16 amazing products and services for making traveling with kids simpler
I absolutely love traveling full-time with my family. We’ve gotten to see so many amazing places and learned just how awesome this world can be! But as great as it is, a full-time travel lifestyle does come with some trade-offs. Trade-offs like an extra layer of complexity in planning our day-to-day life or a distinct lack of space for things.
Fortunately, during the years of constant travel, we’ve found solutions! These are the services and devices that we regularly use in our lives that help make family travel much easier to manage.
Travel and Trip Logistics
Planning for a trip can somehow simultaneously be the best and the worst part of traveling. I love getting the chance to look through everything different destinations have to offer and dreaming about our future trips! But when it comes to nailing down the details of what that trip will actually look like (and cost!), it definitely helps to be using the right tools for the job.
These are some of the services I used for trip planning and our on-the-ground logistics to make sure everything goes according to that plan.
NordVPN
I recently wrote an entire article on why NordVPN is one of the best tools for international travelers. I don’t want to go back over everything here, but I did want to at least mention it.
Whether you’re concerned with keeping your identity and browsing habits safe while overseas or are more interested in keeping access to your favorite streaming services while abroad, a VPN is absolutely essential.
I’ve been using NordVPN for nearly 5 years at this point, and I love how easy they make it to keep using. Definitely check them out!
WayAway+
At its most basic, WayAway+ is a flights search engine like Google Flights or Skyscanner. However, WayAway+ has several tricks up its sleeves that make it worth checking out!
First and foremost, members of WayAway+ get money back on every flight purchased through their site, as well as on experiences, car rentals, and more! In fact, you can get up to 5% back on flights, or up to 10% back on hotel purchases. Especially for families traveling with multiple kids, that can really add up!
WayAway also offers detailed location guides, “hidden gems” and tips suggested by locals, and around-the-clock support for those moments when things don’t quite go to plan.
Plus, if you us the promo code FieldTrip when you sign up, you can get your first year’s subscription for $8.99, after the free trial, which means you’ll definitely be saving some money. Check it out at the link below!
Google Fi
One of the trickiest parts about international travel is finding internet in those moments between landing in a new country and picking up a local SIM card. Not every airport offers free Wi-fi, and even when they do, I don’t always want to connect to it and potentially expose my phone on an open network.
That’s why I love getting my phone service through Google Fi!
Google Fi is a US-based phone network operated by Google. It offers competitive data prices compared to other US networks, but it’s basically a superpower for families that are constantly traveling internationally. That’s because Google Fi can keep you connected in over 200 different countries at the exact same price that you would get in America.
That’s admittedly more expensive than getting a local SIM if you’re planning on staying for a while, but worth it if you plan on switching countries during the month or if you need internet as soon as you touch down.
It’s worth noting that if you plan on being outside the States for a longer stretch of time, they will eventually cut off your data. I’ve personally been cut off on three separate occasions, and each time I received a warning that they would do so a full month in advance, which is plenty of time to get a local SIM card set up.
Plus, even after they stop providing internet connectivity, you can continue using them for phone calls and texts, which is super helpful for keeping a consistent phone number for banks and credit card companies. Internet service comes back as soon as you return to the US.
Interested in reading more about my experiences on Google Fi?
Ready to sign up?
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Nomad Internet
Not all travelers spend as much time outside the States as we do, and while Google Fi is great for keeping in contact overseas, they don’t offer a truly unlimited data plan for nomadic families who need a consistent connection. That’s why services like Nomad Internet are preferable as a home internet provider for families is road-tripping the States.
Similar to other home internet services, Nomad internet provides unlimited data for a single monthly price, but they do it via the Verizon mobile internet network, so you can access the internet anywhere you can get a signal!
It’s an amazing service for families that live on the road but still need to stay connected for school or work.
If you decide to sign up with them, I suggest buying one of their mobile routers, though if you have a mobile hotspot that works on Verizon’s network already, they also offer SIM-only plans.
Check out Nomad Internet’s router and plan prices at the link below
Pixel Phones
At this point, I’ve been a fan of Google’s Pixel Phones for several years, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
Originally, my decision to get a Pixel was specifically tied to needing a phone that worked well with Google’s mobile phone service, Google Fi. Pixel phones were advertised as being more capable of connecting on their network, and so I bought a Pixel 4a to take advantage of that. However, after just a short time with the 4a, I was sold on Google’s vision for Android phones!
Specifically, I love how easy it is to take amazing pictures using Pixel phones. I’ve been using my phone as my sole camera for years, at this point, and I’ve been super impressed with the quality of pictures I can get from these phones. (See below)
I’m currently using the Pixel 7 Pro, and loving it, but if you’re in the market for a Pixel Phone at the moment, I’d highly suggest choosing one from the newest editions, as newer phones will likely last you longer before you need to upgrade again!
$499.00
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The “A” series of Pixel phones are typically released midway through the yearly cycle and pack many of that year’s benefits into a more budget-friendly device. |
The Pixel 8 is this year’s mainline version of the Pixel Phone. Most of what’s on offer is the expected iterative upgrade over last year’s version, but this year Google is leaning heavily into AI enhancements that should give the Pixel 8 an advantage over its competitors. |
The Pixel Pro line takes what is good about the mainline Pixels and add just a bit more. This year, that means a larger screen, more zoom on the camera, and a bit more RAM to help make it feel quicker than ever! |
The “A” series of Pixel phones are typically released midway through the yearly cycle and pack many of that year’s benefits into a more budget-friendly device.
The Pixel 8 is this year’s mainline version of the Pixel Phone. Most of what’s on offer is the expected iterative upgrade over last year’s version, but this year Google is leaning heavily into AI enhancements that should give the Pixel 8 an advantage over its competitors.
The Pixel Pro line takes what is good about the mainline Pixels and add just a bit more. This year, that means a larger screen, more zoom on the camera, and a bit more RAM to help make it feel quicker than ever!
Power Banks
Not all power banks are created equal. That’s a fact that I, sadly, discovered back in 2020 when looking for a portable source of power for my laptop that would let me keep writing for longer even while camping. Back then, I went through a series of power banks that I thought would work before discovering Anker’s offerings.
Since then, I have repurchased Anker power banks several times and have been pleased with their capabilities and portability every time. I use these power banks almost daily. Sometimes it’s because I’m working from a campsite in the woods. Sometimes it’s because I forgot to charge my kids’ devices and they don’t want to sit next to an outlet to do their school work. Sometimes it’s because we somehow got the only seats on an international flight that don’t have a functioning USB port.
Whatever the reason, I’ve found these power banks to be up to the challenge.
$179.99
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$79.99
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- 27,650mAh
- 250W max output
- GaN technology for good power to size ratio
- Trusted premium brand
- 30000mAh
- 65W max output (enough for laptops, Nintendo Switch, Etc.)
- I've been using this one for nearly 2 years and it's still going strong!
- 10000mAh
- 22.5W Fast Charging with PD 3.0 & QC 3.0
- USB C in/out
Wanderlog
I found Wanderlog while I was looking for options for creating beautiful maps to put on my blog posts, but once I saw how useful it was for trip planning, I absolutely fell in love.
Simply start a trip plan, give it a destination, and it offers a single location where you can keep track of all the different places you might want to visit! You can search for places manually or save suggestions from a selection of user-generated maps if you need some inspiration.
Everything is kept together on a list that you can categorize however you like and on a map so you can easily visualize your itinerary. Plus, you can forward any hotel, flight, or rental reservations to have them conveniently saved alongside your other plans. If you have a premium account, they’ll regularly scan your email for new reservations so nothing falls through the cracks, as well.
There are some other features, like a budget tracker, but being able to see everything you want to visit in a relevant way is the highlight here.
For most users, a free account will do everything you need, but a Pro account comes with several benefits, like offline access, route optimization, and more.
Education on the Go
Most of traveling with kids is remarkably similar to how I traveled before kids: find a place that looks interesting, buy a ticket, and go. The hikes we go on now are significantly easier hikes, and maybe there’s a bit more focus on places with kid-focused programs, but honestly, my interests have always skewed toward educational travel.
