Travelling with a family of four I’ve learnt a few important things that I need to have sorted ahead of the next trip:

1. Overear phones for the little ones. Even though there are free ones, they likely won’t fit in their earholes. I do need a replacement for my own - but that is a 2026 purchase (probably another Sony set).
2. 4G mini router. eSIMs are great and for countries with good telecommunications maybe that’s all you need. For all the other places you need something that will connect several devices under a single plan. There are a few other options that don’t even require a SIM, but these do seem a little more hit and miss.
3. Laundry bags (a large one for the kids and two smaller ones for Yasmine and myself). Got two of these from Amazon and they worked great. One for us and one for the kids
4. A sling bag of some description is a necessity. The bag you travel with will not be the one you use on a regular basis. I had a great Timbuk2 backpack but it’s too big as a daily driver.
5. Crocs. Showering and just getting around your new surroundings is an essential item.
6. Charger with multiple outputs. We have a metric ton of devices. iPads, iPhones, Nintendos, earphones - all need to be charged. Get one of these and solve the problem across multiple devices. Bring a smaller version with a few outputs and shorter cables for carrying around.
7. Aeropress for making coffee. This is a must for me. Quick to clean and all you need is a bag of beans (always good to try something local), hot water and milk. I’ve also purchased a mini digital scale that works perfectly and is tiny. I might look to invest in the travel version because it comes with the cup as well.
8. Take some laundry detergent with us. If we’re going to an apartment/airbnb it’s likely we might need to put in a wash (or two). Finding the right one that won’t give us a problem with sensitive skins.
9. I definitely need a neck pillow. We got a couple for the kids and they were able to get some sleep for a few hours without us being scared for them. A cool feature is that they fold in on themselves into a small pillow. Will see if there is an adult version with a similar feature for being super easy to carry.
10. Tote bag for the flight. We always end up getting something at the airport. If it’s not sweets for the office, it’s a few bottles of water for the flight.
11. A small screwdriver set (from Hoto) because there were a few times when I needed to screw something and didn’t have an alternative (think toys, glasses, etc).