We’re leaving for our big Worldschooling trip exactly 1 week from today, so I’m in serious packing mode. I scoured more websites and blogs and read more reviews and recommendations than I care to remember – all in the search for the perfect gear. The goal is to bring what we need while remaining as nimble as possible. Despite my desire to be a travel minimalist, with 2 adults and 4 kids, over-packing is a real and steady temptation because even the basics for 6 people adds up quickly {This post has been updated with additional comments now that I’m actually using the things that I bought}

Hopefully I can save some of you a few hours of research by sharing what I ultimately purchased for the trip. These are NOT affiliate links so I don’t receive a dime for the recommendations, and I actually purchased all of these items.

TravelPro Luggage. We’ve taken many short trips over the years, but we’ve always just used carry-on bags. For this trip, we had to purchase luggage, and I wanted to make sure we got something that was practical and durable. This brand came highly recommended, and this particular model is lightweight and is just small enough to avoid the heinous oversize luggage fees. While it may not work this way for everyone, I was pleasantly surprised to find that when I filled these bags without overstuffing them, I always ended up right around the 50 lb weight limit as well.

Anti-Theft Hip Pack. Yes, I broke down and bought a fanny pack. I fully recognize how lame this is, but I couldn’t figure out another way to be hands-free and worry-free while carrying my youngest in the Ergo and holding the hands of the other children in crowded areas. As it is, I don’t have enough hands for everyone. There are tons of much less expensive fanny packs out there, but some of our travels will be smack in the midst of major tourist areas where targeted theft is more likely. The extra money for the anti-theft features is worth the peace of mind.

Packing Cubes. I bought these in several sizes and colors, and they’re awesome. I read somewhere that packing cubes allow you to pack more in a smaller space, and that’s true. However, for me, the real benefit is the level of organization they provide. Everything inside my suitcases is in a packing cube, so I’m able to move them around easily to identify what I need without disturbing the entire precarious setup. The cubes also kept me honest by providing a guideline for how much to pack. I arbitrarily decided that each person’s clothing would fit in a single cube. That was TOUGH to accomplish, but I did it. This allowed me to get 100% of our clothing into one suitcase, leaving the 2nd suitcase for other things like toiletries, diapers, shoes, books, art supplies, school supplies, bigger coats, etc.

Digital Hanging Luggage Scale. Hubs totally teased me for this “unnecessary” purchase, but he later ate those words. I only needed one, but they came in a package of 2 so I guess I’ll always have a back up (that I’ll never need). Having the scale allowed me to know when to say when because we were committed to not paying exorbitant fees for overweight luggage at the airport. It worked like a charm.

TSA-Approved Luggage Locks. I’ve never locked my luggage before since it’s always been carry-on, but I read that it was a smart thing to do for checked bags. Be sure to get TSA-approved locks like this so your bags can be searched by security when you’re not around without them cutting the locks. They’re able to get into these.

Luggage Tags. These don’t require much explanation. I needed tags to attach our contact info, I didn’t have any, and the free paper ones at the airport are too flimsy for big trips.

Adult Backpack. I settled on this backpack because it had a lot of different pockets, sections, and access points. Plus, it has a padded pocket that fits a larger laptop, which I have. Some of the reviews complain of the zippers being hard to open. I agree that you can’t unzip the bag with one hand because they are tougher than normal to open, and while it’s annoying at times, I like the added security measure. No one will be able to unzip the bag and take something out without me noticing. If you’re indifferent about color, be sure to check the price of the various colors because there was a significant difference between some of them.

Kid Backpack. I got this for one child, and the other kids have very similar versions. They were disappointed to not be taking the little cutesy fun backpacks that they like to use around the house, but it was important to have something functional with padded straps, multiple sections, chest strap, breathable mesh back, and a cup holder. I’ve been really pleased with this one. Each child was allowed to bring whatever they wanted from home – as long as it fit in their backpack and they could carry it on their own. All of the bags ended up with Legos, books, markers, and an array of other small toys.

6 Fleece Blankets. I got these for the long plane ride. Planes are notoriously cold, and I don’t like using the tiny airline blankets. Plus, we were flying Spirit so there were no blankets to be had. The came with handles that keep them wrapped up, and I clipped them to the outside of each person’s carry-on backpack.

Columbia Girls’ Rain Jacket. This was my most frustrating purchase because I really didn’t want to spend this much on a kid’s rain coat. However, I searched the usual suspects (Target, Walmart, Old Navy), and was unable to find a lightweight hooded jacket that would keep my daughter dry but not overheated in her size. I ran out of time and had to go with this. It’s perfect though, and I bought it a size too big so she can continue to wear it for a while. I got the other kids’ rain jackets at a consignment sale. Our visit coincides with the rainy season, so rain jackets are a must-have.

Pop-up Laundry Basket. This isn’t needed on a short-term trip, but we go through a lot of laundry and I knew that I’d need something to use as a hamper. This folds down very flat, and has turned out to be a great late addition. I’m kind of proud of myself for thinking of it.

