Second-hand Stores Provide Great Spare Travel Clothes

We love to shop consignment or second-hand stores prior to travel to outfit our kids. We don't sell clothing on our site www.kidstravelhappy.com, mainly because we focus on travel activities, books, games and toys, but we do think that easily accessible spare clothing should never be overlooked. There are 'cute' (and often pricey) spare travel clothing options (for kids and adults), but we find that travel tends to test even the toughest stain-proof items!

As a result, we have found that second-hand stores (garage/yard sales, exchanges etc.) are great ways to acquire clothes to pack for kids. Children tend to get less upset about clothes that are NOT their 'favorite" when encountered by a snack stain, or other activity disaster remnant that permanently adheres to them.

We've also used a layering technique (obviously NOT great for warm weather travel). Have your child wear a t-shirt with a long-sleeved shirt over it, and maybe even a fleece vest (or similar). If something spills, there is still a layer or two to call to duty!

And, don't think the kids are the only ones who need the spares. That spilled drink (on a plane especially), or that soaked through diaper (if you haven't purchased that under 2-year old a seat!) could end up on the ADULT's lap (bummer!). Despite the decreasing allotments for traveling on a plane, we've always felt even just a pair of shorts as spares (no matter the destination) can be a life saver.

Other quick tips/links

- dress kids in the 'second-hand' clothes, and put the 'first-hand' clothes on at the destination
- remember a recloseable bag or some other waterproof container for those soiled items. It is NO fun putting all of the nasty things into the ADULT's bag of dry things!
- check out this link http://www.resaleshopping.com/ - "where the Internet meets local resale shop owners" for shops near you or near your destination (for US and Canada)
- another fun site for all those thrifters http://www.thethriftshopper.com/index.htm
- you can also try outfitting the family in 'synthetic' clothes (NOT cotton). Synthetic fabrics make for easy cleaning and wearing, as they tend to dry quickly. We often rely on this type of clothing for the 'big people'
- if you are traveling by vehicle, have a small 'spare clothes bag' (with at least one thing per traveler) that is easily accessible. This is much easier to find than to pull out each individual's luggage bag (as it's bound to be the one most deeply packed that you'll need first!)
- if you are local to the Bethel, Maine area, please visit Little Bits Consignment, located at 85 Main Street 207-824-4008

d kids we have realized that packing to go anywhere is NO easy task, but we've also realized that cutting corners in the wrong places can bring disaster.