Plan Smarter, Travel Easier: Free & Paid Tools for Families Who Love to Explore

Welcome to your one-stop travel toolkit!

We’ve gathered all of our favorite family travel ideas, trip planning tools, and budget resources to help you plan unforgettable adventures with your kids- without overspending or stressing. Whether you’re dreaming up your next family vacation or planning a big move abroad, you’ll find everything you need right here.

🧭 Travel Freebies & Printables

Start planning your next family trip with our free checklists, activities, trip planning budget tools and more. Click any image to get instant access via email!

📦 Moving & Living Abroad Freebies

Thinking about moving out of the country and living somewhere new? Or perhaps you’re already living the dream life as an expat in a new place! Here’s a few resources to make visa planning and settling into your family’s new expat life easier than ever!

💸 Budget Systems & Workshops

But wait- it gets even easier! These are the exact systems we use ourselves to make family travel with five kids and our move to a new country actually doable- and affordable. They’ve each been put together from years of our own family expertise PLUS the many tips, tricks (and mistakes) of hundreds of other families who’ve read our blog, bought our kits, and loved our many resources.

  • mockup image showing a collage of different tablets and laptop with various parts of the Moving Abroad Relocation Planner on their screens, with a slogan along the bottom of the screen that says: "The ultimate Moving Abroad Prep Kit: trusted by hundreds of families planning their move abroad- saving time, money and sanity!" Behind the words and electronics is a solid teal background and an array of 'wow' emojis along the top edge of the laptop.
  • A mockup image showing a collage of different tablets and laptop with various parts of the AWOL Family Travel Budget System on their screens, with a slogan along the bottom of the screen that says: "Plan unforgettable family vacations with the system that helps you spend less, see more, and make every memory count." Behind the words and electronics is a solid, bright purple background and an array of 'star eyes' and 'heart eyes' emojis along the top edge of the laptop in the top left corner.

✈️ Our Top Family Travel Posts

These are our most-loved blog posts and guides. They’re packed with real-life tips for planning, budgeting, moving abroad, and traveling with kids.

Quick Note: The below links may be affiliate links and/or Amazon Associate links. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.

🧳 Travel Gear We Love

After years of traveling with kids around the world, we’ve learned exactly what’s worth packing (and what’s not!). These are our tried-and-true family travel essentials- the luggage, tech, and gear that make trip planning and adventures easier, lighter, and less stressful. Everything here has been tested on real trips by our family of seven.

1. Travel Backpacks We Love (For Carry-On ONLY Travel)

We use Deuter and Osprey brand travel backpacks for all of our travel luggage- mainly because they have a lifetime guarantee (that we’ve put to the test!) and because they’re made well, durable, and of course, carry-on only.

We have a whole post here digging into the many reasons we love using these bags instead of family suitcases, but I’ll list the exact ones we each prefer here as well (so you can find what fits YOUR family best). 👇

Our Deuter and Osprey bags are the best backpack for travel with kids | LathropsGoneAWOL family travel tips

2. Misc Things We Never (Ever) Travel Without

Okay, so we actually have TWO blog posts about our must-have travel essentials (and more on the way!), so if you want to see the full list of things we love to travel with, check out our post for must haves for traveling with kids here, and our post about travel essentials for toddlers here. For a quick reference, however, here’s 5 things we never travel without (especially as a big family):

  • Bagail Packing Cubes – We’ve used one of our sets since 2017 and still going strong! This brand is the best! We have several sets now that kiddos’ clothes have grown, and they’re great for packing carry-on only.
  • Hydration Tablets – We love this multi-pack of Venture Pal Electrolyte Tablets so there’s a flavor for everyone. (We also repurpose the little tubes for vitamins, bobby pins, etc!) And no more headaches from dehydration!
  • Bagsmart Electronics Travel Case – This keeps all our charger cords & electronic stuff neatly together. It’s super easy to help the kids keep everything in the case when not in use, and no more lost cords!
  • CozyPhones Wireless Headphones for Kids/Toddlers – These fun, animal themed headphones are worn as a headband, making them easy for little ones to wear and use.
  • Pilani Folding Travel Tray – After about the 100th time of twisting like a pretzel to retrieve a toy from underneath an airplane seat, this became our best friend. You can thank me later. 😉

🏖️ How We Book Our Stays

Finding family-friendly, budget-conscious places to stay is half the battle when you’re traveling with kids. Here’s how we handle family travel accommodation planning… from booking apartments abroad to snagging last-minute hotel deals. We’ve rounded up the sites and services we actually use to find safe, affordable, and comfortable stays wherever our travels take us.

We also have an entire post here about what we look for when booking accommodations (whether hotels, vacation homes, or flats/airbnbs) to save money without being squished in and uncomfortable. (Our big family needs a lot of space!) But here are the booking sites we trust and rely on for our own family:

  • Booking.com – An oldie but goodie! We love their travel points discount program, the selection is almost unbeatable, and the ability to book without paying until it’s time for the trip is HUGE for planning ahead.
  • Hotels.com – If you’re in the US, we actually LOVE this site more than Booking. The selection isn’t as broad, but the rewards rock and the customer service is absolutely amazing if any issues arise during a stay.
  • VRBO.com – This is a great alternative to the dreaded Airbnb platform. While still rapidly growing, it’s European selections are few. That being said, the customer service is AMAZING and it’s a well established, trustworthy company.

Note: We rarely, if EVER, book a stay through Airbnb. Unless we’re going somewhere fairly remote and can’t find a hotel or vacation home at one of the above links, we avoid Airbnb like the plague. This is because their customer service is pretty awful and there’s a lot of un-checked scammers on the site. (Sorry!)

📱 Apps & Sites To Make Travel Easier

These are the family travel apps and websites we rely on for every trip- from budget planning and flight tracking to finding the best local experiences. Whether you’re planning your first family vacation or a long-term move abroad, these tools will help you stay organized, save money, and enjoy smoother travel days.

  • Viator – This is the OG Tripadvisor ticket booking site with a huge variety of activities from museum tickets to tours and even unique experiences. They have a rewards program and great cancellation & pay later options.
  • GetYourGuide – This is a HUGE site for activities and guided tours, with amazing changes/cancellation flexibility. Even if you’re traveling to a smaller city, there’s almost certainly going to be fun stuff to do on this site.
  • Welcome Pickups – No more worrying about sorting out how to get from the airport to the hotel or flat- this site is our fave for pre-arranged travel- from professional drivers (like from Naples to Pompeii!) to airport transfers.
  • YES Sim – This is an affordable, RELIABLE e-sim card provider. We use it to avoid roaming charges (especially when going somewhere outside of the EU like Switzerland or Andorra) without worrying about changing SIM cards.
  • AirHelp – Ever see those ads about getting up to $600 if your flight is cancelled or delayed- but never sure how to claim your compensation (or get nowhere with the airline itself)? Yeah, us too. This website helps with that- yay! They handle the process for you, kind of like an insurance or intermediary. It’s pretty cool.

Okay! That’s our roundup of favorite freebies & resources for family travel ideas, planning tools, and moving abroad resources! Whether you’re dreaming up your next vacation, budgeting for big adventures, or figuring out the logistics of traveling with kids, we hope these guides and freebies make it all feel a little easier (and a lot more fun!).

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Thanks for reading this page, and I hope you found tons of helpful resources here today!