TRAVEL GEAR

Written By Emily Loutzenhiser

Let’s talk travel gear! This is what probably took me the longest to narrow down. There was so much to think about - Stroller or no stroller? Double stroller? Will there even be space for it? How about car seats? How do we navigate that? And what about luggage? Do we need to try to backpack it? Will regular-sized luggage be too big? (If your mind doesn’t work as anxiously as mine, consider yourself lucky lol) In the end, I said f*ck it and went with my gut, and countless reviews, of different products.  

  • BABY JOY Lightweight Baby Stroller, Compact Travel Stroller: This has been the biggest surprise of them all! There were a few costly options that I considered, but when I read the reviews for this one, it truly seemed like the perfect dupe for a family on a budget. It has held up SO well. It’s gone off-roading through rocky night markets, dragged through red clay streets and white sandy beaches. It folds up and detaches so that when you need to, you can store it in the plane's overhead cabin. Overall, it's just been a hit for us. 

  • Beco Baby Carrier Toddler Carrier with Extra Wide Seat: This was a last-minute impulse purchase when I read on someone’s blog that it was every family's “must-have” item. I kind of thought Ellie was going to be too old for this, but she loves it. I’ve thrown her in there on late-night commutes to try and catch some sleep and put her on my back during hikes and markets. She always says she's comfortable and my back has felt great! 

  • Traveler's Choice Archer Polycarbonate Hardside Spinner Luggage Set: I wanted a set of luggage with locks and that were matching, for ease of finding them on luggage belts. These have held up great so far! The carry-on has different storage compartments and has doubled as a rolling chair through airports. 

  • Gonex Rolling Duffle Bag with Wheels: Another last-minute impulse buy once I realized we most definitely were not going to be backpacking, this soft duffle is a steal! Other ones are about 2-3x the price, for the same features. It’s waterproof, has different storage pockets, and rolls great. Our favorite of all the bags. I would probably get two of these if I were to do it again. 

  • Travel Packaging Cube: Lifesavers. We unpack everything everywhere we go, and everyone having their own packing cube makes this so, so simple!

  • Luggage Scale: This has saved me many dollars at the check-in counter, worth $10.

  • JBL Clip 3: Hotel room dance parties are a must while traveling the world with your family & this is the most compact way to have them!

  • Vitanizer Pill Organizer: Okay, this is a surprising top of the list find! We had a slew of things in our medkit (post coming soon!) that were half-filled-with-air supplement or med bottles and I just did not have the space for it. This thing is PERFECT for bringing long-term supplies of vitamins, supplements, or any medications you might need! 

  • SteriPen UV Water Purifier: An absolute MUST have while traveling internationally is this SteriPen. There are tablets and water bottles you can get to purify water on the go, but we are super happy with this. I can even do bowls of water at a time and fill it with fruit and veggie cleaner to make sure our fruit aren’t covered in any not-so-great bacteria. 

  • Permethrin Clothing Insect Repellent: We haven’t had to use this yet, but super happy we heard about it! It will be great if we’re able to make it to some of our buggier destinations & just great for Matt to have for early morning fishing trips when we’re back home.

  • Compact Tripod/Selfie Stick: I mean, you gotta have it!

  • Travel Backpack: I grabbed this on sale during black Friday & it has held up great! Probably should not have gotten white, but it will tell the stories of our travels with it’s stains LOL.

  • WANDRD ROUGE Camera Sling: Matt here “This 6l sling is perfect for an afternoon out with the family. I can carry my mirrorless camera with a wide-angle lens, a 32 oz water bottle, a phone charger, and snacks for the kids. If I wanted to I could carry a laptop in the expandable pouch too!”

  • WANDRD PRVKE Photography Backpack: Matt here “If you are like me and would rather carry as much on as possible, then this is the bag to go with. GoPro, mirrorless camera, 2 lenses, laptop, hard drives….and that’s just in the camera cube. You still have an expandable roll-top section to bring a couple of changes of clothes and of course snacks for the kids.” 

  • SONY Alpha 7C II Camera: Matt here “The a7cii features a compact rangefinder style body that is perfect for traveling. However, the compact size does not mean it compromises performance. 33 megapixels mean that you have some latitude to crop your photo and the latest AI autofocus from Sony means you’re wife and kids are always in focus!”

Okay, I’m sure this will be an ever-growing list, but for now, that’s what we’ve got! If you found this helpful, we SO appreciate you shopping our commissioned links and supporting our journey. Feel free to email or DM us with any other questions @emilyloutz or @matt_loutz.

Emily Loutzenhiser