The Ultimate Family Packing List for Spring Break

Looking forward to a spring break family vacation? Yeah, me too. Winters get long here in the midwest, and we’re always eager to soak in some sunshine and warmer temperatures on our spring break trip! Beach vacation, anyone?

But packing for an entire family is a different story. Between laundry, choosing outfits for everyone, and running last-minute errands, prepping for a spring break getaway with kids can feel like a full-time job.

Not to worry! I’m here to help. I’m a mom of 4 young children, and a family travel blogger, which means we’ve been on our fair share of flights. I’ve become very efficient at packing for our family of 6, and I’ve got lots of suggestions and resources to make packing less stressful for you.

Hopefully, my spring break packing list will help make preparing for your next family vacation feel like a breeze!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Getting Organized Before You Pack

Before you start throwing things haphazardly into suitcases, it helps to take stock of what you have and get organized. Here are the best ways to get organized before you start the packing process:

1. Go through your kids’ spring and summer clothes from last year and see what still fits.

The first thing to do before you start doing laundry or running errands is to take stock of what you already have. I know several of my kids went through growth spurts, and I had to run to the store for shorts, sandals, and swimsuits for them. I also had to go through our hand-me-down bins for the younger kids and pull out the next size up.

2. Choose a packing cube for each member of the family.

Do you use packing cubes? If not, I’m the world’s biggest evangelist for packing cubes to keep everything organized. Read How to Use Packing Cubes for Traveling with Kids to learn the basics!

3. Start laying out outfits for each family member.

Once all (or most) of the laundry is finished, start putting together spring break outfits. There are different ways to do this. Some people like to choose one outfit for each day, while others like to pack a bunch of bottoms and a bunch of tops that mix and match.

You can have your older kids help with this step, though if you want to have final veto power, you certainly can.

4. Choose a carry-on backpack for each person.

Last year I ended up buying each person a separate backpack that we use specifically as a personal item for airplanes.

They’re inexpensive, and nothing fancy, but the benefit is that I can start purchasing airplane activities for the kids far ahead of time and start packing their personal items early!

I ordered one of these in different colors for each of my 4 kids.

5. Have a master packing list.

I know there are so many ways to make a digital packing list, but I still prefer to write mine out or print it out. There’s something useful about physically being able to cross an item off the list or put a checkmark in the box.

The other benefit is that with multiple family members working on packing, it's a great way for everyone to be able to check the list and see what still needs to be done or packed.

Spring Break Packing List

Many of these suggestions are geared toward warm weather or beach vacations since that’s typically where people go for spring break travel.

However, last year, we took a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada for spring break, with a side trip to Death Valley National Park, and a lot of desert hiking day trips. For that trip, we ended up packing more layers since mornings and evenings in the desert can be a little chillier.

Regardless of where you decide to go, this list of spring break essentials should be a good starting place for your packing checklist.

Clothes and Shoes

I typically use one medium size packing cube per kid, and one large size packing cube for grown-ups or older kids. You can roll clothes or fold them accordion style to save some space.

For pajamas, my strategy is to put all of the kids’ pajamas in one packing cube so I can grab that bag at a moment’s notice. This is especially helpful if we’re arriving at our destination late at night. I pack one pair of pajamas each for the older kids, but one or 2 extras for babies and toddlers since blowouts or accidents are more likely to happen with them.

All packing cubes with clothes go in our carry-on bags unless we're flying a budget airline and trying to save money by flying personal items only. In that case, I put a packing cube in each kid's backpack.

Last tip: I like to stick to a basic color palette so most of our family's clothes coordinate. That way it's easier to get dressed each day, and our outfits coordinate for impromptu family photos in beautiful destinations.

Here are the different types of clothes to consider bringing:

Casual tops
Tank tops
Button-down shirt (can be used as a swim cover-up or over your outfit on chilly nights)
Skirts
Sundresses
Shorts (both pull-on shorts and jean shorts)
Pants (light linen or beach pants for a hot weather destination)
Activewear (if you’ll be doing any hiking or exercising)
Pajamas
Underwear and bras
Socks
Long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt
Cardigan or light jacket for chilly nights
Sandals
Flip flops
Hiking sandals
Tennis shoes
1 nice or dressy outfit

Toiletries

I love my lie flat toiletry bag. It saves so much space, and I’m able to fit all of my own toiletries in it, including makeup!

