I was just diving into some research for a post on kids’ travel toys and activities when I stumbled upon a company that puts together great compact yet comprehensive kits for this purpose – TravelKiddy.

Now, there are quite a lot of travel packs for children out there in the stores and available online, but most of them are just a bag of crayons, stickers and cheap plastic toys you could pick up yourself at a dollar store. What I like about TravelKiddy is they seem to have put some good thought into assembling an array of quality items that will keep a kid engaged for up to 10 hours – a sanity saver for both parent and child when on the road, in the skies or for idle time at your destination.

Yes, there’s the usual pack of crayons in there, but they’ve thought it through to have the crayons in a reusable uncrushable container so they don’t snap so easily. They’ve opted not to include markers in the kit because they’ve determined it’s just not worth the mess factor (that’s an experienced Mom thinking). There’s a range of stimulating activities such as puzzles, activity books, craft projects, Wikki Stix, magnetic games and origami paper – things to ignite curiosity and encourage independent play on a long trip.

There’s even a few travel-themed projects such as make your own postcard or design your own luggage tag kits. In a stroke of genius, some kits include a “return pack” of fresh distractions to bring out on the way home (often when you need them the most). And if that’s not enough, they’ve even included hand-sanitizer, tissues and band-aids in there. Bravo!

There are different TravelKiddies for different age groups and price points, ranging from a pocket-sized MiniKiddy for $9.95 up to a Deluxe TravelKiddy for $42.95. There are optional add-ons and accessories like a travel blanket or educational travel games for a more customized kit, and you can order refills for your next holiday. TravelKiddies come in a bright green canvas tote, reusable lunch bag or messenger bag so you can easily stash them in your car or carry-on.

With all the packing and running around I have to do to prep for our upcoming Christmas trip, I’ll happily defer the hunting and gathering of my girls’ in-flight goodie bags to someone else this year.