One thing that is different is that alongside all our field trips to check out amazing ruins and animal sanctuaries, we also have to make sure our kids get in some school time. After all, while experiential learning is an awesome way to teach kids about the world, some things are easier to teach via more traditional means.
These are some of the different services and devices we use to keep our kids learning no matter where we find ourselves!
Outschool
Our family uses a blending of parent-led and online learning to make sure our kids get the bets possible education, even while on the road. A large part of what we do is providing experiential learning opportunities through field trips and hands-on activities, but a lot of things are easier to do through more traditional means. (Like teaching spelling words and math facts.)
However, as smart as we are, we don’t know everything. Whether it’s our son wanting to learn how to make Minecraft mods, or us wanting to offload the task of teaching long-division, there are online classes that can help! Outschool is one such platform that offers a huge number of online classes teaching all sorts of skills. Each class on the platform is organized and taught by individuals who come up with their own course plan, so the quality of the classes do vary a bit, but there are some real gems on there.
If you’re wanting to offload some subjects, it’s definitely worth looking into.
Outschool is an online learning platform with classes ranging from unicorn-themed dance parties to high school level math classes. If you're looking for a simple way to teach your kids things that you yourself may not know much about, online classes like the ones offered by Outschool are an excellent way to do that.
Kindle Fire HD 10 (Or other tablet)
Our kids are still young enough that we aren’t quite ready to get them their own computers, but old enough that they benefit from having access to their own device. Whether they are doing school in internet-based classes, chatting with friends and family, or making friends in online clubs and playing games, the Kindle Fire HD 10 makes an excellent in-between device.
If you plan on using it for school, be sure to grab this Made for Kindle Keyboard case from Fintie as well, since it basically turns the HD 10 into a small convertible laptop with a decent, but small, keyboard and adjustable viewing angles for the screen.
I’ve found that the Fintie keyboards do tend to break after a few months of use, but I haven’t found anything better yet and find them to be worth it anyways.
And remember, while you might be getting the HD 10 primarily as a school device, it can also do almost anything you would need from a typical Android Tablet. My kids use them for watching movies and shows, listening to music and audiobooks, reading books from the library, or playing games.
All new Fire HD 10 Tablet
This is this year’s upgrade over the tablet that we currently have for our kids. It’s supposed to be lighter and faster than last years model, but we chose not to upgrade this time around because last year’s Fire Tablet is still working just fine!
This is the version I would suggest getting for kids, at the moment.
HD10 + Keyboard Bundle
And this is the keyboard bundle with the newer Fire. This is a slightly different design than last year’s version, and I haven’t had a chance to see it in person. Last year’s keyboard tended to break in the center, making the G,H, and J keys unusable, so I’m hoping this year’s model has fixed that.
Fire HD11
This years, Amazon introduced another bigger, faster version of their Fire Tablets that is meant to be a much more premium version compared to the less expensive models. Honestly, if you’re buying for your kids, I’d suggest sticking with the HD10. And if you’re buying for yourself, I’d look at the Oneplus Pad. But! If you want the best that the Fire Tablet line has to offer, this is it!
Note: After nearly a decade of using Kindle Fire tablets, we just bought our kids a pair of Samsung A9 Tablets after our kids dropped a Fire one too many times. They are far from the best offerings form Samsung’s line, but still plenty powerful enough for what my kids are doing. And the smaller screen size means they are much more compact than the HD10s. If you’re concerned about space in your bags, I think they make a pretty good alternative!
Headphones
I feel like this is possibly the most obvious device suggestion on this entire list, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to leave it off. I love that my kids are enjoying the video portions of their school curriculum, but sometimes I have my own work to do and I don’t really want to listen to the entirety of their school for the day.
Especially in areas where we’re living in close quarters, a good pair of headphones is an absolute lifesaver. If you don’t already have some for each member of your family, it’s definitely worth it to get some.
I just purchased a pair of Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds as a replacement for the bulkier over-ear headphones I’ve been traveling with. It is definitely possible to travel with over-ear headphones, but having a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds that I can carry around in my pocket makes it so much easier.
