Genius Kids Travel Gear for Your Next Family Expedition |Travel Tech Gadgets

Best Gear for Travel with Kids

Get Amazon Visa and get 5% cash back!

Travel flashlight with different light modes: high, medium, low, strobe, and SOS

Chase Freedom® Card – your key to smarter spending, cash back, and unbeatable perks

Traveling with kids can feel like packing for a mini expedition—every item matters, space is limited, and convenience is everything. Whether you're heading out on a road trip, catching a flight, or navigating a busy airport with a toddler in tow, having the right gear can make all the difference between chaos and calm. In this post, we're diving into some of the most practical, space-saving, and downright genius travel gadgets for families. From collapsing toilets to foldable car seats, infant carriers to ultra-compact strollers, these smart accessories are designed to lighten your load and make family travel smoother, safer, and way less stressful. Let’s take a look at the must-haves that every parent should consider before hitting the road.

This post may contain affiliate links; please read my disclosure here.

Families on the Fly
https://www.tsa.gov/news/2025/dhs-puts-families-first-families-fly-campaign

» TSA just rolled out "Families on the Fly’ nationwide. Effective as of July 18th, there will be a dedicated family lane at security at select US airports.
This a game-changer for traveling parents.

“Families on the Fly” benefits for families include:
» Dedicated family lanes at select airports nationwide
» Discounted TSA PreCheck® fees for families coming soon
» Dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for service members and their families

Current participating airports include: Orlando International (MCO) and Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT). Planned expansions will be coming to John Wayne Orange County Airport (SNA) and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu.

Full Travel Potty

No emergency is as major when traveling as a toddler that needs to go to the bathroom. As parents know, going #1 is relatively easy to deal with especially with boys. Though when it comes to #2, the poo, girl or boy, you need to find something ASAP to avoid a major clean up.

Just the other day we were on a walk in the park through a large loop that is couple of miles long. We were on the far end of this oval loop, when the youngest announced that he had to go. Good thing there was forest on one side and he only had to go #1 or this story would have a quite different ending. So this kid/family travel accessory is great to have with youngsters.

These compact, foldable potties set up in seconds, use disposable liners, and fit neatly in your car or luggage. Perfect for road trips, beach days, and unexpected “emergencies.”

Baby Whisper Co Travel Potty, Reusable Portable Folding Potty for Kids

Teo - Portable Toddler Travel Potty – Foldable

Jool Baby Portable Potty Training Chair with Travel Bag

Travel Potty for Toddler

TRIPTIPS Retractable Portable Toilet

We got one of these for our boy, ONEDONE Portable Baby Child Potty Urinal, but never used it. It was a lot easier to just put him next to a tree, around the corner, or even next to a tire.

Travel Car Seat

Standard car seats are bulky and heavy. While these are great to have while traveling so the kids are safer on the plane and cars, they also take up a lot of the space. The new technologically advanced car seats for travel can collapse to a compact size that can be placed in overhead bin.

Lightweight, FAA-approved foldable car seats or inflatable booster seats make flying and rideshare trips so much easier. They fold down small enough to fit in a backpack but still meet safety standards, ensuring your child is secure wherever you go.

For bigger kids, a travel booster is a great idea. We like the BubbleBum Inflatable Booster Car Seat and Chicco GoFit® Backless Booster Car Seat. The inflatable one packs small and is light. It is great to have in a pinch, or when you are giving a lift to a friend. The Chicco car seat is a standard seat and is very comfortable and easy to setup. It is also lighter than full seats and eay to carry with the built-in handle.

Travel Light Infant Car Seat

If you ever carried one of these in the last few years, most of them are quite heavy. You build up some serious parent muscles dragging that around.

Baby Trend EZ-Lift PLUS Infant Car Seat
» Weighs less than 8lb for easy carrying and lightweight mobility

Graco SnugRide Lite LX Infant Car Seat
» Lightweight infant car seat weighs only 7.2 lb, making it easy to carry baby from car to stroller

Maxi-Cosi Peri™ 180 Rotating Infant Car Seat
» Weighing under 8 lbs., Peri is one of the lightest rotating car seat available.

Travel Easy Fold Stroller

A good travel stroller is lightweight, compact, and folds in one hand (because your other hand is probably holding a snack or a small human). Many fit in overhead airplane bins, which saves time and reduces the risk of damage in baggage handling.

Bugaboo Butterfly 2 Travel Stroller

Inglesina Quid³ Compact Reclining Travel Stroller for Baby & Toddler