Vacations are my life, but family vacations are getting stressful as they now mean planning and packing for a huge group. Our vacations are now overwhelming as we travel in a group of six, with two kids…one under the age of one. Of course, over the years I have accumulated a great deal of packing experience and my travel bags are ready almost two days prior to our travel date. But are they really?
Yes, they are! That was a moment of truth when I decided it was time to make a check-list with my packing wisdom, and separate the dos from the do not's. I am not going to detail out what you need to pack or with a list of must-have items, as that would be extremely individualistic. Instead, I’m going to share some packing tips that have helped me hold things together and I’m guessing they are going to help you do the same.
Make Lists
The easiest way to ensure you are getting everything you need is to make an essentials checklist for travelling with a child, then go on to make separate lists for everyone. Once the lists are ready, pick out the things and keep adding them to individual piles while crossing the same off the list. This will help you not to forget knee socks for your dad and a favourite blanket for your baby.
Use Cubes
The best way to keep your bags organised is to pack using packing cubes. Either you can keep organised by putting together daily outfits or by clubbing clothing you will need at a particular destination (assuming you are travelling to multiple places). This method also helps as you need not unpack everything when travelling and just need to pull out a particular cube and be sorted.
Emergency Set
The convenient way to be ready for any emergencies or delays is to have an emergency set at hand, tugged safely in a piece of hand luggage. An emergency set should contain a set of spare clothes and a cosy blanket or sweater for each of the family members and some toiletries and a few toys for everyone to share.
Individual Bags
The most tempting thought would be to pack all your kids things in one bag but that would be the most inconvenient and a sure shot way to get disorganised. Instead, have medium sized travel bags for each child, in which all their items go, making them partly responsible for their own stuff. If you do not have enough bags, you can check out travel bags online.
Keep Space
The simple method of packing will push you to fill your travel bags as best as you can, but I prefer to differ. Leave some room in every bag for ease of finding as well as for things that you may want to bring back from your holiday. More times than not you may have to otherwise pack in an extra bag for your souvenir shopping.
Is there something, in particular, you do when packing? Share your tips with me in the comments section and I shall have them added to the article.