I typically go with Soundcore for my headphone needs, because they are amazing quality for the price, but if you want a more premium pair of headphones, you should also check out the Pixel Buds Pro by Google. Not only are they designed to work easily with Pixel phones, but they are continually adding new features, like live translation for spoken conversations. Plus, they do a particularly good job with filtering out excess noise for clear phone calls!
Of course, not everyone appreciates the way headphones feel. Neither of my kids will wear over-ear headphones or earbuds, so we had to do a little digging to find something that works for them. If your kids are the same way, I highly recommend this pair of bone-conduction headphones. They have surprisingly great sound and still allow you to use kid-friendly earplugs to block out other noise if needed.
$99.99
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Description: The noise cancelling on these is absolutely amazing, especially for a sub-$100 pair of earbuds. The battery lasts through most of my workday without me needing to take a break, and if I do manage to run the battery down, the earbuds charge quick enough that a short coffee break will get me enough charge to last through the rest of my day. |
Description: Google's take on earbuds are some of the best ones on the market. Yes, they are noise cancelling and offer over 30 hours of battery life, but where they shine is their close integration with Google's other offerings, like their Pixel Phones. |
Description: My kids do not like having earbuds in or headphones over their ears. It's a sensory thing. In our search to come up with a viable alternative to regular headphones, we found these bone-conducting ones. They offer an open-ear design that allows our kids to hear the world around them while still being able to listen to their audiobooks or game soundtracks. I've borrowed them for running a couple times, and the audio is surprisingly good, as well. So, these are definitely worth a look! |
The noise cancelling on these is absolutely amazing, especially for a sub-$100 pair of earbuds. The battery lasts through most of my workday without me needing to take a break, and if I do manage to run the battery down, the earbuds charge quick enough that a short coffee break will get me enough charge to last through the rest of my day.
Google's take on earbuds are some of the best ones on the market. Yes, they are noise cancelling and offer over 30 hours of battery life, but where they shine is their close integration with Google's other offerings, like their Pixel Phones.
My kids do not like having earbuds in or headphones over their ears. It's a sensory thing. In our search to come up with a viable alternative to regular headphones, we found these bone-conducting ones. They offer an open-ear design that allows our kids to hear the world around them while still being able to listen to their audiobooks or game soundtracks. I've borrowed them for running a couple times, and the audio is surprisingly good, as well. So, these are definitely worth a look!
Bonus Suggestion: Airplane headphones are awful. Luckily there’s a way for you to use your own personal headphones with the in-flight system, even if your favorites only work over Bluetooth.
Check out this Bluetooth transmitter and make your next flight more comfortable!
A family-friendly task list
Our family loves traveling, but constantly changing locations does make it a bit difficult to build strong routines. That’s why we’ve started using the task list app Habitica as a way to help us build healthy routines and make sure we check off all the important items from our task list.
Habitica is a gamified task list with a fantasy game theme. Completing tasks gains you experience you can use to level up and gold to spend on rewards like weapons and armor. We have each of our family members in a “party” so that we can keep each other accountable and help each other out!
It isn’t a particularly useful app if you need more advanced task list features, but for basic family routines and school schedules, it’s a great fit!
If you do need something a bit more powerful, I use TickTick premium for my personal tasks and have loved it for years. It has all the features I need to keep my life together and has continued adding more over the years. It’s not as popular as some of the other lists out there, like Todoist or Any.Do, but I personally prefer the way TickTick is set up.
Downtime and Entertainment
If there’s one thing that literally everyone can relate to, it’s a need for some downtime once in a while. It turns out that just because we’re traveling to stunning locales and taking fascinating field trips, it doesn’t mean that our family is magically immune to this need. Sometimes you just need a chill day at home. Or at the hotel. Or campsite.
Luckily, traveling light doesn’t have to leave us light on entertainment!
Whether you’re an avid movie watcher, a bookworm, or a gamer, there are plenty of options for getting some downtime while on the go!
