My brain kept telling me that I should be packing more for them whereas they were quite happy as they were so here is a list of what we packed (and actually used on our flights)
Change of clothes and slippers
Both of my girls hate wearing shoes for long periods of time, I think it is because we dont wear shoes in the house so they always want to take their shoes off when travelling so I packed their slippers which meant that their feet didnt get cold or dirty. When we flew out we had a change of clothes so they could be wearing tshirt and shorts(Alison) and a dress (Elizabeth) instead of the warm clothes they arrived at Manchester airport wearing. On the way back we packed pyjamas and warm jumpers and trousers. We flew overnight so they changed into their Pjs at the airport and boarded the plane already dressed in them. In the morning we put on warm clothes to leave and arrive in Manchester.
Wet Wipes
There is something about wiping your face with a wet wipe that leaves you feeling refreshed and this worked for all members of the family.
Ipads, kindles and tablets
Although we had the inflight entertainment the kids couldnt be kept away from minecraft for that long so we ensured that we had fully charged tablets with us. I also enjoyed reading my kindle in peace whilst they watched the films.
Comfortable headphones
The headphones given out on the plane are rubbish. I hate them, the kids hate them, so packing comfy headphones is a must for us.
Teddy bears
Each child has their favourite which we cant travel without so they have to go in the hand luggage too.
I also carried on my DSLR camera on the way out but couldn’t be bothered on the way back so I put it in the hold in my solid suitcase inside its protective camera bag. It just meant I had one less thing to carry and it was safe enough.
The one thing I have found about hand luggage is that its not so much what you take that is important but what it is in. We were huge fans of the Trunki when the kids were little but they outgrew them a few years ago and ever since I have been looking for a replacement idea. We did review the Microscooter Maxi Micro 4 in 1 luggage scooter but that was more of a scooter with a bag rather than a suitcase with a scooter if that makes sense. Anyway, we were sent the Zinc Flyte Scooter Case and it was perfect. You don’t need to take it apart, it all folds neatly together, the suitcase area still has loads of space in it and it looks amazing. We had so many compliments and questions about it at the airports that we went to and Alison has asked for a “non-girly colour” one for Christmas because although her Darth Vader suitcase is cool you cant ride on it.
I would definitely recommend the Zinc Flyte Scooter Case for kids to use as their hand luggage as you can fit a surprisingly large amount of stuff inside and the scooter element stops the kids moaning about how far it is to the gate!
