Our Family Travel Medical Kit: The Small Bag That Saves Big Stress

We’re not trying to pack a pharmacy. We just want to be prepared for the most common “family travel moments” — the ones that always happen at the worst possible time.

This is what we actually bring.

Quick note: this is what works for our family — always check what’s right for you (and your kids) and follow local rules for medications when you fly.

The basics we pack

For upset stomachs

• Charcoal

For colds / blocked noses

• Nose spray (xylometazoline) – Always bring 2 

For pain / fever

• Paracetamol (regular)

• Paracetamol “no water needed” type (honestly so handy on travel days)

For cuts, scrapes and “I fell but I’m fine” moments

• Wound cleaning spray

• Bandages (regular + waterproof)

• Gauze / verband

• Steri-strips (hecht strips)
  (We learned why these matter — it’s a whole story, linked in our Croatia blog.)

• Vaseline

• Zinc cream (zinkzalf)

How we pack it (so it stays usable)

• everything goes in one pouch

• we keep liquids in a small zip bag inside that pouch

• the pouch lives in the easiest-to-reach spot (because kids do not wait politely)

Real life tip

If you only add one thing to your kit: add the thing you can never find when you need it.
For us, that’s always wound cleaning and steri-strips.

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