I try to keep it VERY minimal because I’m used to traveling with 2 or 3 children by myself. When they were smaller, I tried to find small rolling bags they could pull themselves. This, along with a backpack for the plane, means you’ve got limited space. Now that they’re bigger, they still pull their bag, but they can handle a full size suitcase. That said, I find that giving them too many choices in their suitcase just makes getting ready in the mornings a whole other thing to deal with. Why create drama for yourself? You should be about relaxation on your vacation.
- Knits really do travel the best. Yup, I’ll be the 5000th person to say it. But for those wrinkle prone fabrics, try rolling them instead of folding for added wrinkle protection.
- Don’t try to take a completely new outfit for every single day – even for kids. Tops are likely to get dirty. Mix and match neutral bottoms that can be worn twice work best with a new top/shirt each day. The ever versatile khaki or denim bottoms work wonders for going with everything all week. A dark and/or a light colored legging can take girls and us ladies through many days.
- Try to do outfits that work with only 2 pair of shoes max for the week. Shoes are both bulky and heavy! You should always throw in a pair of flip flops or the likes though for the just in case. (Just in case tennis shoes get wet and need time to dry. Just in case the shower or the carpet seems less than stellar clean and you don’t want to be barefoot. Just in case the pool deck or beach is too hot for bare feet, etc.) Flip flops take up little to no space. They pack completely flat. There will be times we have to add dress shoes of course outside of this rule. I’m not suggesting you wear tennis shoes to a formal dinner all in the name of packing light.
- When packing for the family, fold and stack each person’s items paired as outfits and preview the amount of stuff. You’ll find you can always edit down before actually putting things in the suitcase this way. Pull clothes as outfits and then EDIT before anything goes in the suitcase. Always challenge yourself to EDIT.
- Finally, it’s a small thing, but if I’m short on space, I usually have the kids travel in their bulkiest items. Sometimes 99% of what we pack is shorts and t-shirts but we take that one warmer outfit to be prepared for rain or a cooler evening. A pair or jeans, a hoodie, maybe some heavier shoes. Wear that stuff on the plane so it doesn’t have to be packed. It’s always chilly on the flight anyway! It saves space coming and going.
HERE IS MY BASIC ONE WEEK PACKING LIST (I always grab these basics first and then add specifics to each destination):
10 Short Sleeve T-shirts OR 10 Long Sleeve Shirts of heavier weight for cold weather travel. 1 should be able to be worn for a nice dinner if needed. And anything that goes with (like tank tops, camisoles, undershirts,etc.) I like to pack 2 more shirts than number of days I’m traveling for the “just in case” or days we want to make wardrobe changes and 1 additional shirt for dress up.
1 or 2 hoodies/sweat jackets/sweaters for cooler mornings and nights in otherwise warm weather
3 Shorts OR 3 other casual bottoms (leggings, skirts, capris, jeans, khakis, sweats – whatever each person likes to wear)
2 Pants if you’ve otherwise only packed shorts/warm weather clothing (1pr jeans + 1 nicer pair of pants for dinners or less casual moments that come up)
3 dresses – OPTIONAL substitution for the most ease ladies and young girls may want no-iron sundresses or other easy wear dresses. They just aren’t as mix and match and will be more obvious if you choose to re-wear. All in all, if you like dresses, consider it as it can be a much lighter way to pack.
Socks and Undergarments (Again I follow the 2 more pair than days travel rule here – you never know…)
Sleepwear (Don’t take bulky things like robes and slippers if you can do without them)
2 swimsuits (because a wet suit is horrible to try to put back on) and 2 rash guard shirts for all kids, cover up for adults. I may pack more if it’s a beach heavy vacation. Swimwear doesn’t take up much space.
Workout wear – if you are a die hard, take a couple non-bulky clothing pieces and appropriate shoes for your workout
3 pair of shoes MAX – tennis shoes, sandals or a casual flat if appropriate, and a medium to dressy shoe if needed. May need a high heel depending on the trip. Shoes can really eat up suitcase space!
1 hat for each person – whatever type they prefer (ball cap, floppy sun hat, etc.)
Sunscreen (and bug spray depending on the trip)
Various chargers and connecting cords for your electronics. Extra camera battery and/or memory card if you use a camera versus your cell phone for photos.
Travel sizes of most if not all toiletries, hair and makeup items. Try not to take full size, bulky bottles. You can really can find travel sizes of many brands these days and if not you can fill those travel size clear bottles instead.
Flat packing beach bag/tote to take on outings where you’ll have to carry sunscreen, water bottle, towels, etc. or might buy stuff to lug back to the hotel or ship.
1 quart sized and 2 freezer sized Ziploc baggies. You’ll be glad you have them. Use to place items in to put in hotel safe, carry wet swimsuits or wet children’s clothes. Keep a smaller one in your purse for those pop up needs on the go (barf bag, trash bag for tissue, hand wipes or half-eaten snacks, wet clothes) Store various things in for the trip back home.
1 totally collapsible, mesh laundry bag for collecting and containing all the dirty clothes until the end of the trip OR do what we do…use the empty suitcase as the laundry hamper and all of the clothes will be “packed” already at the end of the trip!
- Travel sizes of children and adult otc meds (Benadryl, Tylenol, Tums, Children’s bonine, Pepto, etc.) – Find single use packets or tiny tubes in the travel section of drug stores or Target for example or ask your doctor for samples if you happen to be in the office before a trip. Make yourself a LITTLE kit. Don’t get bulky here either but take what you think you may need. These items are very expensive to buy at hotels and on cruise ships, should you need them. And in this case, it’s just better to be over-prepared than sorry when traveling with kids.
- Tiny travel “first aid kit” with at least band-aids and tiny tube of Neosporin. I store the tiny travel packet sizes of the OTC meds in this container too. In the picture below it’s the little white container on the left side of the photo. I always find this particular one at Target in the travel toiletries section. I replenish band-aids from our regular box of band-aids as needed. I have been traveling with these since the boys were tiny and scraped knees were inevitable!
Not pushing any of these products, but simply making the point that you can find travel size everything. And now’s the time to use those hotel amenities everyone has…they’re perfectly sized for travel!
- Very compact travel power strip with additional outlets and USB port for charging all of your electronics (phones, tablets or laptops, or just plugging in the curling irons and hair dryer.
- I never take my regular sized purse on vacation with me. Invest in a small, compact purse that can be worn across the body on excursions, at amusement parks, out sightseeing, etc. This leaves your hands free to take pictures, wrangle kids, etc. and means no weight to put stress on the body like a heavier bag. Ideally should only be big enough to hold your ID, cell phone, cash, a credit card, a travel dose of Benadryl, motion sickness tabs, pain reliever or whatever your family might need. Add a travel pack of tissue or travel pack of wet ones wipes if you need for your kids.
By all means create you own Basic Travel Packing List that works for your family. The idea is to stick to the basics which let’s you pack quickly, take less stuff and stop worrying about forgetting stuff. Plus as a bonus…I invite you all to become just as brilliant (perhaps some might have a different word for it) at finding mini sizes of everything to travel with.
edit. your. life. 