6 things I always bring when traveling

I've posted before about two items I always bring when traveling with my kids: hand sanitizer, and reusable juice-boxes. However, there are a few more items that I always pack because I think they make travel, and vacationing, better.

A pen - Such a simple little thing, and yet, if you don't have one you'll really miss it at some point. It's handy when you want to fill in one of those airline luggage tags, an immigration form, a crossword puzzle... I stuff one into my hand luggage for every trip.


Children's books - I brought a whole pile along on our latest trip to the Canary Islands, including Scholastic's series of books about various planets in the solar system. These very easy-to-read nonfiction books are a big hit with my kids right now, and make for some good reading before bedtime.

Books are also good when you're passing time at an airport. However, I usually find it difficult to read during a flight, because the engine-hum makes it hard to hear.



Hawaiian Tropic I.C.E. Lidocaine Gel - This stuff is fantastic. It's meant to treat sunburn, and does work for that, but also provides relief from itchy insect bites and any itchy, burning rashes your kids may get for whatever reason.

I originally bought it for our trip to Maui in 2009, but since then I've brought it along wherever we go. My daughter had a tough time sleeping while we were in Maui because of an itchy bug bite, but as soon as I put the gel on it, she was able to fall asleep. And when we spent time in Sweden last summer, this stuff really helped when the kids got mosquito bites there (and there are a lot of mosquitoes in northern Sweden in the summer time).


Fenuril - This is a Swedish skin care cream for dry skin. It's fragrance free, absorbs almost instantly, and totally works. Any dry, scaly patches of skin seem to get better if you put some of this on it.

There's probably a non-Swedish cream that works much the same, but I've never had the patience to look for it. Instead, I stock up when I'm in Sweden visiting family, or ask for care packages. Fenuril has also helped several times when my children got rashes, probably due to dry skin or some kind of skin irritation. It's like a magic eraser for all that stuff.

The only problem is that if you do have dry skin, this stuff stings a bit when your first apply it. Not much, and since it works, I can deal with that.

Reusable containers - I put snacks for the flights (and airports) in reusable containers when traveling with my children (and as I've noted recently, snacks are important to bring when traveling with kids). Once you get to your destination, the same containers can be used for snacks if you're at the beach, sightseeing, or whatever.

They can also be used to store food items in the fridge or cupboard where you're staying. (With a lid on, they are cockroach proof, for example. Just in case.)



AG Re-coil - OK, I don't bring this for the kids. I totally bring this for me. Having naturally curly hair can suck sometimes, especially when you have a high frizz-factor (I do). And if you're anywhere where it's humid (Maui for example) or where you might go in salty ocean water for a swim, that frizzy hair might become completely unmanageable.

I've been using Recoil for a few years now, and it's the only thing I've ever found that actually helps with my hair. It doesn't make your hair go straight, but it does help make it curly rather than frizzy.

Image of Fenuril thanks to apoteket.se.