Family Travel Unpacked: Make the Most of Travel With Kids

What to Pack for Alaska (BONUS EPISODE)

• Melissa Conn • Season 1 • Episode 46

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0:00 | 8:08

Packing for Alaska? There are a few items that most people overlook — and after three trips, Melissa knows exactly what they are. In this bonus episode, she shares the five things she never travels to Alaska without, including one she loves so much she packed a spare pair for a friend.

In this episode:

  • Why rain pants belong on every Alaska packing list (even if it doesn't rain)
  • The collapsible lunch containers that save Alaska days
  • The bug protection hack that doesn't touch your liquid allowance
  • What to actually look for in waterproof hiking shoes for families
  • Why binoculars are non-negotiable in Alaska

What to pack:

Alaska travel planning resources:


Don't miss this inspiring, practical travel with kids podcast hosted by family travel expert Melissa Conn, founder of The Family Voyage, certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, and mom of two who proves family travel is achievable for everyone.

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Hey there, and welcome back to Family Travel Unpacked. I'm your host, Melissa, and in case you're new here, you can always find tons of detailed destination guides, travel tips, hacks, and more on my website, thefamilyvoyage.com. And if you've been enjoying the show, be sure to hit follow wherever you're listening so you never miss an episode, and drop a five-star review while you're at it because it really helps other families find the show So my son and I just got back from Alaska on Friday, and I've mostly finished unpacking from that trip, but I'm already repacking because we leave tomorrow for London and the Azores, and I'm so excited for that trip. I've definitely got packing on the brain. But I've been going through my mental checklist, and I keep thinking about those things that I brought for Alaska that might not be typical for other trips. I've been to Alaska three times, And there are a handful of items that are just way more useful than I ever anticipated And I wanted to share them with you because I know a lot of you are probably getting ready for your own Alaska trips this summer. So consider this a bonus episode. It's gonna be really quick, super practical, and straight from what I'm unpacking from my Alaska suitcase today. You can find my detailed in-depth packing list for Alaska in summer over on thefamilyvoyage.com. Just navigate to the Alaska section and it'll pop right up. Here are five things you probably didn't think about packing for Alaska, but definitely should. Number one, rain pants. This is the one I feel most strongly about, and one where a lot of people are likely to say, "Eh, I could go without." I get it, because rain pants sound like overkill, and I never owned a pair before our first trip to Alaska five years ago. Yes, they're great for actual rain, but on a summer trip to Alaska, that's almost the least of it. Rain pants are a great wind layer if you're going on a glacier-viewing boat like our recent trip with Phillips Cruises out of Whittier, or the trip we did a few years ago with Major Marine from Seward. It can be brutal and windy out on the water, especially in Prince William Sound, So that's a great extra barrier on cold days. Or if you're doing an activity like hiking on a glacier, you're definitely gonna want rain pants to keep your leggings or whatever's underneath dry. But maybe most practical, they keep everything underneath clean, which means you can re-wear your regular hiking pants or leggings without them getting gross. Think about going fishing and holding up that recently deceased fish for a special picture. It matters a lot to keep your stuff clean when you're doing back to back active days and you're trying not to do laundry every two seconds. On my most recent trip just last week, we were there for four days And I only wore the rain pants once, which was for fishing. But on my two previous trips, I wore them at least three times each. The rain pants pack down to nothing, and they're not super expensive. I'll link to mine in the show notes, and I like them because they come in multiple lengths, which is a big deal for me because I'm only 5'2" and a half. And I'll tell you how much I believe in rain pants. When a friend of mine was heading up to Anchorage in 2024, just a few days before I was going, she didn't bring any with her. She kinda mentioned it offhandedly when we were talking while I was packing, and I immediately offered to bring her a spare pair in my bag. I'm gonna tell you, she was so relieved when I handed them over and wore them for two more excursions just in three days. Number two is collapsible silicone lunch containers. This one might be a little more unexpected, but it's become one of my favorite travel items if we're doing an outdoorsy kind of trip. Alaska days are long and really, really full, and a lot of the best activities, think long hikes, fishing trips, kayaking, they're not gonna have a natural stopping point where you can head to a restaurant for lunch. Instead, try pulling over at a scenic viewpoint or just eating in the car. That could be a much better option than interrupting the flow of your day and scrambling to find somewhere to eat in the middle of nowhere. On our most recent trip, my son and I just put in an Instacart order