Free Family Travel Checklist: Family Packing List for Each Person, a Kids' Packing Checklist They Can Tick Themselves, and a Before-You-Leave Home and Travel Day Checklist (PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the page

Person columns

One column per family member: tick each item when it is packed, or write how many.

Shared items

Things one person packs for everyone, such as chargers, the first aid kit and snacks, so they are not packed three times or forgotten.

Kids' list

Short items in plain words with a box to tick and a line for how many, so children can pack with a little help.

Hold mail

Ask the post office to keep your mail while you are away; in the US it can be done online.

Travel day bag

A small bag within reach with snacks, wipes, spare clothes, medicines and entertainment.

Packing for the whole family

Write each person's name at the top of a column and work down the list together. Seeing everyone side by side makes gaps obvious: four swimsuits but only three pairs of sandals. Agree who packs shared items, and leave toothbrushes and chargers for last (mark them "last" so they're not forgotten in the morning rush). Pack medicines and anything a child cannot sleep without in a carry-on, never a checked bag. For flights abroad, the travel document checklist covers passports and consent letters for children.

Letting kids pack

Children from about six can pack much of their own bag with the kids' list: give them the number of each item, let them tick the box, then check it together. It takes longer the first time, but they learn quickly, and they care more about a bag they packed themselves. Let them choose one special thing, within reason. Younger children can help by fetching items while you tick.

Leaving the house and the travel day

Start a week ahead with the jobs that need booking: holding mail, a pet sitter, prescriptions and car seats. The day before, check in, charge everything and pack the snack bag. On the morning, work through the house list so you are not wondering on the highway whether the garage is shut. For a drive, the road trip planner helps plan stops; for a rental home, see the vacation rental checklist.

Editing the files

The PDFs are fillable. Change the items in Word or Excel for your family, and save a copy for each kind of trip: beach, ski, visiting relatives.

Questions

What should be on a family travel checklist?

Clothes and toiletries for each person, medicines, chargers, entertainment, documents, snacks and a list of jobs to do at home before leaving.

How do I get my kids to pack?

Give them a simple list with how many of each item, let them tick it off, and check the bag together.

What should I do at home before a vacation?

Hold the mail, arrange pet care, empty the fridge and trash, set the thermostat, put lights on a timer and lock up.

What goes in a travel day bag for kids?

Snacks, water, wipes, spare clothes, medicines, motion sickness remedy, entertainment and headphones.

How many clothes should kids pack?

For up to a week, about one outfit per day plus a spare, extra underwear and socks, and pajamas; plan to do laundry on longer trips.