Packing for a trip with kids presents its own challenges. Four, five or six toothbrushes are a lot to remember and, if your kids are like mine, each likes her own kind of toothpaste. Then there's Blankie and the four stuffed animals who want to come too. Not to mention enough changes of clothing for the inevitable accident on that long stretch of highway between rest stops. Plus asthma medicine, allergy medicine, bee sting medicine and the long list of just-in-case phone numbers. If I'm not careful, I'm exhausted before I've left the house.
But there are ways to make packing for a family vacation easier. Here are our top five:
Packing Cubes. Yes, it seems like just more things to stuff into your suitcase, but trust us, once you start packing in cubes, you'll be hooked. "Packing cubes help organize and condense your packing, especially if you are an 'over-packer' like me. With four kids, it's hard to travel light but the cubes let me compact and separate each child's clothing and put them in to one suitcase," says well-traveled mom of four, Susan Pazera. "I also love that I can use them to separate dirty clothes and clean ones when repacking for the trip home," she adds. Check out Packing Cubes from ebags.com ($27.99 for a set of three of their large size), Pack-It Cubes by Eagle Creek ($12.50 - $22 depending on size) or Ultralight Packers from LL Bean ($29.95 for a set of three)
Kids' Suitcases and Carry-ons. As soon as they are able to carry, roll or drag one, each child should have his or her own carry-on for airplanes or bag for the car. In it should go parent-approved games and snacks as well as one full change of clothing. Each child should understand that he or she will be responsible for carrying it. Little backpacks are great for the littlest ones, but move them to a small piece of rolling luggage as soon as possible. Not only will it help give them a sense of adventure, involvement and responsibility, even those little bags really can manage a surprising amount. Two of our favorites? Skip Hop's Zoo Luggage for little ones ($30) and ride-along Trunki by Melissa & Doug ($39.99).
Lists, lists and more lists. First, list all of the activities the family will be doing. For instance: two long days in the car; ice skating, swimming in the hotel pool, visiting the zoo, Christmas dinner with the cousins, Christmas morning at Aunt Sue's, etc. Then, be sure you've packed for each activity. Next, a list of necessary and helpful medications. Nope, you probably won't need them. But you'll be so glad you spent ten minutes packing them if you do. Finally, a list of necessary phone numbers. Sure, they are all probably in your phone somewhere, but trust us, it's nice to have them all together if you need them:
- all hotels, including a back up
- airline if you're flying
- people you are seeing
- doctors (the kids' pediatrician AND your doctor)
- ICE ("In case of emergency contacts")
The Old Switcheroo. Airlines have gotten much better at getting your luggage to your destination. But just as we've been lulled into a false sense of security that our bags will always arrive when we do, they lose one. If you are a frequent family traveler, it's bound to happen. Since it is highly unlikely that they will lose two of your family's bags, one great fix is to pack one complete set of each person's clothing in another person's bag. So if they lose the kids' bag, Mia and Max will still have a full set of clothes (bathing suits included), in your bag. If they lose your bag, at least you'll have change of everything buried beneath your husband’s golf clothes.
Pack by Day: Family road trip adventures require their own packing strategy. Instead of packing by person (which requires pulling out every bag, every night) try packing by day, with one "every night" bag. Each night, pull out the "every night" bag (PJs, toothbrushes, the never-to-be-forgotten blankie) plus the bag for the next day with clothing appropriate to the day’s activities. Yup, it is a bit more planning upfront, but a lot less hassle, since each night you'll bring only two relatively small bags in at each stop.
Remember, practice makes perfect and the more family adventures you take -- big or small -- the easier the packing process will become.
