Summer 2012: 10 great family travel gadgets

 

view gallery VIEW GALLERY
Related articles

LittleLife's new Animal Wheelie Duffles, in Ladybird and Turtle designs, will delight your little ones and nurture a sense of responsibility. The 20-litre bag has a zip top and telescopic handle; £39.99 (littlelife.co.uk).

A pack of coloured pens always creates a handy diversion but choose carefully. Crayola Flip Top Markers wash off skin and clothes – and you've got a fair chance of hanging on to their tops; £2.99 (crayola.co.uk).

Keep the mozzies away with Kids Bugsox from Careplus. They are impregnated with insect repellent and come in adult sizes too; £13.99 for two pairs, adult sizes £15.99 (careplus.eu).

Heading to London, Paris, New York, or Rome? Get the kids exploring before they get there with Lonely Planet's new fact-filled books for young adventurers, Not for Parents: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know; £9.99 (lonelyplanet.com).

Trunki's new backpack that turns into a booster seat, BoostApak, is hand-luggage approved and sure to save on car hire costs too; £44.99 (trunki.com).

The new Mirano designer bag from PacaPod cleverly combines baby bag, cool bag, and changing mat in its cunning three-in-one system. Available in Navy and Chalk; £95 (pacapod.com).

For impromptu games in the great outdoors, pack the Aerobie Pro Ring 13". It's the furthest thrown object, at more than 400 metres, according to Guinness World Records. Now there's a challenge; £12 (cotswoldoutdoor.com).

If you don't mind little fingers fiddling with your precious iPhone, Toca Kitchen Monsters is the latest app to download from the hit Toca Boca series of digital toys. In this new game, Toca Boca's kitchen is in uproar thanks to two monsters – it's time to feed them and clean up the mess; free (tocaboca.com).

The reasons to use a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife are too numerous to mention – you'll probably work your way through them all on your travels. Just don't put it in carry-on luggage if you're flying; £15.35 (swisstool.co.uk).

For the style-setting girl in your family, KoolSun's Soft Touch Shrugs both protect against the sun and look good on the beach; £12 to £14 (koolsun.co.uk).

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Independent Travel Videos
Independent Travel Videos
Simon Calder in Amsterdam
Independent Travel Videos
Simon Calder in Giverny
Independent Travel Videos
Simon Calder in St John's
Independent Travel Videos
News in pictures
World news in pictures
       
Independent
Travel Shop
Lake Como and the Bernina Express
Seven nights half-board from £749pp Find out more
Dubrovnik and the Dalmatian coast
Seven nights half-board from only £859pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from only £199pp Find out more
 

ES Rentals

    Independent Dating
    and  

    By clicking 'Search' you
    are agreeing to our
    Terms of Use.

    iJobs Job Widget
    iJobs Travel

    Graduate Trainee – Recruitment Consultant

    £20,000 - £45,000 OTE: Co-Venture: Working for this company will give you a ch...

    Associate/Director of Transport

    £40000 - £60000 Per Annum: The Green Recruitment Company: The Green Recruitmen...

    Travel Sales Consultant

    £18000 - £35000 per annum + Award-Winning Benefits & Uncapped Comm: Flight Cen...

    Cruise Ship SEASONAL Work

    Negotiable: Capita Education Resourcing Permanent Team: Cruise Ship Seasonal W...

    Day In a Page

    'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong': The true effect of the badger cull

    The true effect of the badger cull

    'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong'
    Theatre review: Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's The Cripple of Inishmaan

    First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan

    Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's comedy
    Girls Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

    Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen

    After 103 years, organisation changes oath to welcome 'all girls, of all faiths, and none'
    Steve Tongue: Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago

    Steve Tongue

    Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago
    Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Bradley Wiggins' exit

    Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Wiggins' exit

    Sky's lead rider says he is in fantastic form for the Tour and happy pecking order debate is over
    Hannah England: I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess

    Hannah England: Keeping Track

    I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess
    Beards, brawn and body art

    Beards, brawn and body art

    Meet London’s new batch of male models
    Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

    Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention

    British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
    Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?

    The Great Green Wall of Africa,

    Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
    Laughter Inc: the cheering growth of the chuckle industry

    Laughter Inc

    The cheering growth of the chuckle industry
    The bad science scandal: how fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research

    The bad science scandal

    How fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research
    To the manor born: The female aristocrats battling to inherit the title

    Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title

    A passionate protest is gathering pace among the women of Britain's aristocracy, who believe that men should no longer automatically inherit the family pile and title.
    Love struck: Photographs of JFK's visit to Berlin 50 years ago reveal a nation instantly smitten

    In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963

    Photographer Ulrich Mack accompanied Kennedy on the entire trip. The results are an astonishing record of a watershed moment.
    Eat shoots and leaves: Mark Hix gets creative with fresh peas, mangetouts and sugar snaps

    Mark Hix gets creative with English peas

    English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
    Ceviche with a smile: Chef Martin Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends

    Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile

    Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends