TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

What I Buy When We Arrive Instead of Packing It

Less stuff in the suitcase. Less hauling through the airport. And one less thing for me to think about before we leave.

THE REALIZATION

I Used to Pack Like Our Destination Didn't Have Stores

I used to pack everything. A full pack of diapers. An entire thing of wipes. Enough snacks for every day of the trip. Sunscreen, drinks, beach toys, breakfast food, and a million other things we might need. By the time we left, our suitcases were stuffed before the vacation even started.

Then I finally realized something:

The place we’re going has stores.

I don’t need to haul a week’s worth of diapers through the airport when I can buy them after we land. I don’t need to pack juice boxes, giant bottles of sunscreen, or enough Goldfish to feed the entire plane.

Now I pack what we need to get through travel day, plus anything important or hard to replace. Everything else? We make one quick store run when we arrive.

Less stuff to pack. Less stuff to carry. And way more room in the suitcase for the things we actually want to bring home.

THE RULE

If it's bulky, inexpensive + easy to find, I buy it there.

BABY STUFF

I'm Not Giving Half My Suitcase to Diapers.

BRING FROM HOME

These are the things I want with me from the second we leave the house:

Travel-day diapers — I plan about 1 diaper for every 2 hours of travel, then throw in a few extras.
A travel pack of wipes — enough for diaper changes, sticky hands, spills and everything else.
Pacifiers + comfort items — especially anything specific that can't easily be replaced.
Bottles + feeding supplies — including enough formula or breast milk for travel day and delays.
Medications + specialty baby products — anything important or brand-specific always comes with us.
2 backup outfits — because blowouts always happen when it's least convenient.

BUY WHEN WE ARRIVE

This is where I save the suitcase space. If it’s bulky, inexpensive and easy to find, I’m buying it there.

PACKING ESSENTIALS // SUNSCREEN + POOL STUFF

The Stuff That Takes Up Way More Room Than It Should.

I used to pack all of it. Giant bottles of sunscreen, multiple pairs of goggles, sand buckets, shovels, pool toys and somehow half the suitcase was filled before I even added clothes.

Now, if we’re heading somewhere with a pool or beach, I keep it simple.

I bring anything specific that we already love or would be hard to replace, but the cheap, bulky stuff? We buy it when we get there.

Full-size sunscreen, sand toys, pool floats, extra goggles and other inexpensive pool supplies are usually easy to grab during our first store run.

And honestly, the kids do not care where their $5 sand bucket came from.

MOM TIP: If your kids have sensitive skin or you have a sunscreen you know works for your family, bring it from home. That’s one thing I don’t like experimenting with on vacation.

BONUS TIP:

Before buying pool or beach gear, check your hotel or Airbnb. We've stayed at places that already had floats, beach chairs, umbrellas and an entire collection of sand toys.

THE HOTEL + Airbnb Groceries

One Grocery Stop = An Easier Week.

01 / HOTEL

For hotels, I keep it super simple. I’m not cooking; I just want easy breakfasts, drinks and snacks we can grab on the way out.

I BUY:
Water + drinks, Easy breakfast foods, Kid snacks, Pouches, String cheese

My free Travel Day Grocery List has everything I usually grab for hotel and park days in one easy checklist.

02 / AIRBNB

With a full kitchen, I stock up a little more so we can eat breakfasts, quick lunches and a few easy dinners at the house.

I BUY:
Breakfast foods, Lunch basics, Easy dinners, Snacks, Drinks, Cooking basics, Household essentials, Fun treats

MOM TIP: Check the Airbnb before shopping—you might already have oil, seasonings, coffee, paper towels and other basics.

WHAT I WILL ALWAYS PACK

Some Things Are Not Worth Risking.

The golden rule of purposeful travel is simple: never haul what can easily be acquired on arrival, but aggressively guard what cannot be replaced. We curate our travel-day essentials with absolute precision—keeping our vital baselines within arm’s reach while shedding the dead weight of ‘just-in-case’ packing.

MEDICATIONS

Prescriptions, daily medications and anything we may actually need during the trip always come from home—and stay in my carry-on.

COMFORT ITEMS

Favorite loveys, blankets, pacifiers or anything my kids rely on for bedtime or travel. I can buy another pack of diapers. I cannot magically replace the stuffed animal at 10 PM.

CHARGERS + POWER BANK

Phones, tablets and headphones are doing a lot of heavy lifting on travel days. I keep the chargers and a fully charged portable battery somewhere I can easily reach them.

THE FIRST 24 HOURS

Diapers, wipes, feeding supplies, snacks, pajamas and a change of clothes. I always pack enough to comfortably get us through travel day plus the first night so a delayed flight or closed store doesn’t become my problem.

Less Packing. Less Carrying. More Vacation.

Overwhelmed & Overpacked

I used to pack for every possible “what if.” Extra outfits, full-size everything, way too many snacks and things we never even touched. The result? Heavy suitcases, no extra room and way too much stuff to dig through all week.

Pack What Matters. Buy the Rest There.

Now I pack what we actually need and leave the bulky, easy-to-buy stuff for our first store run. It’s simpler, lighter and makes unpacking at the hotel so much easier.

THE FINAL MOM RULE

Pack What You Can't Easily Replace.

Everything else? You can buy it there.

I used to pack for every possible “just in case.” Now I keep it much simpler. If it’s important, specific to our family, or would be a nightmare to replace, it comes with us. The extra snacks, giant toiletries, diapers, wipes and other bulky basics? I’ll buy them when we get there. Because the goal isn’t to have the perfectly packed suitcase. It’s to start the vacation with less stuff to carry and more room for what matters.

Real trips, honest tips + easier planning for busy families.