Playing hockey is a no joke sport. It’s a beast to pack for, the gear stinks so bad it makes you gag, games are at ungodly hours of the morning BUT…my kids love it, they get a great work out every time they play and the team camaraderie is simply the best for the kids and us parents.

During the hockey season the kids have practice a couple times a week, travel games across the state a couple of times every month and then 2-3 times through their season they play in tournaments. These tournaments are 2-3 days and are usually 4-5 hours away by car, sometimes far enough where we have to fly.

I have done quite a few of these tournaments now so I’ve pretty much mastered packing and I’m happy to share my tips and tricks for this with you today.  If you can master packing like I did…trust me when I tell you, it will help to keep you sane on these hectic trips.

Here we go…
Full packing list here if you want to skip to the cheat sheet.

Clothing:

This is a pretty basic list that you’ll have to tailor to your kids and self. Bulky items like sweatshirts and pajamas I pack one for every two days that we’re traveling and the kids will re-wear. 

For the hockey clothing, I pack a set of undergarments (compression pants + undershirts with the built in neck guard) for each day of games. My kids usually have more than one game in a day so I just have them air out their hockey clothing in the bathroom or on the balcony if we have one. 

Toiletries and essentials:

First let’s talk about my new cosmetic train case because many of you have asked about the one that I recently posted about on Instagram. It was a gift from my friend Michelle. She got it from Leatherology. The quality is beautiful and it holds a lot.  It’s a great size!  I love it so much AND she personalized it for me with my initials which is awesome!

1. Toothbrush and toothpaste:  You would think this is an automatic, never forget, set of items but for some reason…I always forget them!

2. Sunblock:  This may not apply to everyone if you’re living in a cold climate in the dead of winter where the weather is some crazy temperature. However we live in Florida now so my kids go from the ice to the beach even during the winter!

3. Thermometer:  More so than ever I find this to be a necessary item to travel with. Hoping you never need to use it but it’s so incredibly useful if you do…

4. Skin care: So I’m in the rink, in a crap-o-la hotel…there’s no chance I’m doing my regular 10 step face regimen every night. I use the Superberry Hydrate + Glow dream mask and sleep with it on when I don’t have the energy or time to do it all and find it works really well especially when my skin is extra dry from the cold. I do also bring my face roller to help manage those lines…do I use it?  Not always.  But I like to know it’s there.

5. Brush:  Yes I once took a hotel brush from their spa and that has forever become my travel brush.  It’s horrible quality but if  I were to ever forget it somewhere…I wouldn’t care.

6. Makeup remover wipes:  I cannot live without these. The only makeup I wear on most days is eyeliner and by the end of game days…it’s schmeared all over my face so I depend on these wipes for the moment I walk back into my room.

7. Travel Shampoo:  When staying at these tournament hotels, I like to bring my own Shampoo because the bottles they supply are tiny and these places normally don’t have cleaning service so they are not replaced for you unless you ask.

8. Face spray:  I find this to be an essential item for keeping my face feeling fresh and dewey especially after those long nights of throwing back cocktails with the hockey parents.

9. Aquaphor:  My kids' faces get horrible chapped and red from their masks and change in temps going from the rink to the beach. I find the best way to reduce the redness is with Aquaphor which I put on them before they go to bed.

10. Cuticle cream:  We have a theme here don’t we?  DRY SKIN!  I put a little cuticle cream on before bed to keep my nails from peeling off.

 In the boys backpack:

This is the bag they keep in the backseat on our drive so I fill it with items that will keep them entertained for the hours we have on the road.

1. Books: Luke recently brought home from his school library is called Life Hacks and is AMAZING for the kids to take turns reading out loud. The hacks are hilarious and truly fascinating.  

2. Electronics:  Of course I load their ipads with movies, shows and games which they love to zone out on. I also bring a bag full of all the charging cords that we need for their ipads, headphones and games.

3. Games:  I bring a variety of games that we can play in restaurants like travel rummicube, cards and uno. I often have random folks walk up to our table and tell me how impressed they are to see we are playing family games instead of letting the kids zone out on screens at meals.

4. Masks:  I always have tons of masks both cloth and medical in my car and in the bags that we travel with as there are almost always stops made along the way and so we are prepared when we arrive at the hotel.

5. Emergency Travel kit:  I LOVE the Welly brand of bandaids and I recently found that they have an emergency kit filled with things like antibacterial wipes, neosporin and more for cuts and scrapes. They also have a kit full of emergency type medicine for stomach and headaches. Plus they are filled with tons of bandaids which I always seem to need!

SNACK BAG!

Arguably … the most important bag you can travel with.

I take two coolers with me:

1. Wine and cups. Wine is my choice of liquor. If Adam was joining me, he would bring beers as well.

2. Snacks for the car and room:  

   1. For the car, I load up with fresh veggies and fruit.  My kids love the fresh food so why not fuel them with it before a long weekend of junk food.

   2. Chips, seaweed, nuts and more. Whether they need a nosh in the car ride or energy before a game I pack a ton of snacks to make sure no one is ever hungry in between meals.

3. Water bottles:  When traveling in the car, I always put a case of water bottles in my car. This way, if someone is thirsty or we need to hydrate before a game, I’m prepared in both my car and the hotel room.

In my purse:

This is the go to, must have always on me items.

1. Wipes: Can’t tell you how many wipes I go through in a week. I carry cucumber face wipes (because my children always seem to have food on their face) and antibacterial wipes for the moments when I know my child didn’t actually wash their hands…

2. Tissues:  I also seem to need these for a runny nose or to spit out my gum.

3. GUM!

4. Purell.  It’s the only hand sanitizer I truly trust.

5. A deck of playing cards for restaurants or times of boredom.

6. Business cards:  because you never know who you’re going to meet and I find it easier to give someone my business card then spelling out my phone # and email when they ask.

7. Masks:  because we are STILL in a pandemic and I’ll probably wear a mask till the day I’m dead.

8. Notebook + Pen:  Because I’m always thinking of things to do and lists to make while I’m on the go.

9. Charging cord: This comes in very handy when I spend lengthy amounts of time in the rink.

10. My wallet: Duh. Don’t forget your vaccine cards!

Tips:

1. Label EVERYTHING with your kids name on it. My kids are always leaving things in other kids rooms, the hockey locker…you name it. If their heads weren’t attached to their necks, they would leave those behind too.

2. Bath bombs:  I like to bring a bath bomb or a little jar of bubble bath in case there comes a point where I have to bribe a kid to get cleaned up. Sometimes they are so exhausted from their games they want to skip a shower and I get it BUT they can’t because they stink. Taking a bath with some added incentive always seems to work.

3. Pre-Charge all devices before you leave for your trip. There’s nothing worse than getting into the car and then finding out your kids ipad has 2% left in battery.

4. Glasses:  Do you wear glasses?  I do and there have been times where I have forgotten them!!  Terrible thing to forget.  I added glasses and sunglasses to the master check list for you.

5. Fanny pack: Luke is the type of kid who loves to have his wallet on him, snacks, tissues, a mask, etc. I got him a really cute fanny pack so he can put his on the go essentials in there and have them on him at all times.

Trick:
This is my favorite, when you get home from the hockey tournament, you’ve got to dry all of the hockey equipment right? I got each of my kids their own hockey drying scarecrow. It’s the most genius contraption ever and they do it themselves!