired. Our household streaming plans only allow two devices to download shows, so we had to divide and conquer ahead of time. Some got Netflix, some got Hulu... We made sure every show was re-downloaded and available offline, not just showing in the app. A little prep saved a lot of in-flight whining.

🔋 2. Charge Devices and Bring Backups

This includes all tablets, headphones, and portable chargers. There is nothing worse than a dead iPad at 20,000 feet. Our flight down was up-to-date with USB ports, but the flight home had actual plugs... which I'd thankfully packed!

🎁 3. A Tiny Gesture That Made a Big Impact

This trip, we brought small treat bags for the flight attendants—protein bars, mints, and candy in little gift bags. I only packed 5 total, planning to give them out on the way there, but we only handed out 3. So, on the way home, the last two were shared among the crew—and the smiles were priceless, truly! I was a bit shocked just how much they valued it. The kids loved helping with it, and it didn't hurt that mid-flight, the flight attendants let each kid pick out a snack that didn't come complimentary.

✨ Bonus Tip: Resort Snack Hoarding

Our resort stocked the room with a tiny can of Pringles and a pack of M&Ms daily. Guess who squirreled them away all week? This mom. Come travel day, I pulled out the stash and passed them out on the plane. Everyone complained less in the air, and I didn’t have to buy anything extra at the airport.

🧳 What We Packed That Was Actually Worth It

You don’t need 12 beach toys and six outfits per person. But these items? Total wins:

• CO2 detectors – For peace of mind in hotel rooms.

• Portable clothesline – Essential for hanging swimsuits and towels to dry when the bathroom comes with a single hook.

• Floats for the pool – The resort staff inflated them for us, no hassle.

• Color-coded insulated water bottles – No mix-ups, no fights, and stayed cold all day.

• Reusable water balloons & skip balls – Entertainment for them at the pool meant more time at the swim up bar for me while I read books on my Kindle.

• Plastic straws – I know, I know. But frozen drinks + paper = mush.

• Cheap water shoes – Because we heard the ocean floor was rough on feet there.

• Travel cup holder for luggage – Hooks onto your carryon so you’re not juggling iced coffee, your phone, and all their things too.

• Luggage scale – Avoid last-minute reshuffling at check-in and takes up almost no space.

• Cheap backpacks for each kid – Helped them stay organized and helped me divvy up their snacks and plane essentials. Plus, I threw in some surprises like their favorite candies.

• Waterproof phone pouch – I wore it snorkeling and got some awesome pictures without risking my phone.

Want the Full List With Links?

I pulled all of this (and a few extras) into this week’s free download: Family Vacation Must-Haves

It includes product links to all my favorite things I used on this trip.

Whether you're flying across the ocean or road-tripping to Grandma’s, I hope this helps make your next vacation feel a little more prepared and a little less like chaos in a carry on.

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