My Top 10 Travel Essentials; Part Of The #markwarnermum Movement

I must say, I am not one of these people who sits down and plans a holiday. To be honest, I would happily say that Rob and I are not eager to sit down in January like some and plan a trip in the sun, simple because we have never holidayed in that way. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a holiday in the sun, but in the last 5 years of having children we just have only done easy holidays abroad, and by easy I mean driving to France. For us, holidays in this country have sufficed and they have not needed too much forward planning. However, even though we wouldn't spend too much time planning the actual trip, I spend a huge amount of time planning the packing! Yep, that is my job whenever we go away, I am the packer and I leave Rob to do just his things and pretty much that is all. It isn't something I find stressful either, in fact I feel I thrive in getting organised and plenty of tick lists come out for me to sign off as things head for the bags.

It is during this time that I also usually start planning what we will be doing on the trip and I have learned how to pack more appropriate things as I used to be a 'pack everything for every eventuality' kinda girl.

I think as we obviously have to carry all the bags, I have learned to skim down and really think about what we need. Recently Mark Warner released their 2017 Ambassador Programme encouraging us to share our top 10 holiday essentials. I must say, it didn't take me long to start a list including some items which I know will be on lots of people's lists but it did make me think about what is important and genuinely what indeed an essential would be. 

The term essential means an 'absolute necessary' and when thinking about holidaying there are some items that must simply not be missed off the list. After speaking to Rob and the kidos about what they would take on holiday, we were able to come up with quite a concise list! 

The credentials for taking part in application for the programme is to come up with a mood board of essentials which I have been able to do. Here are our first 9 items, scroll down to the bottom to find out what all important number 10 is!

Writing this I am pretty sure that a few of you will all be nodding heads in agreement. There are just certain items that need to be packed, so let's break it down; Why are these important to us?

S U N G L A S S E S

I think actually for every kind of holiday these can easily be an essential. Even the snowiest mountain peaks get brilliant sun, proving that whether you are at sea level or nearly touching the sky, a pair of sunglasses are going to be a common item you would reach for. I think there is nothing more frustrating than trying to walk or relax with the sun dazzling your eyes. I hate that blinding light which just makes your eyes go fuzzy, so our first essential is quite a protective piece.

 S N A C K S

I would encourage taking food everywhere on any occasion. Children who have food are happy children. There is nothing worse than a 'hangry' kid (or grown adult actually) so carrying plenty of snacks is vital. Whether you are driving, travelling on a plane or only heading out for a few hours, having a bag of treats will ease all levels of grumpiness. It is even a great distraction for boredom so if you know you have to sit around for a while a little floor picnic can be a perfect game change and make everyone a little less stressed out!

 B A B Y W I P E S 

I decided that this wasn't a ranking kind of suggestive list as I simply couldn't number order the items (apart from the last one, definitely most important) but I think baby wipes are up there as one of the biggest essentials for travels with kids. I mean what do they not clean up? There uses know no bounds and due to their size they are the easiest thing to sling in a bag and have with you everywhere. Let's just face it, wet tissue is no good for anything, but a pack of baby wipes will help you conquer the world!

M O D E R N P H O N E

I am only nailing down the 'modern' thing due to Rob refusing to own anything but a brick. He has no time for I-pieces and I can't blame him. I find I can't do anything without my phone and even travel comes easy as you literally have everything in the palm of your hand. The thing is; travel documents, map, booking information, it can all just be on one piece and access to maps, travel updates and general help of any kind is so accessible. I think it definitely helps calm worries. A phone that works overseas is a must and indeed an essential. 

S O C K S P A N T S T O O T H B R U S H

For Rob this was actually his first choice of essentials. For him, over packing on socks and pants is a must. Cleanliness is key and to be quite honest, I agree with him. With kids especially, extra pants and socks are so important as they are usually the things that get dirtiest. They do in our house at the moment anyway so if there was ever something to pack, these would be it. Also how horrible is not being able to clean your teeth. I think I have only forgotten my toothbrush on one holiday, that was quickly replaced, but I absolutely hate the thought of not cleaning teeth and even more hate the idea of sharing!! 

C O M F O R T E R

Most children have one. That special toy that just cannot be left behind. We have found that as long as we have a certain comforter, children are happy at bedtime and settle much better. We all know what our children love and for Etta these blanket tags have always been her thing. She usually strokes her face with the silky tag so when she is hurt or distressed it is a good thing to have to hand ready to comfort her.

We actually own three of these blankets which means we can have a good rotation and also allow for backups if one is lost.

C A M E R A

This is another item that will appear on a lot of people's lists. I simple must have a camera to capture all those perfect moments. There would be no way in fact that we could travel without one and I would probably be one of those people that if I forgot one, I would be buying one! I know phone cameras are good but for me I love the quality given from a proper DSLR camera and for us my one has captured so many memories so far, it would have to come on more adventures yet!

T O Y S { L E G O }

I don't think we ever leave the house without some of this in our pockets. Both of ours happily play with Lego and we are learning that taking a handful is great for entertainment. It also is great for light packing as it is so small and you can fit it everywhere (also not a good thing) but really small toys make our essentials list as kids can entertain themselves really well when they have items of interest.

A P P R O P R I A T E F O O T W E A R

If your feet hurt you can't do anything. It is debilitating isn't it. We all know how a blister makes us feel and how you end up hopping about trying to overcome the pain, but in reality, prevention is better than the cure. Whether you are on a beach, climbing mountains or skiing down them, if you are not dressed right then nothing is right. Comfort is the key and through many efforts of sometimes putting style over practicality I have learned that you need to look after your feet as they take you everywhere you want to go!

So our mood board of nine is explained. These are what I class as holiday essentials and these are what I would be packing for us all to have a happy holiday. But there is one thing that all should have on an essentials list. One thing that we easily overlook, but is indeed the most important of all because regardless of where we are holidaying in this beautiful world, if you have no other eyes to share it with what is the point? I really feel that sharing a holiday with others is vital to truly embracing the beauty that is around us. Experience that you can talk about with one another opens up journeys not just taken on foot, but deep within ones soul.

For me, there is no point in travelling if I don't have someone to share it with. That is my most important holiday essential!

F A M I L Y

I hope you have been able to find some help in this. We all have a very personal way at looking at holidaying but it is great to have the opportunity to share my thoughts on making travelling a little bit easier!

If you fancy pinning some of these essentials and also sharing with me yours why not visit my PINTEREST PAGE and hook up with my Travel Essentials board. 

Emily