Listen and learn, grasshopper. The wise travel master is speaking now. Don’t worry, I’m gonna spill the travel tea without any wax-on-wax-off BS. Wait, I just completely switched karate/kung fu references, didn’t I?

So I have traveled a lot. Both with and without kids. I usually make all my grown kids’ travel reservations as well because at this point, I know what I am doing. I know what mistakes NOT to make that can derail even the most laid back traveler. Plus, I have the WORST luck on the planet. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong for me. So I don’t take chances anymore just living life expecting things to go right. Because they never do. Ever. But I’ve made peace with it.

Here are my top travel tips for your summer vacations- do these things and avoid some major headache.

1. Carry-on wisdom: your carry on is your lifeline. If you miss a connection, if your luggage gets lost, if you have to emergency land in the middle of nowhere, your carry on will save the day. It is essential so even if you feel like you will be fine with just a purse- do not, I repeat, do not skip the carry on. I bought each of the kids these amazing luggage sets from Away (that’s them in the pic) and the carry on even has a built in usb charger. Amazing, right?
   1. Pack an extra outfit in your carry on. At minimum, an extra shirt. A long sleeve shirt so you can tie it around your waist or if you end up somewhere cold when you expected the tropics. This is non negotiable. On one 6 hour flight to Hawaii, Collin threw up all down the front of my tee shirt (he gets terrible motion sickness). I smelled like Hawaiian Punch vomit for 6 hours!!!! The best I could do was turn the thing inside out so I didn’t gross everyone else out as badly. Learn from my disasters! Bring an extra shirt. Your fellow passengers will thank you. Another time, Alex knocked his entire glass of ginger ale onto my lap. I tied my extra shirt around my waist and at least it didn’t look so much like I had peed my pants. If you’re traveling with children, every person gets an extra shirt in the carry on.
   2. Bring at least one tampon/pad. I don’t care if it is 100% NOT your time of the month. Mother nature likes to fuck us up and a long flight would be the perfect time for her to decide to give you random unexplained spotting. If not, hooray, maybe another passenger in need could benefit. Never hurts to be prepared.
   3. If you take medication regularly or even only on an as-needed basis, it goes in your carry on. Again, non negotiable. If your luggage is lost, if you’re rerouted to Timbuktu, if you have some kind of allergic reaction to something, who knows? Bring all prescription and otc medications that you take on any type of regular basis with you onto the plane. That includes an epi-pen or benadryl if you have an allergy, even an obscure one you’re not likely to encounter. That includes chewable aspirin if you have even the most mild heart issues. You could save your life or that of another passenger.
   4. Do not pack your charger in your luggage even on a short flight. Planes get delayed and can sometimes sit on the runway for hours.
   5. Snacks. Not just if you’re with little ones. Bring food, you’ll be a lot less grouchy if the plane’s catering is delayed or canceled, if there’s too much turbulence for service, if you get stuck on the runway. Bring snacks that have protein and fiber like some kind of bar or something that will keep you satisfied for a few hours if need be.
2. Travel document 411: This is SO important! I know we are living in an amazing age of digital technology. Boarding passes can be scanned right from your phone, all your reservations import automatically to your phone’s calendar. What a time to be alive! However, if like me you leave your cell phone on the kitchen counter while tracking your uber and you don’t realize until you’re at the airport OR if you’re also like me and drop your phone in the toilet of the airport bathroom…. you can’t rely on technology to save the day. I cannot stress to you enough the importance of printing out your travel confirmations. I print every reservation, boarding pass, voucher, and confirmation email and I put them in an accordion file folder in order that you will need them. As you use each thing, move it to the back. You’ll have phone numbers, addresses, everything you need handy. And it’s also a great opportunity to take one last look at each reservation and check for errors. Alex and I once got into a taxi at the airport and the driver asked for our hotel’s address- I went to pull it up on my phone and of course, no service. Another time I had a hotel check in clerk tell me my reservation was for a different category of room then I had booked. Printed confirmations saved the day on both occasions.
3. Layovers: For many of our favorite destinations, layovers are inevitable. I have learned a few things along the way. Never book your flights with a layover shorter than 45 minutes. An hour is preferable. If your first leg has a delay taking off, you’ll be grateful for the extra time. If there’s a shortage of meals or the bathroom line is long, you’ll be grateful for the delay to grab a bite or use the facilities without rushing. If you have a longer layover, say 1.5 hours or more, do a little online research about the airport food options and lounge options. That way, you’ll know where to head instead of wandering around somewhere unfamiliar. This is especially important if you’re traveling with a pet, a nursing infant, or someone with dietary restrictions. My daughter can’t eat wheat, eggs, or dairy so I always scope out the menus of airport restaurants and make a plan. If I’ve got my pup with me, I want to know where the pet relief areas are.
4. Checked baggage tips: I am not an expert packer, I am always amazed at the videos where people roll and fold their clothes so precisely to fit everything in small bags. Alex insists on all of his travel clothes being hung, so we always carry at least one suit bag. But here’s what I have learned- the secret to avoiding the worst headache with checked bags- lost luggage! It’s awful. But since it’s happened to us before, now we know better and all our luggage is cross packed. Every person in our group carries at least 1-2 complete outfits of another person in their checked luggage. That way if someone’s luggage is lost or delayed they aren’t stuck in the same clothes for days. Another few great tips, especially if your luggage is not distinctive: put a second luggage tag inside your suitcase with your cell phone number and name, not just tagged to the outside. If the outside tag gets wet or ripped off, they can identify that it’s your bag. Also helps if someone else accidentally takes you bag and needs a way to contact you to return it. And also, put some sort of sticker or ribbon on your bag if it’s a common looking suitcase so you’ll be able to identify it as it comes off the carousel.

Hope these tips help make your summer vacation more enjoyable. I’ve included some of my fave travel must-haves below. Safe travels!