At one point during our travels, we had an outlet splitter with three different cords coming off it just to keep our devices charged. Then there were the different plugs we needed for the UK and elsewhere in Europe, and honestly, cord management had become a nightmare.
That is why a charger is first on this list. Not the most exciting thing to buy for a family trip, but it solved something that was annoying us all the time.
Rebecca and I spent months traveling through the UK and other parts of Europe with our two daughters before settling in Valencia, Spain. These are three family travel essentials we actually used, along with the things I would want another parent to know before buying them. We researched and paid for all three ourselves. None was gifted or sponsored.
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1. Anker’s foldable 3-in-1 charger: fewer cords to deal with
Rebecca and I use iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods, so there was a lot to charge whenever we stopped somewhere. Having separate cords coming off a splitter worked, but it was an impractical setup to keep moving around.
The foldable Anker charger made that much easier. We could unfold it wherever we were staying, set our devices on it, and avoid having quite so many things plugged in separately. It also felt durable enough to put in a backpack without feeling like we had to be particularly precious with it.
There is a second use that I really appreciate: it holds the phone up while it charges. I can use my phone as a bedside clock and alarm rather than having it lying flat somewhere. We bought this for traveling, but it is still the charger I use every day at home for my phone, watch, and AirPods.
The important buying detail: this is a charger for a particular combination of devices. The three spots are for one compatible iPhone, one Apple Watch, and one AirPods case that supports wireless charging. It does not charge a laptop or both parents’ full sets of devices at once. Check your exact devices and phone case against Anker’s compatibility information before ordering.
It also needs to be plugged into power. This is not a battery pack, and you still need the appropriate wall-plug adapter for wherever you are traveling. It reduces the cable mess; it does not remove the need to think about plugs.
For a parent already using those Apple devices, this would be my first recommendation of the three. For someone who only needs to charge a phone, I would not suggest buying a whole charging station just because we found it useful.
Fully deployed charger in Carlisle!
2. MiaMily Check-In Plus luggage: when a child will not walk
The MiaMily suitcase helped us with a very different problem.
I think we were at Heathrow. We had about five other pieces of luggage to deal with, one daughter who was willing to walk, and another who was flopping all over the floor. We were able to put her on the suitcase’s built-in seat and keep rolling.
When you already have that much stuff to move, being able to do that is fantastic. The bag was carrying our things, and it could also carry the child who had decided she was not walking any farther.
We used the large Check-In Plus, not the carry-on version. We had already learned the hard way how much of a hindrance the wrong luggage size could be. The MiaMily worked better for our needs, but I would still check the restrictions for every airline or train you plan to use rather than assume there is one size that works everywhere.
For reference, MiaMily currently lists the Check-In Plus at 65.5 cm high, 46 cm wide, and 33 cm deep, weighing 5.9 kg empty. That empty weight matters when you are working out how much you can pack. Treat this as a checked-luggage purchase, not a cabin-bag recommendation.
On a flight where you check it, the ride-along benefit is before you hand over the bag and after you collect it. It will not be with you on the walk to the gate once it has been checked in. Follow MiaMily’s instructions for the seat, including the child safety belt and age and weight guidance.
The downside we actually ran into: our daughter became quite attached to riding on it. After a while, she would protest unless we let her ride. So that is a potential ramification of making this option available.
For us, it was still more helpful than it was detrimental.
I would consider this for a family that needs a large suitcase anyway and has a young child who does not reliably want to walk through an airport. I would not replace luggage you are already happy with unless the seat solves a real problem for you.
KEEP ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN ROLLIN!
3. A folding step stool: so the kids can reach the sink
The one in Rebecca’s list is the Handy Laundry 9-inch folding step stool. And yes, we actually carried a stool around with us.
When you are traveling with small children, you do not know how high the next sink is going to be or whether they will be able to reach anything in the bathroom. Having the stool meant the girls could get up to the sink and brush their teeth more independently. It was useful for those ordinary things that still have to happen wherever you are staying.
There were also times when one of us needed it to reach something at the back of a closet. It was not exclusively a kids’ item.
The drawback is packing it. It folds, but it does not become soft or pliable. You cannot squeeze it into an awkward gap the way you can with clothes, and it was not something we could easily put in a backpack. It had to live in a suitcase, usually at the bottom or on top of everything else.
At one point, we moved it between different bags to figure out where it would actually fit. So I would not describe this as something you can throw into any bag without thinking about it. It can be a packing headache.
Once you are somewhere, though, it folds away easily and is simple to store. We still have it at home in Valencia, and the girls use it every single day.
This is the most situation-dependent recommendation of the three. I think it makes more sense for families taking longer trips with suitcase space than for someone trying to do a weekend with one backpack. Before packing one, it is also worth asking whether your accommodation already has a stool available.
For use with children, follow the stool’s instructions and weight limit, make sure it is fully opened on a stable surface, and supervise them.
For us, having it was useful enough to keep finding room for it. I just would not pretend that finding the room was always easy.
You can also browse Rebecca’s travel essentials list on Amazon for the rest of her recommendations.
Sometimes we just carried it, but it was well worth it!
Manufacturer information checked on October 6, 2026. Check the current listing, compatibility, delivery options, and your transport provider’s baggage limits before buying.
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A few resources that have made our life abroad easier — these are affiliate links, which means we earn a small commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you.
Our Travel Essentials — everything we pack and travel with, on Amazon.
Expedia — how we book flights and accommodation across Europe.
Wise — the banking app we use for managing money across multiple countries. Genuinely one of the best decisions we made before we left.
GetYourGuide — how we find and book experiences and activities wherever we are and you can use my code “ZACHMOVESABROAD5” to get a discount.