Before you even start looking at trips, make sure passports are in order. If your children don’t have passports, the first thing you need before applying is to make sure you have your children’s long form birth certificate, as this is required for the application. You can order online here and the service fee in NB is $40.

Next, you’ll need to have passport photos taken. Once your applications (children and adult applications) are complete and signed by your guarantor, visit your nearest passport office along with long-form birth certificates. 

Once all the paperwork is taken care of comes the fun part. Being someone who LOVES lists, I’ve started a list of things I’ll need to bring, starting with personal care items. I’ve always been careful to bring extra medication as sometimes these items can be hard to find, and if you can find them, they are outrageously priced. Better to bring extra and not need it than to be hunting for Tylenol in the middle of the night, especially if it’s for your children.

I also called our local pharmacist to see if they recommended any special vaccinations before going. Both my husband and I already have the Twinrix® Vaccine‎ which covers Hepatitis A&B but they recommended the girls get the Hep A shot (2 doses 6 months apart) The Hep B Vaccine is already included in the regular immunization schedule in Canada. Call your Dr. or Pharmacist for advice.

Here goes the lists 🙂

Personal Care Items
• Advil and/or Tylenol
• Benedryl – in case of an allergic reaction
• Benedryl stick for bug bites or stings
• Bug spray
• Pepto / Tums or Imodium – in case anyone gets an upset tummy
• Shampoo & Conditioner – I prefer a 2 in 1 so I only have to pack 1 bottle
• Detangling spray if you have long hair – ocean water is super drying on hair. 
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Razors
• Extra hair ties
• 2 Bottles of your favorite sunscreen
• SPF lip balm
• Body wash and bath pouf
• Body lotion
• Band-Aids
• Feminine products
• Small bottle of laundry detergent for rinsing out swimsuits
• Twine and a few clothespins – to tie on your balcony so those swimsuits don’t blow away when drying.
• Facecloths – surprising a lot of resorts do not provide face cloths, you may have one the day you check in, but they never seem to be replaced throughout the week.
• Package of baby wipes – even if you don’t have kids in diapers – wipes have so many uses and will be packed in my carry on along with hand sanitizer.
• If you have a little one in diapers or Pull-ups be sure to pack extra as these items are expensive at the resort. I’d also recommend packing swim diapers. You’ll likely go through way more than you expect.
• Small / medium Ziplock bags. These are super convenient if you want to bring a small snack from the buffet back to your room or to the beach, collecting seashells, so many uses!
• Small amount of dish soap and dish sponge for washing out water bottles at the end of the day

Pool / Beach

• Snorkel set. My absolute favourite part of the tropics is the snorkeling. I find the full-face masks with built in snorkel work the best for both kids and adults. You can sometimes but them at the resort, but they will be over twice the price. 
• An underwater camera is a lot of fun, and it saves you the stress from worrying about getting your phone or camera wet. Amazon has some great cameras at an affordable price. If that’s not in the budget you can also buy waterproof phone cases.
• Puddle jumpers in case your children are not strong swimmers. The ocean can get rough at times.
• Pool floaty / blow up beach ball
• Large beach towels – sometimes towels are hard to find if the resort is busy.
• A bucket and shovel can keep the little ones entertained for hours, not all resorts have available beach toys so it’s a good idea to bring a few sand and water toys.  Dollarama usually carry collapsible sand buckets. 
• Diving rings are also fun and don’t take a lot of luggage space.
• And most importantly a large beach bag to bring all your towels, snorkel gear, and beach toys and snacks to the beach.  

The beach toys you bring can be left upon your departure as I’m sure the workers may have some little ones at home that could put them to good use.

Food – to an all-inclusive?
If your kids (or you) have certain favorite snacks it’s a good idea to bring a few, snack food can be hard to find. An insulated water bottle is handy for the kids and for parents 😉

This sounds like a lot, but for myself, I usually bring 2 insulated cups – one for cold drinks and hot drinks. Having a pina colada out of a thermos that had coffee in it earlier just isn’t as good. Bring as least one of your insulated water bottles on the airplane with you and if you ask the stewardess, they’ll fill your water bottles with water (or coffee), instead of the tiny cups they had out. Less plastic going into the landfill and less risk for spilling if you’re clumsy like me. 

