True confession time: Even though I am a huge proponent of family travel there is always a day in the traveling process where I inwardly rant that it is just not worth it and it would be better to stay home. Any guesses on which day pushes me to my traveling breaking point? It’s not the day that everyone wakes up way to early from jet lag or the day that the kids meltdown at dinner from too much stimulation. It’s the day (or hours) right before we leave-the day affectionately known in our house as the “Mom’s acting crazy, she must be packing” day.
Packing, especially with a larger family, is such a frenzied affair that it is the day that I definitely have to power through with positive affirmations and promises of chocolate to make traveling possible for our family. I have learned that it isn’t the packing that causes me trouble, but the gathering of things from all over the house. To minimize the frustration (and not max out the supply of chocolate before the end of the day), I have developed a system to cut down on the packing time and get us onto the traveling fun.
- Pack from the Laundry. This is the fastest way I have found to get four kids clothes into suitcases in the quickest time. The key to making this work is to let the laundry pile up until everyone is wearing the ripped up pajama bottoms and last year’s baseball jersey. This laundry slacktivity is a regular occurrence in our house whether we are traveling or not, so it is easy to just wash all the laundry at once and then pull from the laundry pile to fill the suitcases and save the trouble of going to each closet to grab clothes. I’ve been known to do the washing machine to suitcase duty days before we actually leave to be sure that everything is clean and ready to go on travel day.
- Keep a toiletry bag packed. Duplicate toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc are kept in a small travel bag that can be grabbed and thrown into the suitcase quickly. As a bonus, there is much less of the “oops I forgot” syndrome using this method. We also keep a small first aid kit stocked with all our medical needs packed and ready to be thrown into the suitcase, as well.
- Keep a stash of travel ready games and toys. All of our favorite airplane and car games and toys are stored in a large bin in my laundry room. I regularly add dollar store purchase, clearance items, and party favors from birthday parties to the bin to add to the collection. When it is time to travel, I can go right to the bin and fill up the busy bag with our old standbys and some new fun for the trip.
- Create a reusable master packing list. I got this idea from my son’s scout camping preparations. He created a master packing list that he can use to help him remember what he needs for each campout and refers to it to be sure he doesn’t forget anything. Now that my kids are older, I can give them a list and let them help gather the things that we need to pack. Ideally, I would like to create a customizable, laminated list to give to each child and circle the items needed for that trip with a dry erase marker. Of course, this is one of those best of intention ideas, but as soon as I get caught up on the laundry, it will be the next thing on the list.
How about you? Do you have any tips to make packing smoother and easier? Be sure to share them in the comments. If you have your own travel tips that make traveling easier, link them up below with Travel Tips Tuesday and happy travels.
I thought that I was the only one who hated packing so much – it stresses me out more than anything! I like the idea of having a master packing list but I'd have to get organized enough to actually create one. 🙂
Packing is the worst. It's not the big things, like clothing, that kills me (though I agree with your tip to pack from laundry), but the details like sunscreen and phone chargers and that one item that I bought especially for this trip. Sure, we can usually buy it when we get there, but that's a waste. I keep a master packing list in my computer and before every trip I edit it as needed. It also has a checklist of things that need to be done before we leave, such as stop mail, take back library books, adjust thermostat, etc. It's so much less stressful when everything is on the list so I don't have to remember it all on my own.
I actually really enjoy packing, but I can see how it could become more and more of a chore with more than one child! Great suggestion for keeping a toiletry bag packed… I'm always scrambling to fill tiny shampoo bottles at the last minute.
My super-organized sister gives each of her 4 kids a list for their own items along with a laundry basket. They have to collect everything on the list, put it in the basket, and meet her at their duffel bags within 15 minutes to pack. Seems to work great for them 😉
When you get that laminated list made up can you send a few my way? I am always doing the mad dash packing the night before a trip too. As if I didn't know months ago that we were leaving that particular day. Why oh why do I do it to myself? I am definitely with you on keeping a toiletry bag packed at all times though. We also have a bin with all of our travel stuff, but the travel toy bin definitely needs to be made. Right now it is just bags of random things I have picked up and hidden around the house. Not the best idea when it comes to packing in a hurry.
In the weeks leading up to a trip, I start a basket for all the things that I've bought in preparation. They go from the shopping bag directly into the basket. As I think of items from around the house to bring, I'll throw those in there, too. When it's time to pack, it's all collected, and I don't spend a week beforehand thinking, "Don't forget…"
I restock my travel toiletries bag when I unpack instead of waiting for the mad dash before the next trip.
I actually started a master packing list in high school for sleepovers. I knew it was time to update when my hubby pointed out that "Money" was in the optional category. LOL Looking at old lists is like a walk down memory lane. It took 8 years for sippy cups to cycle off the list, but we're way past that stage now.
I always need to start packing about 1 week before we leave. If I don't, I ALWAYS forget things. And of course it's never something easy or cheap to pickup. It's like the charger for the camera or something I can't find in the destination were going too. I'll be trying out your tips for our next upcoming trip.
I like the idea of pre-made list. For us, we travel so often that we have our staple items that get packed every time, and then it's just a matter of adding in a few extra things based on climate, activity, environment, etc. Of course, we always forget things too, but really so long as we have passports and money there's nothing that can't be replaced or bought on the road.
As much as I detest packing, it doesn't bother me as much as UN-packing! 🙂
Love the toiletrie bag that is ready to go. I can't tell you how many times we've had to buy deoderant or a tooth brush on the road.
I've recently begun to gather sample products when I see them offered online. I stash them all in a drawer so when we travel I don't have to fuss with purchasing travel sized products.
The master packing list is an old favourite of mine which I've found to save more time than anything else. Leaving plenty of time to do the packing helps to make it a less stressful event.
A seperate toiletry bag is KEY.