while we were sitting in the airport waiting for our flight, and we got basics delivered to our hotel that were there when we arrived. We got some turkey pepperoni, cheese sticks that I was able to put in the little fridge in our room, crackers, apples, chips, obviously some peanut butter M&M's. And if you have a Chase credit card, you might have Instacart credits sitting around waiting to be used. I know that our family has more than $100 worth of credits that we can use every single month. You do have to sign up in advance with your credit card and enroll for that benefit, so make sure you do it before your trip And then just put in an order or two for whatever you need. Each morning, I'd take five minutes to throw stuff in our containers, and then in the evening I'd rinse them out. No fuss, no mess. The silicone ones collapse almost flat when they're empty, so they take up basically no space in the suitcase Number three, mosquito wipes. This might be the one that surprised me the most when I first packed them, but I use them on so many trips now, even in Europe. Mosquitoes in Alaska are no joke, especially in June and July. We found that out the hard way on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. The good news is that you can handle mosquitoes without sacrificing any of your precious carry-on liquid space, because mosquito repellent wipes don't count. They're individually wrapped, and you can just toss a bunch in your day pack and forget about them until the moment you need them. Along those same lines, I also want to put in a word for my ExOfficio BugsAway shirt. It's a lightweight, breathable mesh long sleeve, but it's treated with permethrin, so mosquitoes really don't want anything to do with you. I've worn it a bunch of times in Alaska, and honestly, I wish I owned two of them because they're just that good. I'll link to mine below. Number four might sound predictable, and that's waterproof hiking shoes. You definitely need it, and you probably know that, but I want to get specific about what we like because I think that families sometimes overcomplicate this. For the kind of hiking that most families do in Alaska, like we're typically doing five to seven miles and easy to moderate trails, I'd say, you really don't need super heavy technical boots. Low top waterproof hiking shoes work great, and they're way more versatile because you can wear them with jeans for dinner also. My husband and I both wear Columbia hiking shoes, and we love them. My son recently got a pair from Adidas now that he's in men's sizes and he swears by them too. When the kids were younger, we actually just got them inexpensive waterproof boots from Amazon, and they liked those better than the expensive Keens and Merrells that we tried later on. so don't assume that you have to spend a ton for your kids just to get them dressed for your trip to Alaska. I'll link to the ones that we used down in the show notes. One pro tip is that a lot of the dust and dirt you'll encounter in Alaska is a very dark gray. Keep that in mind when you're picking colors. Number five is binoculars. This is a non-negotiable. Please, please, please, do not go to Alaska without binoculars. Wildlife viewing is such a huge part of what makes Alaska special, and the difference between watching a bear or whale or puffin with the naked eye versus through a good pair of binoculars is huge You definitely don't want those super cheap lightweight plastic ones that you can get in the tourist shops once you get there. But the good news is that if you buy in advance for just a little bit more money, you can get some real binoculars that'll serve you much better. I just upgraded ours to a new pair right before this last trip, and one of our guides, and he sees every kinda gear out there, he was super impressed with them. He couldn't get over the balance of the quality, the weight, and the price, and coming from a guide, that means a lot. I'll link to mine in the show notes, and if you have kids, I would honestly get two because they're pretty lightweight and compact, and it's better to carry an extra pair instead of having the kids fight over them. All right, those are my top five non-negotiables. Rain pants, lunch containers, mosquito wipes, waterproof hiking shoes, and binoculars. All of those have been tested across three different trips to Alaska, and they all keep earning their place to come back in my bag. A few of them have even made it onto the packing lists for other parts of the world that have nothing to do with Alaska, which I think is the highest endorsement I can give to anything. If you want my full Alaska packing list, which has lots of insights including layering strategies for clothes, specifics on cameras, guidebooks, the whole thing, head over to thefamilyvoyage.com and just go to the Alaska section on the menu. There are tons of insights that'll help you as you get ready for your trip. And if you haven't listened to my previous Alaska episodes before, you're definitely gonna wanna catch those. I have one that goes in depth on Alaska road trips, another one where I interviewed my friend who is an Alaska cruising expert, and then the most recent episode was a recap of the trip my son and I just took to Anchorage. Be sure to follow along so you never miss any future episodes because we're gonna have a lot of great stuff coming up later this summer and into the fall. I'll be back with you next week. Until then, safe travels