If you’re a chip fan like I am, bring them with you (in your carry on of course). Pringles or Lays stacks fit the best. 

Clothing
The bonus of summer style clothing is that they don’t take up a lot of luggage space.

• Swimsuits – I tend to pack at least 1 for every day, they can be washed and hung to dry so no big deal if you don’t have that many.
• Sundresses – a few casual ones and a dressier outfit for the restaurants.
• Dress-shirt and dress pants for men as à la cartes usually have a dress code.
• Undergarments – pack at least a fresh pair for every day.
• Shorts and T-shirts – few pairs of each as I find you change a lot going from one activity to the next. I like the quick dry shorts instead of heavier shorts like jean shorts. This way if you throw it over a wet bathing suit, you don’t look like you peed your pants.
• Two or three pairs of summer pajamas.
• Flip flops and water shoes for the beach.
• Sneakers and socks for any walking excursions and travelling to and from your destination. Sports style closed toe sandals are great for the little ones and not as clumsy as flip-flops. Something that doesn’t matter if they get wet but are also comfortable for longer walks.
• Sunhats and sunglasses are important for the little ones, especially if they don’t have a lot of hair.

Check the weather before you go as it can still cool off at night time.
• 2 pairs of pants and 2 sweaters should be sufficient.
• Rain jacket – when it rains…..it pours. When you get to your tropical destination you don’t want to be wearing your Canadian winter gear, so I would wear this item over a T-shirt and sweater so you can take off layers as needed. Walking off that plane into the balmy weather is delightful unless you’re wearing a fleece sweater and down fill jacket.

To keep all the dirty laundry in one place, just pack a large plastic garbage bag or reusable hamper bag.

Cash
For tipping, it’s best to bring the local currency or do a little research on what’s accepted where you are travelling. Once you know the proper currency, I’d recommend calling ahead to your local bank to see if they can order that currency.  Calling ahead provides time for your bank to order in as they do not stock all currencies at all times. Some resorts take US$ but not all. The exchange rate and fee from your local bank will be better than the airport or resort currency exchange kiosks.

Carry on
You never know if your luggage is going to make it to your destination at the same time as you, so it’s important to pack any essential medication and a change of clothes in case it’s delayed.  If you arrive prior to your room being ready you can quickly access a change of clothes instead of digging through your suitcase in the middle of the lobby. If it’s a long flight and you’re concerned about keeping the little ones occupied it’s been recommended to buy a few dollar store toys and wrap them up and handout when boredom strikes.

If you have liquids or gels, they must be under 100ml’s each and all together total no more than 1000ml’s. They must be put in a clear plastic bag as you need to take them out of your carry on when going through security.

Final Note
When I pack our checked bags, I mix up the luggage for my husband, myself and our 2 girls among the 3 checked bags that we bring. Therefore each bag has a little bit of everyone’s clothes so that if 1 or 2 bags get lost and 1 makes it, each person will at least have some clothes. 

And the last thing to pack is your patience.  It may be a bit chaotic to get out the door to ensure you arrive at the airport on time – 3 hour prior to departure for international flights.  Even when flying out of a small airport I always plan to get there 3 hours in advance.  You never know what you’ll encounter or your drive that could slow you down, especially in the winter. Give yourself plenty of time to park and bring all the luggage inside and get checked in and through security without worrying about being late.

Travelling can be stressful but try not to stress out if things go wrong, it’s all part of the experience of travelling with children.  As Bob Marley says “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.”

Enjoy your trip!

Michelle Lefrancois was born and raised in the small town of Grand Bay-Westfield, NB.  She’s the founder of Network of Moms and loves helping other moms connect.  In her spare time, she can be found enjoying the great outdoors with her husband, 2 children and chocolate lab Lola.