Our must-haves for creativity on the go!
Making room for making in our carry-ons.
When we get a chance to step away from the daily grind of our normal routines at home and go on a trip, there are so many more opportunities to make time for making! When traveling with kids, all the transitions and long waits become chances to offer some intentional, quiet activities to balance out all the novelty and excitement. Our family (Shannon’s) is about to embark on a month-long adventure to Hvar, Croatia, where my kids will attend The Field School. They’ll swim, play, explore marine biology, cook, and even build their own boats. I’m participating too! I’ll be offering a studio experience for the youngest toddlers and early preschoolers and their families. I can’t wait to share every detail of how I’ll create art and play experiences that are responsive to the environment (I hear the lavender farms on Hvar are absolutely breathtaking). I’ll also be sharing about my own children’s experiences as well.
But first, we have to get there. And while, of course, we’re bringing iPads loaded with favorite movies, we’re also the kind of family who loves to make stuff and play on the go (no surprise there). So, Bar and I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite supplies and materials for traveling. When I pack for a trip, I think about compatibility and open-endedness. What things can play well together and keep them engaged? For us, that means a coloring book or craft kit is less likely to make the cut. Instead, I’m choosing painting, drawing, and sculpting materials that can work together and inspire ingenuity and creative thinking. I’m bringing supplies for myself too, trading in my regular doom-scrolling habit for sketching, doodling, or collecting shells on vacation.
I know it’ll be worth making space in our carry-ons for these materials. I’m traveling for a month, but even for a weekend camping trip or a week at the beach, I’d still bring many of these items along for all of us to enjoy as a family. It’s so worth it!
What’s in Shannon’s carry-on?
Travel watercolors: We like this brand, but any will do. This type with the water brush comes in a variety of price points and varying quality. Just make sure your set comes with a water brush. You fill one end with water and squeeze to wet the paints. These will be fun on the airplane or at a cafe, as watercolor is super easy to clean up, and you don’t need an extra cup that is bound to spill for cleaning the brush.
Watercolor sketchbook: I bought a postcard-sized watercolor sketchbook so that we could make our own postcards to send. We can also cut the sheets in half, and they fit perfectly inside the travel watercolor palettes. 3x5 index cards would work for this, too, if that’s easier.
Neocolor Acquarelle: These function like a crayon but are water-soluble, so can be used with the water brush from the watercolor kit on the postcards. I am also bringing oil pastels, which are probably not a must-have for everyone, but they are my favorite, so I’m bringing them. I am wondering if the toddlers I’m working with would like to make marks with the oil pastels and then paint on top with the watercolors? These may be regrettable as it’s very warm where we’re going. I snuck in a pack of grayscale markers for sketching the distinct architecture in Croatia, but I’m not bringing markers for kids. I fully intend not to spend any time crawling on the airplane floor searching for caps.
Washi tape: Bar reminded me that taped borders on little paintings make everything look better, so I’m bringing these for that reason, but also to tape little trinkets into our journals. If I had a very young child, you could guarantee that I would be ripping a bunch of pieces to stick onto the seat in front, the tray table, or the windows. Ask me how I know you can kill some time this way ;)
Woody Stabilos: Speaking of little ones, I’m bringing these for them, too. I know, it’s almost excessive at this point. But they’re also water soluble and good for big scribbling, which we definitely will be doing during my studio experiences. I love them too for my own drawing explorations.
1-31 Journal: I bought one of these for each family member. I love the design, it’s so simple, bold, and graphic. They’re the perfect pocket size and paperbound, each page is labeled with a number, and the rest is blank. I’m going to encourage us to write, sketch, or doodle each day so we can remember our trip in a visual way.
Metal tins for storing drawing tools above: I’m not going to keep the drawing tools loose in my bag. Metal mint tins are perfect, and if you don’t have those, you can buy a pack and they’ll be worth it. They can also keep tiny shells and other treasures safe.
I’ll also use the metal tins to store these individual packs of Jovi Plastilina clay. This one is touch and go — once my entire pack of clay was confiscated at security, but other times it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I love to have this clay on hand. It doesn’t dry out like playdough, it’s perfect for fidgeting and sculpting anywhere, and it also doesn’t melt in high heat. I’m hoping I can share some of this with the little ones on Hvar, and I know my older kids, ages 7 and 10, will use this on the airplane or while waiting for dinner. These are the stars of our Hatch kits, which we constantly travel with (especially when the kids were younger) and are beloved by teachers and caregivers for ease of clean up and endless possibilities.