Kindle Paperwhite
I have extremely fond memories of sitting in a garden courtyard somewhere in Bolivia and reading through a massive tome of a book that I had lugged across the world with me. It was a 3-in-1 hardback book that had The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, and The Count of Monte Cristo, and it lasted me most of that summer. I loved it, but I am so glad that I’ve been able to replace heavy books like that one with the much more portable Kindle Paperwhite e-reader.
For those not in the know, E-readers are small tablets that enable you to carry an entire library’s worth of books in your pocket. They have screens that work equally well inside or in direct sunlight, and some newer ones, like the Paperwhite, are also waterproof so you can relax on the beach or in the pool without worrying about the occasional splash.
While there are other brands of e-readers out there, I personally feel that Amazon’s line of Kindle readers is the best option for most travelers.
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$339.99
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Libby
The Libby app is the successor to the old Overdrive app that was used by libraries to provide ebooks alongside more traditional library books, and it has quickly become my favorite place for getting new books for both my kids and myself!
If your kids are quick readers, book prices can definitely add up. Libby gets you access to your library’s entire ebook collection, no matter where you are in the world! It’s definitely a welcome addition to any traveling family’s toolbox.
Audible
Listening to audiobooks is our family’s not-so-secret weapon against road trip boredom, and Audible is still the best place to get them!
I’ve written about why you should consider listening to audiobooks with your kids before, and that hasn’t changed. Not only is it a great way to pass the time, but listening together is a great way to bond with the kids, and if you choose the right books, it can be a great way to get some pre-learning in before a field trip!
You can also get audiobooks on apps like Libby, but we like getting them through Audible because of the huge selection and because we can play Audible books using our Paperwhite, which we can’t do with other services.
Our kids like to re-listen to a lot of their favorite stories, so having long-term access to their audiobooks through Audible is important for us, too.
Streaming Services
I don’t think this will come as a surprise to pretty much anyone, but one of the easiest ways to spend some downtime while traveling is by streaming your favorite shows. Pretty much every streaming service out there has some great family-friendly options available.
My family has a regular pizza and tv night each week, and it is easily one of our kids’ favorite traditions. Especially if you’re traveling constantly, I highly recommend keeping those family routines and traditions intact, even when out of the country.
Pro tip: Be sure to download a selection of new shows for offline viewing the night before taking a long flight. In-flight entertainment is hit or miss sometimes, so having some options for your kids during the flight is key to making sure the flight goes well.
PBS Kids Video
Our family particularly loves Wild Kratts and Peg+Cat, but you can’t really go wrong with PBS Kids.
If you’re trying to access it from outside the States, you’ll need to use a VPN with servers in the US.
Netflix
Netflix is the biggest name in streaming, and for good reason! They have a pretty large selection of shows that changes depending on what country you’re in.
Octonauts and Paw Patrol are my kids’ favorites on Netflix. Set your VPN to Canada If you’re not seeing them.
Disney+
We originally got Disney+ for the kids, but recently, it’s mostly been just me watching.
Marvel, Star Wars, and Willow all play on nostalgic memories from my childhood, but I’m ok with that.
While Disney+ is available in other countries, I’ve found that I often need a VPN to access it while traveling.
Prime Video
I’m not super impressed with most of Prime Video’s children’s offerings, but they have some pretty good shows for parents.
Most recently, my wife and I watched the Rings of Power and really enjoyed it. I can’t wait for Season 2!
Amazon’s original content doesn’t require a VPN to view, but if you pay for one of their US channels, you’ll need one.
Streaming Sticks
While it is quite possible to watch your favorite shows from your laptop or phone, it’s hard to deny that watching them on a larger screen is a much better experience.
Most AirBNBs and hotels have TVs today, which helps some, but signing into all of your streaming services every time you change locations is both a huge hassle and potentially unsafe. Our family’s solution is to pack a streaming stick with all of our favorites downloaded and ready to go!
If you plan on traveling outside the States, you’ll want one that supports installing a VPN as well, so you don’t lose access to your shows while overseas. We’ve had great success with both FireTV Sticks and Google Chromecasts, but you’ll want to avoid Roku sticks for travel, as they don’t have easy access to VPN apps.