Extra Travel Items

Last Minute Life Savers

• What: Extra things to have on hand
• When: Traveling with kids
• Why: Just in case
• Where: Your trip

When I travel with my kids, I keep a few extra items on hand and in easy reach in my carryon suitcase. I start with a basic plastic bag. It doesn’t add any extra weight or take up much space, but serves so many purposes. From collecting trash en route to holding wet clothes or dirty dishes, it can make the difference between an easy clean up and a frustrating mess.

I also keep a deflated beach ball in my bag. I prefer the Gertie balls, but since my kid tore into ours with his teeth, I haven’t felt like buying a replacement. We have plenty of spare beach balls, and I don’t care if anyone destroys or loses those. It works wonders for just about any age when your flight gets delayed. You can find an empty gate and let the kids loose. Or when you pull over at a rest stop, you can toss the ball out with the kids. Yet the lightweight ball won’t do any damage to people or things it hits. It packs up very small. I don’t use it on most trips, but love knowing I have it just in case. I leave one in my suitcase at all times, so I don’t even have to remember to pack it.

The last thing I keep handy is a luggage strap. I bought mine at an airport shop once when I had more than my hands full. It attaches with a clip to one or more bags. I use it to pull a car seat bag along with a suitcase using only one hand. And it works great for attaching a roller board to a bigger checked bag and still leaving a hand free to push a stroller or hold onto a child.