Carry-on Only Packing List for 6 Weeks in Europe with 2 Kids

Travel Stroller - The Bugaboo Butterfly Stroller has been our most used piece of gear on this trip by far. With all the walking through cities and airports, our 4-year-old has used it daily for breaks, longer walks, and even for several naps. Even our 6-year-old has hopped in more than we expected when his legs got tired.

Travel Car Seat (for 4 year old) - We typically travel with the WayB Pico car seat, but now that my daughter is 4 and we weren't planning to do too much driving on this trip, we brought the RideSafer Travel Vest with us for her instead. It's a real game changer for travel - lightweight, portable, and easy to use for taxis and rideshares.

Travel Booster Seat (for almost 7 year old) - We also used the hiccapop UberBoost Inflatable Booster Car Seat for my almost 7 year old son. It’s incredibly compact, weighs next to nothing, and rolls up rolls up tightly in its own travel bag when deflated to easily fit in a large purse or backpack. It inflates by mouth in just 20 seconds and deflates just as quickly when we’re done.

Carryon Backpack - My husband and I both use this travel backpack and it’s been amazing for travel. It holds a surprising amount (he actually packed everything he needed for 6 weeks in it!), expands when you need extra space, and has tons of smart compartments to stay organized. But it also still fits under the seat in front of you on flights!

Rolling Suitcase Backpacks for Kids - We’ve used these rolling backpacks with our kids for the past couple of years and they’re perfect for travel. They’re small enough for little ones to wheel around on their own, which gives them independence (and saves us from carrying their stuff), but light enough to carry as a backpack when needed. The passthrough sleeve makes it easy to stack on top of our suitcase too.

Ekster TravelPack Vacuum Kit - This is a new find for me, but this modular vacuum bag from Ekster is way better than a packing cube and can literally triple your carryon storage by compressing your clothing. They also come with come with a little air pump for on-the-go compression! It was perfect for my capsule wardrobe (and really helpful on our return flight when we tried to fit 4 Starbucks and a box of wine glasses in our bags). Use my code MINIJETSETTER for up to 42% off Ekster’s products!

Travel Activity Bags - We brought 3 of these hanging bags on our trip! One for each child to pack their clothing, and then a third one for all of their travel toys and activities.

Cross-Body Bag - I’ve been using this small black leather cross-body from Roncy Packs every day to keep my phone, wallet, and essentials close. It’s especially helpful since Europe is known for pickpocketing. This bag is hands-free, stylish, and still looks perfect after dozens of trips. The quality is amazing, and I love knowing it was made by a local, Toronto-based and women-run business using upcycled materials. (I also own and love the medium and large sizes, both of which I use regularly). 

These all go into my backpack! 

• Kids Melatonin - We use a tiny dose of kids melatonin for long-haul flights or when we’re adjusting to a major time zone shift. I like the OLLY Kids Sleep Gummies   because each one is only  0.5mg of melatonin , and I actually cut them in half so each child only gets 0.25mg . That small amount is enough to help them settle down and fall asleep.
• Mini toothbrushes
• Adult eye mask headrest things - I don’t even know what this is officially called, but   this eye mask   is brilliant. It’s basically an  eye mask that   straps to the headrest  and supports your head so you don’t do the classic travel “bobblehead” thing. It actually helps you sleep sitting up, which is no small miracle. Both my husband and I used it and agreed it was a total gamechanger.
• Inflatable footrest for each child - I never travel without this blowup footrest   for long flights (one for each child) and this is still one of my favourite hacks for long flights. These create a flat surface between the seats so little legs can stretch out, lie down, or just get cozy. It folds down super small and inflates quickly. It’s lightweight, compact, and super affordable compared to more expensive travel beds. Plus, it’s much easier to pack, which is a huge bonus.
• Reusable water bottle - Rather than bringing multiple water bottles for each person, we travel with a single large stainless steel water bottle to share 
• Snacks - We aim for high protein, low sugar! Babybell cheese, pepperoni sticks, pretzels, peanut butter sandwiches, nuts, apples, bananas, etc.  

• Thermometer
• Gravol
• Vomit bags
• Chewable Tylenol
• Antibiotic ointment (Polysporin)
• Cerave for daughter’s eczema
• Goldbond hydrocortisone 1% for eczema
• Bandaids of various sizes
• Adult Advil
• Beekeeper's Naturals - kids propolis throat spray
• Mini hair straightener
• Makeup
• Tweezers, Nail clippers, Razor
• Toothbrushes with covers + toothpaste
• Small sunscreen (buy more at destination after a few days)

The Mini Jetsetter Kids Travel Activity Bag is my go-to for keeping my kids entertained and organized during our travels. I personally designed this bag to meet the needs of my family, and it’s been a total game-changer. Whether we’re flying, on a road trip, or simply spending a day out, this bag makes it easy to stay organized. With its detachable pouches, you can also easily customize the contents depending on the day’s activities, whether it’s for a long flight or a quick outing. It’s a practical solution for keeping everything in one place and easily accessible.

Yoto Mini - If you've been following me me for a while, you'll know I've been a HUGE fan of the Yoto Mini Player and we've used it pretty much daily for nearly 4 years now. It's hands down the best screen-free device that exists for travel. It’s a simple, easy-to-use audio device that plays books, music, and podcasts for my kids. It keeps them entertained without the use of screens, which is perfect for long flights, car rides, or downtime on any trip. The fact that it doesn’t need Wi-Fi is a huge plus, and it can play radio stations and the daily Yoto podcast. Plus, you can create your own Make Your Own cards to add personalized stories, audiobooks, or music! It’s compact, portable, and the absolute best travel companion for kids.