I put all of the kids’ toiletries in this Eagle Creek toiletry bag.

Depending upon where we’re going, I often choose to bring 1 or 2 travel-size sunscreens, then buy a large one when we arrive. The exception would be if we’re going somewhere where sunscreen and toiletries are notoriously overpriced or hard to find.

Finally, don’t forget to buy some travel-size toiletry containers if you have favorite brands that don’t come in smaller sizes.

Here are the toiletries to remember to bring:

Toothbrushes for all family members
Toothpaste (adult and children’s)
Hairbrush
Comb
Dry shampoo
Ponytail holders
Razor
Deodorant
Face wash
Moisturizer
Any other skincare you use
Contact solution
Sunscreen (face, body, and children’s or baby's)
Makeup
Foundation or bb cream
Bronzer
Blush
Brushes
Eyeshadow primer
Eyeshadow palette
Eyeliner
Eyebrow pencil
Spoolie
mascara

Swim

I usually use one large packing cube to pack all of the swimsuits together. This way when it comes time to go to the pool, I can just pull out one packing cube instead of digging through 5 different cubes.

Here are the swim items to bring:

Swimsuit
Rash guard/sun shirt
Swimsuit cover-up
Sunglasses
Pool float or puddle jumpers
Swim diapers (disposable)
Swim diaper cover
Goggles
Flip flops or water shoes to wear to and from the pool or beach
Beach bag
Beach blanket (optional) We have this one and always loved using it when we lived in Florida thanks to the weighted edges and sand-free technology. It has tons of positive reviews, too!

Pharmacy Items

I never considered bringing medical supplies or pharmacy items until I had kids, but now I know it’s one of the most important things to pack! While it’s true you can find pharmacies almost anywhere in the world, it’s nice to have a trusted brand along.

For example, I speak proficient Spanish, but when we ran out of motion sickness medicine in Costa Rica, I had to stop in a small beach town pharmacy, I discovered that they sell by the pill rather than a whole package. It was certainly an adventure, and really put my Spanish skills to the test.

Anyway, I’m sure I won’t be able to cover every pharmaceutical need each and every family has, but here are the basics of what should be in your medical kit:

Pain reliever (ibuprofenfen/tylenol)
Children’s Pain reliever (I prefer dye free with the liquid kind, but we’re reaching the age where I think we can just bring chewable children’s pain reliever!)
Thermometer
Motion sickness medicine (Dramamine)
Bandages
Anti-itch cream (bug bites, rashes, etc)
Your prescriptions
Any vitamins or supplements you normally take
Anti-diarrheal medicine
hand sanitizer

Packing Personal Items

These travel day essentials will make the journey feel like part of the vacation! If you're not prepared when flying with kids, it can make for a bad start to your vacation.

Here’s what to pack for individual family members in their personal items or backpacks:

Passport
Drivers license
Travel credit cards (this is my personal favorite)
Travel documents
Airplane activities
Workbooks
Coloring books
crayons/markers
Books to read
stickers
Tablet (we like the Amazon Fire Tablet for Kids)
Headphones
Chargers
Portable power pack
Snacks
lip balm
Reusable water bottle
A small blanket or sweatshirt in case the plane is cold
Lollipop for takeoff and landing
Clear bag for TSA-approved liquids
Empty sippy cup for toddlers (so they can have a beverage on the plane)
Diapers and wipes in a gallon-size plastic bag for kids not yet potty trained
An extra outfit (in case of lost luggage or spills on the plane)
Sanitizing wipes
An extra plastic bag or ziplock bag

As an additional tip: I love using bag organizers to put together an airplane kit for myself with lip balm, pain reliever, mints, headphones, a few snacks, and any other small items I might want during the flight without having to dig through my backpack).

Baby and Toddler Items

Car seat (we have this one specifically for travel with a toddler) that you can bring on the plane
Luggage cart to transport car seats around the airport
Stroller
Baby Carrier or Toddler Carrier
Sound machine
Diapers
Wipes
Swim diapers
Pacifier
Swaddles or wearable blankets
Bibs
Bottles and/or sippy cups