Efficient Packing for a Family Trip
When I go on a road trip with my family I pack much differently than I do when I fly.
Use those bins
I love to pack my things into bins so they fit nicely in the car and are easy to move into the hotel, Airbnb, or relative’s house. I don’t like making 23 trips to the car to take out tiny little bags to get settled in.
Inside the bins we put all we will need including a bathroom bag that we transfer to the bathroom and then unpack into drawers, if available. Adults get one bin and kids share another.
Usually there is one bin that will stay in the car with outside toys, balls, life jackets, and bike gear. If we are staying in a Airbnb, then one is kitchen items to make our meals.
Make a Reusable List
Whether you travel often or only a couple times a year, it is very helpful to have a packing list. Rather than making a new one for each trip and risk forgetting something each trip, just make a standard list and save it on the computer.
I print the list out several days before the trip to get started packing. This totally changed the way I viewed getting ready for a trip.
It was so nice to have a prepared list that had all toiletries listed already down to items of clothing and things for air travel as well as car travel. Even if I haven’t traveled in a while, I still remember to bring certain things because of the list.
After my trip, I can even tweak the list to update to new items I wished I brought so I’ll remember them next time. I can even update for the kid’s ages and stages.
Mine is broken down into columns on Excel with the following titles:
Sleep: pillows, 3 car blankets, 2 sound machines
Eating: 4 water bottles, snacks, cooler, and bibs (when they were little)
Changing: socks, flip flops, swimsuits
Toys/books: magazines, car games
Technology: IPad, chargers, phones
Hygiene: razor, lotion, toothpaste, hairdryer
Do Before We Leave: change thermostat, get pet sitter, stop mail, take out trash
Flying: bring birth certificates, printed tickets, itinerary
Pack ahead of time
I love to pack the things that I don’t use daily as soon as we have our list printed. That might be gifts for people we will be seeing, travel size items, and games or books.
I usually do laundry two days before the trip so I can pack clothes the day before we leave. I tell everyone the weather and then have everyone set out clothes for the number of days we’ll be gone. I then can look at my kids’ clothes to approve that they match and are appropriate for our activities.
Then they can all go in the bins and into the foyer by the door. After we are all ready on the day of the trip we can add the last minute toiletries and things we needed during the night.
I hope you find at least one thing that’ll make your next trip easier!
Happy travels to you and your family!
Are you ready to get your space or schedule organized? Let me know how I can help you get to a more Peaceful Place.