Use the code below to get 10% off 👇

(discount applies to any order above the price of a Yoto Mini $69.99 USD or $99.99 CAD)

Magnetic Travel Kit - Two years later, and this magnetic travel set is STILL our most played-with travel toy. I designed it to be compact, mess-free, and open-ended with a variety of magnetic pieces to create endless ways to play for all ages.

Other magnetic toys

• Clixo
• Mini magnetic cubes
• Tiny magnetic photo book
• Magnetic dot board

Open-ended building toys 

• Stikicubes
• Geo board with elastics
• Weaving board
• Frozen themed pony bead set

Small fidget toys and games

• Rectractable measuring tape
• Clicker
• Mini Rubik's cube
• Digital tic tac toe
• Mini LCD writing board

Activity Books: Sticker by Number Book for 4 year old and Minecraft Sticker Activity Book for my 6 year old

I packed my entire 6-week travel capsule wardrobe into the Ekster Travel Vacuum Bag, which compresses everything super small and saves you so much space in your suitcase! (use code MINIJETSETTER for up to 42% off Ekster products)

Shirts

• 4x Built-in bra tank tops - Bras are the worst on travel days, especially in hot weather. These ribbed racerback tank tops with built-in bras have been a total win. They're very flattering, super comfy, and breathable. I bought them in three colours because they go with everything, and I haven’t wanted to wear anything else.
• 2x T-shirts 
• 2x Button Downs - Both of the ones I brought are from Gentle Fawn (one of my favourite Canadian clothing brands)
• 1x Black Cardigan
• 1x Comfy Sweatshirt (I love this men's lightweight quarter zip black terry sweater from Amazon - it was perfect with jeans, skirts and leggings)

Bottoms 

• 3x Skorts - These and these have been my go-to. They look like a cute flowy skirt but are actually shorts underneath, which makes them perfect for chasing kids, bending down, or climbing stairs with a suitcase. They keep you cool in the heat, are easy to dress up or down, and make me feel put together without any effort. Fit true to size (I'm 5'9" and wear a size Small).
• 1x Black Linen Shorts - I got mine from The Gap
• 1x Lululemon Align Shorts and 1x Leggings
• 1x White Maxi Cotton Skirt 
• 1x Comfortable Jeans (Levi's 501 Originals are my go-to)

Shoes

• Viral Crocs Sandals (with Back Strap) - I searched high and low for the perfect sandals that could handle walking, the beach, and still look nice. These viral Crocs sandals were it. They slip on like flip-flops but have a back strap for support. I’ve worn them nonstop through cities, airports, and beaches, and I haven’t gotten a single blister, even from day one.
• Comfortable white sneakers - These classic white leather Reeboks are my favourite! A crisp white sneaker honestly look good with everythingggg
• Trusty worn in Birkenstocks (I brought these because I wasn't sure about the Crocs, having never worn them before, but in retrospect I didn't need both pairs of sandals and could have just brought the Crocs)

Other

• 1 swimsuit
• 7x underwear + bras
• 1 set of pajamas
• 1 rain jacket
• 1 black gold buckle belt

Hanging Packing Bags for Kids Clothes -  Instead of unpacking into drawers or using packing cubes, I use one of these travel activity bags to pack each child's clothing. Each bag has 4 pockets - one for socks & undies, one for tops, one for bottoms, and one for PJs/books. This is what I used to pack for 6 weeks of travel with the kids. This system keeps everything at eye level, super easy to access, and off the floor. Everything stays really organized for each child and goes into their backpack when we're packing up and hopping between hotels. 

Here is exactly what went into each of these hanging bags! 

Tops

• 4x comfy dresses + 2 shirts (daughter)
• 5x t-shirts (son)
• 2x long sleeve shirts each
• 2x sweaters each 

Bottoms 

• 3x black bicycle shorts + 2x leggings (daughter)
• 4x shorts + 2 pants (son)

Outerwear

• Rain jacket and rain pants - My son wears Reima (you can also use code jetsetter20 to get 20% off your order) and my daughter wears Canadian brand Jan & Jul
• These lightweight hooded puffer jackets
• Waterproof sneakers from Jan & Jul
• Native shoes (they're just the BEST and I especially love the Robbie style for my daughter)

Other

• Sunhat
• Sunglasses
• 1x Swimsuit
• Swim goggles (these are the comfiest!)
• 7x underwear + socks
• 1x set of Kyte Baby pajamas

• 2x Europe Travel Adapter - Between the kids’ Yotos, our laptops, iPhones, various bluetooth devices, and backup chargers, we always have a dozen things that need charging at any given moment. That’s why this 6-in-1 Europe adapter has been such a lifesaver during our trip! It turns a single European Type C outlet into 2 North American plugs + 2 USB-A + 2 USB-C ports, so we can charge up to 6 devices at once. It’s compact, has a little LED indicator light so you know it’s working, and fits easily into any day bag. Just make sure your devices are dual voltage (100–250V) since it’s not a voltage converter.

• Portable chargers - And then when we’re out and about, we rely on our Anker portable chargers to keep everything running. We travel with two: the Anker Magnetic Battery (MagGo) snaps right onto the back of our iPhones and also acts as a foldable stand for watching videos. It’s slim, wireless, and doesn’t take up much space, which is great for long days of sightseeing! Because I take so many photos and videos when we travel, my phone battery drains pretty quickly so I rely on this charger to make it through the day and ensure I have juice left for that end of day Google Maps route to get us back to our hotel. The Anker PowerCore 20,000 mAh is our power workhorse. It can charge multiple devices several times over, has two USB ports, and keeps going all day. We toss it in the backpack and it’s been great for the kids’ Yoto or other devices when we’re out for full days.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. I only recommend products that I absolutely love and use myself. Your support helps me continue to create helpful content for families on the go!