Uhu gluesticks: I wrote a book about collage, and Bar has created an inspiring Collage club that has reinvigorated my interest in the medium, so I couldn’t not bring a couple of good gluesticks. My kids can glue scraps and tickets into the journals above, and I might want to play around with these paper mementos too, in abstract collage form.
Baggu travel pouches: Any washable bag will do, but I like these because they will dry very quickly when they need an inevitable rinse out, and are beach-proof as well.
Hemp cord: Will this one be worth it? I’ll let you know. I thought maybe it would be fun on the airplane for a low-key activity to do while movie-watching, or maybe my kids will want to teach their new friends how to make bracelets. Maybe I’ll make an anklet for myself. Last night, my younger son, Calvin, actually suggested we bring it, so I think the vibe is clear.
SPOT IT travel game: This is a classic, and we really do bring it everywhere. We are saving the iPads strictly for the airplane, so we can play this at a restaurant or the airport.
SET visual perception/critical thinking game: My friend Gayle showed me this game on a camping trip, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. My kids are kind of less interested right now, but if they want to play, I’m suggesting this because it exercises our brains in categorizing and finding similarities and differences. I took the cards out of their original packaging and threw a rubber band around them.
Toddler Ideas
We’ve been getting a lot of questions about toddlers and younger children lately, so what else would I pack for them?
A pack of pipe cleaners: I used to love wiki sticks but they get kind of sticky and gross very quickly, so pipecleaners, even cut in half, would be great for sculpting, poking into the clay, threading shells or beads, or fashioning into a silly crown or pair of glasses during the last leg of the trip when ears are hurting and tummies are grumbling.
A larger roll of colorful painters' tape instead of the washi: We could tape down a paper placement at a restaurant for scribbling, and we could rip some pieces for the toddler to stick to their stroller tray.
Other road-trip materials (not for international travel)
Thrifted kitchen tools like slotted spoons, a colander, a funnel, a mini muffin tin, these condiment bottles, and a bucket or tub like this folding one. We played in the stream with these for hours when my kids were very little. I’d almost rather bring all of this in a mesh bag than traditional beach toys, even now, to the pool, lake, stream, beach, or camping.
These cotton loops are traditionally used for making pot holders, but my kids love them for finger knitting. They could do that for hours, so maybe a bag or two of these for a group of kids cooling down in the shade or enduring a long car ride.
Cover the table with this butcher paper (securing with the colorful painters tape) and offer with the Woody Stabilos, crayons, etc. for all week doodling, especially if you’re with a big group and need to protect the table.
We love a “what’s in our bag” post, but you don’t really need all of this to nurture creativity and play. You can use what you have on hand. Sticks for mark-making and drawing on the beach, a collection of smooth stones and pebbles for patterning, a hotel pad and pen for drawing games, and a phone for capturing curious textures and colors. We’d love to know, what would you bring? Do you travel with your own art supplies? How about your kids?
If I had to bring just one thing…
It’s Bar here. As I’m reading Shannon’s list and wishing her a bon voyage (is there room for me in that carry-on?), I am reminded of all those years of trips and strategically packing up some supplies that fit in between the shoes and bathing suits. I have several posts on Art Bar about things we’ve made on our travels, but now that my kids are all young adults and in charge of their own suitcases (or not with us at all), the materials-packing has become a ritual for one… me. I still bring something creative with me wherever I go, even if it’s just a long weekend to visit a child at college. If I’m going for a long period of time and to explore a new environment, I always bring a sketchbook and some watercolor paints. Lately, it’s been acrylic-guache tubes with some brushes, and a pencil. I usually find a plate upon arrival to use as a palette.
But if it’s just a quick weekend, my go-to is a white chalk pen so I can draw on leaves. It’s so simple, and knowing I have them with me inspires me to take walks and collect specimens that have fallen to the ground. Leaves, rocks, shells, and small pieces of driftwood are all fair game. I usually can’t bring rocks home in my carry-on, so I often leave those behind for someone else to discover. A hidden message to look for the beauty.
This is very cute list! Mine would be just about iPad, Apple pen and camera… anyway, I bought sketchbook so I can and practise more classical drawing. And spend less time on screen 🌞🤗
I purchased the travel watercolor set linked above for our recent trip to Maine, my 8 year old painted for hours each evening inspired by the local scenery. It was a big hit and a great way to wind down before bedtime. And a daily nature find with our woody pencils were great for my 2 year old. Thankful for all your ideas!