Our Travel Must-Haves

Traveling with kids comes with a learning curve and this is the gear we've come to appreciate to make the transitions of traveling a bit smoother!

Airplane Bed

For long, middle-of-the-night international flights, we have had great success with these airplane travel beds. It comes with a pump so it's quick and easy to inflate and its also surprisingly easy to deflate and pack away.

My girls have a hard time falling asleep with all the stimulation of travel. Plus, I think we can all agree that sleeping in an airplane is not the most comfortable! These airplane beds give the girls more leg room to be able to stretch out their legs, get comfortable, and lay down to sleep.

At 2 1/2 years old, W is able to lay on her stomach with her legs bent slightly to one side. At 4 1/2 years old, J can't fully lay down, but it's still helpful that she can stretch out her legs and lay to the side.

Use the code MONTIEXPAT10 for $10 off your airplane bed!

Travel Stroller

Our first stroller was this one and I loved it's big wheels for off-road adventures and cobble stone streets, but it wasn't the easiest to travel with. When we had our second child, we upgraded to the Mockingbird double stroller, and yes we did travel internationally it and it was a pain to travel with, although this travel bag helped a lot.

Then we got our travel stroller and it was a game changer! Being able to bring it on the plane and store it in the overhead bin, instead of checking it at the gate, makes all the difference for layovers and the trek from the gate to baggage claim. It folds up so small and fits perfectly in the carrying bag it comes with.

We have taken our travel stroller on small domestic flights and larger international flights and it has always fit in the overhead bin, although we are sometimes asked to collapse it at the ticket counter to "prove" that it folds up much smaller than it looks like it would.

We also have the footboard so both children have a place to sit during our travels. Even the footboard folds with the stroller to fit in the carrying bag after you un-attach the seat.

Travel Car Seats

When we travel we usually don't rent a car. We usually try to rely on public transportation and taxis. So lugging around two car seats isn't really an option for us. To keep our children safe in taxis while traveling we use these awesome car seat vests!

These vests are certified child restraints in all 50 US states, Canada, China, Korea, as well as all countries that recognize the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. You can view crash safety testing and testimonials on the website.

Another reason we love using these vests for travel is it eliminates the possibility of our everyday car seats getting damaged or lost during transit. The vests fit into the included carrying bag which we usually clip onto our stroller or backpack with a carabiner and carry onto the flight.

Make sure you don't use know-off brands that aren't certified and haven't gone through the rigorous testing.

Click here for an automatic discount applied to your purchase of our favorite travel car seat!

Travel Backpack & Packing Cubes

A travel backpack is so great when you're wanting to travel light. This is the travel backpack I use. I usually pack my clothes and the girls plane activities in these packing cubes in my backpack along with snacks and extra diapers and wipes.

I love that my backpack has zippers in the front for easy access and even a compartment on the bottom for shoes. I can fit everything I need in my backpack!

Black Out Curtains

My girls are used to sleeping in darkness, so it can take them a little bit to fall asleep if the place we're staying has curtains. This can be super frustrating, especially if we have long days and the girls really need their sleep. So we bring our own! We love these travel curtains. They suction to any window and give instant black out!

Use the code MONTIEXPAT10 for a discount on your black out travel curtain!

Sound Machine

Our girls have always slept better with sound machines. This is the sound machine we use every day and it can operate on batteries so we bring it with us when traveling.

Nap Mat

While these organic cotton nap mats are not necessary for every trip, they have been very helpful for travel when there aren't enough beds for each person, like when we're staying with family, we're all sharing a room, or the beds are too high and there's a falling risk. We also used the nap mats while van camping in Southern California!

No matter where we are, the kids can set up their nap mats on the floor and they're cozy and good to go!

Next read Tried and True Travel Activities!