What to Pack for a Day Trip: Essential Items for a Family Outing

Whether we are out exploring a new city in one of our international travel destinations, going on a road trip, or simply on the go around our hometown, there are things I ALWAYS have packed in my backpack and it comes with us whenever we leave the house. Going to the store? Grab the backpack. Going to explore the city? Grab the backpack. It’s a lot like a diaper bag; having the main things we need for a day trip. But what to pack for a day trip??

This is the backpack that goes everywhere with us. It had patches on it that I recently took off when washing, and haven’t put back on yet. Hence the darker color orange spots.

What kind of bag you use is completely personal preference. You don’t need anything fancy, just a typical backpack or hiking backpack can do the trick! We use a backpack I’ve had since 2004 and it has held up amazingly well! I find this bag works well at holding a lot of things, and it has clips and wraps for helping to distribute the weight when it starts becoming a bit too heavy. 

I add or subtract things to my list depending on the time of year. I have put those items at the end of this article, but overall, my basic list of items to pack for a day trip stays the same. Keeping these things fully stocked at all times, is a great way for me to make sure we are always prepared and can head out the door at a moment’s notice. 

This may initially seem like a lot of stuff to carry but note that most of these are small items. And remember that you can pack light by using smaller-sized items instead of full-sized items. If needed, you can take more than one backpack to distribute the materials. Let your spouse and/or kids share in the responsibility of making sure everyone has what they need to make the day enjoyable.

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What to pack for a day trip:

• Snacks 

No one likes to be hungry or hangry. Especially when kids are involved! Granola bars are a great thing to throw in your bag as they can be left in there for quite some time and still be good. Just be aware that they do squish easily, so try to keep them where they are less likely to get smashed.

If I have time, I cut up some fruit before we leave the house so that we have healthy snack food items. Just remember to take them out of your day bag when you return home so they aren’t forgotten and begin to mold. I’m clearly speaking from experience.

If your snacks are packed in a zip-lock bag, hang on to the bag after the snack has been consumed. You may find a need or reuse for it while you are out. If you don’t, take it home, wash or rinse it out, let it dry, and use it again!

• Reusable, refillable stainless steel water bottles 

You want at least one bottle for each of your family members. Make sure they are topped off before you leave the house and anytime you have access to clean, free water. If you know you are going on a long walk, and especially if it’s summer or warm weather, you will want to take as much water as everyone can carry.

Some of our stainless steel water bottles.

A lot of places outside the US don’t have public water fountains, so filling up your water bottle at your hotel room or Airbnb before you head out, can help ensure you don’t have to purchase water. Of course, only do this if the water from the tap is safe to drink. You can purchase a travel filter water bottle, but I personally don’t trust the filter to do the job if the water isn’t deemed safe. 

If you order water at a restaurant and you don’t drink it all while there, pour the rest of it into your water bottle. Note that if you are outside the US, you will probably pay for water at restaurants.  

•   Sunglasses

The three of us all have highly light-sensitive eyes, so keeping our sunglasses with us, even on a cloudy day, is a must. Typically once we walk out the door, we notice whether or not we have them with us, but it’s something I try to make sure we have before we walk out.

2020 family photo

• Umbrella 

Of course, an umbrella is helpful for a rainy day, but also think about when you are out and about in the hot weather. An umbrella is the perfect tool for instant and portable shade! 

Me using my umbrella for shade at The Great Wall of China in 2008.

• Prescription Medications

If you have medications, especially ones that need to be taken at a certain time, you’ll want to have those on hand. I have a small container with my different medications that I keep in my backpack and in my purse. Since I’m never quite sure which bag I’ll have, I make sure to keep some of my meds in both of them.

One of my pill containers.

• Hand sanitizer 

For sanitizing your hands after gross encounters and/or before you eat anything. 

Photo courtesy of Anna Shvets

• Sunscreen

Sun protection is important even when it’s cold or cloudy! Stick sunscreen is small and easily applied to the face, but I highly recommend you check out The Solar Buddy! This thing is a GAME CHANGER and there is always one in the backpack!!

You put whatever sunscreen you want in it and then use the roller ball and sponge to apply the sunscreen to your skin! It’s so easy that kids can apply their own sunscreen!

Roll it on and rub it in! Less mess, less time to apply, and less fighting with your kids about sunscreen application! And you receive stickers with your purchase so that you can decorate and personalize your Solar Buddy!

ThinkSport is my personal favorite brand of sunscreen and it’s what I put in our Solar Buddies. It gets a good rating from the Environmental Working Group, it spreads on easier than other brands, and it works really well in the Solar Buddy, unlike some of the other really thick sunscreens.

• Hat 

Good for keeping the sun out of your eyes, off your face, and/or to help keep your head warm. Make sure everyone has a hat.