Travel Booster Seat. I debated about this purchase. My youngest still eats in a high chair at home & at restaurants. He CAN sit at a table, but it’s messy business. I ultimately decided the expense was warranted even though I’d only be using it for these 3 months (since we already have boosters at both grandparents homes’ and an extra at home). The ones we have were way to big to even consider bringing, and this one folds down into a small little back. Now that we’re here, and I see that both dining tables are over white carpet (imagine an emoji of me totally freaking out right here), I’m exceedingly happy that I got this.

Mini Travel Umbrellas. I got one of these for each of the kids because it’s hard to share an umbrella when you have to walk single-file most of the time. We’ve already spent a lot of time walking along roadsides, and the driving rules down here are much different. Difference #1: Pedestrians never have the right away so watch out!

Journals. My older kids are keeping journals during our time away, and I had the hardest time finding exactly what I wanted. These journals are lacking beauty on the outside, which is a feature that I wanted, but they are PERFECT on the inside. Who knew that it would be so hard to find a journal with one blank side (to draw pictures or affix photos/postcards) and one large-ruled lined page on the other side? I must be asking too much because this was literally the only journal that had what I needed.

Carabiner Clips. I used these to clip our blankets to the outside of our backpacks. They’d also be great for clipping reusable water bottles, but we didn’t bring those with us.

Latin American Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary. This is a must-have that I rarely use, but when I’ve needed it, I’ve REALLY needed it. My first choice is to rely on my own Spanish ability, as lacking as it may be. Part of the allure of traveling in Latin America is learning the language. The easiest way for me to learn the language is to actually speak it and make my brain work to remember and absorb. So 90% of the time I don’t use any type of translation help. I just make myself work for it. For the other 10% of the time, I prefer Google Translate because it’s easy (though imperfect). However, I’ve been stuck twice with a dead phone and a need to convey information that was too complex for my struggling vocabulary, and this little book saved me. I now consider it a personal friend.

Premium Portable Charger and Case. This high-capacity external battery is a little on the heavy side, but I love it. I’m not addicted to my phone in any way, but having a dead phone in a completely unfamiliar town is stressful. For me, it’s not as much about staying connected with friends & family, though that’s nice, but I don’t feel safe when I’m lost or can’t call for help in a foreign place. Oh, and the kids were driving me crazy when the ipads died in the airport, and this saved the day. Yep, that too. The charger comes with a little pouch, so a separate case isn’t completely necessary, but I wanted a more protective case with room to keep the cables and brick organized. I think I just went with this one because it had great reviews and was one of the least inexpensive.

World Travel Adapter. By the time I got around to ordering this, I was just tired. So I’m not even going to lie…I did virtually no research on this. I read on someone else’s blog that they bought this one, so I clicked it and bought it. It’s been fine. I haven’t needed it for any of our Apple devices, but I did need it to charge my HP laptop. It got the job done. I like the fact that it can be used virtually anywhere since we plan to travel more.

Child Airplane Travel Harness. This was my favorite waste of money. I adore the thought of it, but in reality, it didn’t work out the way I thought it would. We’ve been on 5 flights in the past 2 weeks, and one of them was over 5 hours long. I wanted my youngest to stay in his seat for as much of the flight as possible, so I thought it would be cool if he was buckled in a 5-point harness similar to his carseat. He never complains about his carseat and he doesn’t try to get out of it, so I thought this was a brilliant plan. But no. He stayed in it for about 90 minutes and then he was NOT having it. He slid down in his seat like wax down the side of a candle and let out a primal scream that turned every head in the plane. Failure #1 of this trip. I’ll be putting this bad boy up on craigslist or eBay when I return home.

Large Cosmetic Bag. I hesitate to share this one because it’s so mundane, but it really was hard to find the perfect bag for our toiletries. I wanted something with a more flat shape vs. a cube. I also wanted a bag that held FULL size bottles of everything – not little travel/sample sizes, and I also wanted to be able to hang it up. This is the one I found, and I highly recommend it. It’s spacious but compact considering all that it holds. It has lots of different compartments, including a small one that zips off and can be carried separately. << Perfect for holding the item below.

Lunette Menstrual Cup. I have so many mixed feelings about this purchase. I did do quite a bit of research on menstrual cups before purchasing. I’ve only had 3 or 4 periods in the past 9 years (because I’ve always been pregnant or nursing), so I wasn’t up on the latest craze. I read that this is an ideal solution while traveling because it only has to be dumped once every 12 hours so you don’t have to rely so much on bathrooms (which are not always as clean or readily available as you may imagine). In fact, we had to PAY to use the bathroom at Machu Picchu last week. 6 people x 2 bathroom visits each = 1 annoyed mama. Without providing TMI, I’ll just say that the cup is a little messier than I had envisioned, I still have to wear a small liner because maybe I’m not doing something correctly (???), and it got lost up in there at our hostel in Cusco, Peru. Like for real lost. I was this close to telling hubby that we needed to make a stop at a clinic or something when I decided to fish for gold one last time. I found it, but I’m a little traumatized about the whole thing. Needless to say, I got some old school gear (pads & tampons) down here.

Other than these items, the only other things we brought with us are clothing, electronics (laptop, ipads, Kindles, phone), a few books & papers, school supplies, and consumables (diapers, wipes, toiletries). There are many other things that I wanted to bring, but they wouldn’t fit in our luggage, so I had to make the tough call to leave them behind. We’re learning to live with A LOT less.