Scandinavia 2016

Itinerary Packing Gear Snacks

Itinerary:

Day 1, June 19:

  • Depart US/British Airways

Day 2, June 20:

Day 3, June 21:

  • Explore Stockholm

Day 4 June 22:

Day 5, June 23:

Day 6, June 24:

Day 7, June 25:

Day 8, June 26:

  • Legoland!!
  • Overnight at Wild West Village Cottage

Day 9, June 27:

Day 10, June 28:

Day 11, June 29:

Day 12, June 30:

Day 13, July 1:

  • Reykjavik –to – Bergen
  • Overnight at Ole Bull Apartments

Day 14, July 2:

Day 15, July 3:

Day 16, July 4:

  • Explore Flåm
  • Hike up the valley
  • Dinner & overnight at Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Day 17, July 5:

Day 18 & 19, July 6 – Thursday, July 7:

Day 20, July 8:

  • Depart Oslo – to – Austin

Packing:

Download Packing List (pdf)

Gear:

Luggage:

We’ll be using all carry-on wheeled luggage for our main bags.  Nothing terribly fancy or special – just bags we already had.  In addition to the wheeled bags, we will each be carrying a backpack, and I’ll have a purse as well.  No purchases were made for this trip, but I will link you to the large backpack I usually end up carrying.  It’s a great bag in general, and we loved it on the Australia & New Zealand trip.

eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible

I discovered packing cubes for the Australia and New Zealand trip, and still find them to be invaluable.  We use them on all trips – big or small.  In fact, I was able to fit Lincoln’s clothes in just a small and medium cube for this trip!

We use the eBags Packing Cubes – color coordinated by person – for clothes.

I purchased some new clear plastic packing cubes for toiletries since we are carrying on bags this time.  I researched a few different ones, and this one seems to be the best.  I used it recently on a domestic trip with no problems.

I also purchased these for non-liquid toiletries and gave one to Tip to use for her liquids.

I had a few smaller clear cubes I used for snacks last time and purchased one more that was slightly larger.

I’m using the same purse from our previous trip as it’s still going strong and fits my needs.

Electronics:

I purchased an iPad Air 2 with a keyboard case for blogging rather than lugging around my laptop.  Fingers crossed it will serve me well!

Bryan has a Samsung Tablet, Tipton will be using her Nook and Lincoln will be using my Kindle Fire.   We all have various versions of iPhones as well.  We did put some movies on Bryan’s tablet in case we don’t have access to wifi or don’t have movies on some of the shorter flight legs.

We needed new adapters, so I found the Ceptics brand since they had 3-prong options.   I also got a multi-plug unit since we’ve got so many items to charge.  I am also taking an extension cord.

I took larger headphones on the Australia and New Zealand trip but wanted something smaller for this trip.  So, I researched earbuds for HOURS!  Hard to believe that’s possible, but I really did.  Earbuds have been historically very difficult for me since I have TINY ears with SMALL ear canals.  However, I found that with only a little more invested, I located a very nice pair for myself and a few others for the rest of the fam.

For Me: The Symphonized NRG

For Bryan: MEE Sport Fi M6

For Tipton: BestGot Earbuds

For Lincoln: UiiSii F108 Kids Headphones

I purchased a new bluetooth speaker, the UE Roll!  It’s adorable, has great sound and is SMALL!!

I use velcro straps for binding up all of our cords.  I like ColorYourLife ones so I can color code  and write a device label on it.   They had 20 multicolored ones  for $8 when I ordered, but it looks like the options are limited now.  There are other brands of the same thing that you can find though.

My mom is loaning us her GPS for the trip.  We’ll be driving in Denmark  so a GPS will be useful.  Fortunately, my mom traveled to Scandinavia last fall and already had the maps downloaded.  Win!

Sleep:

My mom sent us a new airplane pillow. It looks crazy but seems to be a great option.  It’s called Trtl Pillow.   I’ll leave an update after we put it to the test.  The rest of us already had pillows from the previous trip.   I’m taking the Therm-a-Rest Compressed Pillow .

I have a tendency towards insomnia, or at best, trouble sleeping – especially with light issues.  So, I purchased myself, my first ever, sleep mask!

Games:

I’m taking a few games to entertain us on planes, trains or in hotel rooms.

Both kids are taking journals for this trip.  Tipton’s will be a continuation from her Australia and New Zealand journal.

I didn’t pack as much entertainment gear this trip as the kids spent most of the time watching movies on the long-haul legs. Plus, I’m really trying to get us on the “packing light” band wagon.  This trip is a “next step” in that journey.

Snacks:

I feel compelled to point out that we eat healthy all.of.the.time. On vacation, I like to live on the edge, try new things, expand my palate, and yes, eat delicious treats. That includes having some insane junk on the plane that ordinarily I would scoff! The kids are beside themselves! Don’t worry – the sugar will be limited! I am packing healthy items and some meal replacement bars in case we can’t find GF options on the road or for emergency hangry situations! 1st rule of traveling with kids – be prepared to manage hangry! Here is what we decided on –

  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Black Olives
  • Pickles
  • Grapes
  • Apples
  • Dried Apricots
  • Cliff Protein Bars
  • Beef Sticks
  • Peanut Butter Crackers
  • Seaweed Snacks
  • Coconut Dates
  • Sour & Regular Gummy Worms
  • Suckers
  • Gum
  • Spree
  • Big Hunk

We are also each taking a canteen for several reasons, but I think having a container we can close on the flight is helpful. I fill up at the gate and then take it back to the galley to fill up during the flight. We use a few different ones: Thermos Brand 24oz and 16oz and 12oz