Is there anything more excited for children than the prospect of a family holiday?

A week (or two!) away from home – going on an adventure, exploring new places and staying up late. Visiting the beach, building sandcastles, dipping your toes in the freezing cold water and being treated to an ice lolly whilst we dry off from the pool. Some of my fondest childhood memories are from family holidays, and so now that I have a family of my own, I am really keen to ensure that the girls get similar experiences to the ones I cherish. We don’t always have the biggest budget, and we are yet to go abroad, but either way, we try and have at least one mini break or holiday away a year.

We recently returned home from our first holiday as a family of four. Normally, one of the most frustrating parts of a family holiday is trying to pack everything before you go. With two young children packing can be quite the challenge and of course the job always falls to me! There is always so much to take, and you can guarentee that when you finally get there, you’ll spend 90% of your time rummaging through the case to pull out the very specific t-shirt that has been requested by your eldest.

Luckily for me, just before our holiday, we were approached by Trunki to see if we wanted to put their range of ride on suitcases to the test, and it was pretty much a no brainer. With a range of cute designs available, I was pretty confident these would go down a storm, as well as make my life a whole lot easier upon arrival!

About the Product

If you haven’t heard of Trunkis, then seriously – where have you been?? With over 2 million Trunkis sold worldwide, these children’s ride on suitcases are loved across the globe by children and parents alike.

Trunkis are essentially mini suitcases for children, but are packed full of innovative and practical features that make travelling with a young family far less stressful and much more straightforward.

First up, the Trunki is Hand Luggage Approved with all major airlines (including Ryan Air, EasyJet, Thomson and First Choice), meaning it is the perfect shape and size to be taken on flights and filled with everything you may need to keep your child entertained as you travel.

However, far from being ‘just’ children’s luggage, Trunki is also a ride on case – meaning that if your child gets tired during check in, or their little legs get worn out walking to their destination, they can have a rest on the saddle of their Trunki, or even be pulled along using the innovative tow strap included.

Everything about the Trunki has been tailored to their target audience, with soft rubber trims (to prevent little fingers getting trapped!), easily lockable clasps to keep possessions safe, teddy bear seatbelts to hold items securely in place, and a little pouch pocket inside for smaller items. With a large comfy saddle, and horns to hold on to to steady their journey, the Trunki is an exciting and fun way for children to travel.

And that’s not all – there are 21 different Trunki designs to chose from –  everything from a ladybird to a fire engine, a gruffalo to a unicorn – there really is something for everyone!

Our Experience

The hardest part about purchasing a Trunki is deciding which design to select. There are so many beautiful designs (as well as the ability to design your own should you so wish), that it can be quite difficult to make a decision and stick to it. Erin helped me pick, and there was lots of umming and ahhing as she chopped and changed between some of her favourites – that is until she clasped eyes on Una the Unicorn, after which the others immediately paled into insignificance – this girl is unicorn obsessed! We also opted for Cassie the Cat for Neve – and with its cute little whiskers and nose on the clasp – we were fairly confident that Neve would love this too.

First Impressions

As a parent, my first impressions of the Trunki were really positive. They are sturdy and strong, and whilst lightweight, appear to be very durable and be able to withstand a fair bit of knocking around – which lets face it, any ride on case is going to experience. The Trunki also come with a 5 year guarantee which is great for piece of mind.

The Trunki is a bit of a tardis, in that despite being small and compact, there is plenty of space, and room for everything you might need as hand luggage or alternatively clothes and belongings for a weekend away. I loved the addition of the elasticated fastener inside to hold the clothes securely in place.

Each Trunki came with a cute little cut out passport inside the case – something I thought was absolutely adorable, and a great way to record your family travel adventures. There was also a big sheet of stickers inside to help personalise your case. The stickers were slightly padded and thick, so unlike a regular transfer sticker, these were unlikely to peel off quickly.

Our Experience

When Erin and Neve first set eyes on their cases they were both very excited! Erin couldn’t wait to crack it open and start personalising her case with stickers, whereas Neve was quite happy climbing on and off and pretending to ride it like a horse! 🙂

The personalising of the cases was really good fun, with a huge A4 sheet full of squidgy 3D style stickers to add to the sides of the case. Adding the stickers kept Erin entertained for quite some time, so this would be a great distraction activity to help prevent hyper excitement on the days leading up to your break.

Depending on the design you select, each Trunki may also have individual elements to personalise. With Una the Unicorn for example there was a the large horn to add to the front of the case, and the beautiful rainbow tail to secure into place. Depending on the age of your child, they are likely to need some help with this, as the horn in particular could be a little fiddly.

Erin absolutely loved running her fingers through the Unicorns tail – with its supersoft hairs and rainbow colours – it is the little features such as these that make Trunki’s really very special!

On holiday the cases were really an absolute life saver. As we were only away for a short break and with no flights involved, I packed each of the girls clothes in their own Trunki, meaning I could quickly and easily pull out outfits for them without having to rummage. There was plenty of space to fit in all of the clothes they needed for 4 days, and the cases coupled up as a ride on toy for around the accommodation as well!

Overall, I think the Trunki is a fantastic piece of kit, and perfect for families travelling with young children. A fun and interactive product which entertains before, after and during your holiday, this is a very practical way to transport your child’s belongings whilst saving your strength and your sanity!!

Pros:

• Hard wearing, durable yet lightweight cases
• Perfect size for hand luggage
• Ride on / sit on / tow along – perfect for tired little legs!
• Child friendly latches and rims so no trapped fingers!
• Fun designs which can be personalised with stickers included.
• 5 year guarantee for reassurance and peace of mind.

Cons:

• I have really struggled to find any critisims of the Trunki as we really loved them – however if I am being particularly picky – the Una the Unicorn horn does have the potential to get damaged or bent as it is quite flimsy – having more than one horn sticker set in the pack would have been a benefit so that this could easily be replaced if the original became past it’s best.

You can see the full range of Trunki designs available as well as other travel accessories on the Trunki website. Prices start at £34.99 – but at the time of publishing there is currently 20% off across the range.

Want to win your own?

We have a Trunki ride on suitcase to giveaway to one lucky reader! To enter simply use the gleam app below. Competition starts 15/5/18 and ends Sunday 10th June 2018 at 11.59pm. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions apply. Winner can chose a Trunki of their choice (excluding bundles and create your own) subject to stock. UK entries only. GOOD LUCK!

Trunki Giveaway

*This is a collaborative post. We were sent our Trunkis free of charge in exchange for our honest review, however as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own*