• Chapstick or Lip balm

Make sure to choose one with SPF to protect your lips from the sun. Everyone in the family should have their own chapstick, as it’s unsanitary to share. Put the first letter of the name on the bottom of the chapstick in permanent marker to easily identify who it belongs to. 

Our first initials happen to be alphabetical!

• First aid kit 

A first aid kit is absolutely an essential thing!!! I can’t tell you how many times the things in our first aid kit have come in handy or saved the day, not only for us but for others we have been traveling with, too! 

If you have kids, you know how the presence of a Band-aid (or plaster) can suddenly and magically make the pain from a scratch instantly disappear! Not to mention it also helps to keep dirt out of the cut or scrape. 

A snapshot into my first-aid kit.

• Credit card, debit card, and/or cash

You always want to have some form of payment with you. Nothing like needing to get something and not having a way to pay for it.

• Cell Phone

Great for pictures, as a way to make payments, send messages, get directions, oh yeah, and make phone calls!

• A plastic bag or three

These are good options to use as a trash bag, dry bag, dirty shoe bag, sick bag, and more!

• Tissues

Essential for the nose, especially during cold weather, and as toilet paper if needed! Tissues can also be helpful when you need to wipe off a surface like a table.

• Power bank

It’s a good idea to carry a power bank in case you need to charge your phone or any other electronics while out. 

Our power bank that we haven’t yet had to use!

• Scissors

A small pair of scissors is always helpful and can be kept in your first aid kit to prevent accidental stabs. However, you should know that if you use this backpack as a carry-on bag when flying, your scissors need to be less than 4 inches from the pivot point. If they are not, you will need to pack them in your checked bag as airport security does not allow them in a carry-on suitcase. I learned that the hard way. 

• Washcloth 

Can be used as a tissue, a drying cloth after putting water on your hands to rinse them off, a burp rag, wiping your kid’s face, etc.

• Pen/pencil 

How often have you needed one and not had one?!

• Permanent marker 

I use it quite a bit if I need to label something and that happens more than one would think.

• Hand lotion 

Perhaps a personal thing, but no one likes or wants chapped hands! Use a small bottle, like the size of the lotion bottles at hotels. When it runs out, simply refill it with your favorite lotion.

I have used this same bottle for a long time. When it runs out, I refill it from the bigger bottle in our bathroom.

• Compact/folding grocery bag 

These are helpful if you go out shopping, for wet clothes, trash bags, etc. Some stores in Europe don’t have bags for your groceries. Some of them have bags, but you have to pay for them. Save yourself some money, reduce your plastic consumption, and carry reusable bags with you! I always keep them in the backpack as it’s not unusual for us to make an impromptu stop at the store while we are out. Support a small business and order some handmade on Etsy.

These are the folding shopping bags I keep in my backpack. The photo on the left is what it looks like when folded into its own sewn-in pocket. The right photo is what it looks like unfolded.

• Sticky notes

This is a little bit of an odd one, but hear me out. Does your kid freak out about going into public bathrooms because they are afraid of the automatic flushing toilet? Mine does! To combat this, I started holding toilet paper over the sensor so the toilet wouldn’t flush until we were ready. But that meant I couldn’t easily help my daughter if she needed it because I only had one hand available. Sticky notes to the rescue! I can stick one over the sensor and have both of my hands free to help her as needed. Game changer! 

When we are ready for the toilet to flush, I simply remove the sticky note and throw it away. I’m sustainable, but reusing the sticky note just isn’t sanitary. 

• Mints 

This is a personal item as I prefer a mint after I eat anything.

There you have it! That is my day trip checklist recommendation for you. Those are the things I highly suggest keeping in your bag for any occasion; a day trip, a short trip, a long trip, a weekend trip, a world trip, etc. I have personally found each of these items to be so useful, that I make sure they are always with us.

Other Potential Items to Pack for a Day Trip

As I mentioned at the beginning, depending on the time of year and what our travel plans are for the day, here are some other items I may consider:

• Insect repellent

• A light jacket

• Face mask

• Extra pair of socks

• Extra pairs of shoes, like our sandals if the weather may get warm enough
• Ear protection headphones – if we are going to be someplace loud. Our daughter freaks out if things are too noisy.

Another Use for the Backpack

On top of being my day trip bag, I often use this bag as a carry-on item when we fly. It carries the same things listed above, but with a couple more uses:

• To hold important documents: passports or boarding passes

• Essential items in a toiletry bag for an overnight flight: glasses, contact case, contact solution

Conclusion

I hope you found this list helpful and use it as a guide when you are packing for your next trip. It’s important to consider your family’s specific needs when thinking about what to pack for a day trip. It may take some trial and error, so I do recommend actually writing your list down so that you don’t have to worry about remembering all the details. And keeping the items in the bag and fully stocked, will make it easier to simply pick up and go!

Did I miss something? Is there something you carry in your bag that you feel is essential? Let me know below or at TravelingCrawfords@gmail.com!!!