Travel Packing Tips
How can travel packing tips help make your family vacations more enjoyable? Let me ask you a question. Does it ever seem that sometimes family vacations cause more stress than they are worth?
You spend weeks preparing and packing, followed by many nerve-wracking hours traveling to your destination. Your vacation flies by in the blink of an eye and, when you get home, you spend the next week unpacking, doing laundry and trying to get back to a normal life. Well it doesn't have to be that way.
So whether you are traveling by plane, train or automobile, here are some tips to get you organized for your family vacation.
Travel Packing Tips
Purchasing Luggage
There are actually a lot of things to take into consideration when you are preparing to buy luggage.
Check current airline size restrictions for luggage. In addition to size restrictions for carry-on bags, most airlines charge extra to check an oversized bag. You may get a great deal by purchasing oversized luggage but if you are going to have to pay extra to bring it with you it may not be such a great deal after all. Most luggage sets advertise suitcases with wheels. Be sure to read the fine print and make sure the entire set has wheels, not just one case. Invest in a luggage set with expandable suitcases. Chances are good that you will do some shopping on your trip. You want to make sure that you will have room to bring home more than you brought with you. Purchase a set that nests - meaning the pieces store inside of each other. This is a handy way to save space when you are not using your luggage. Try to purchase a set in an unusual color or pattern so that it will be easily recognizable. You would be surprised how many people tie a yellow string around the handle of their black suitcase - which yellow ribbon is yours? Make your luggage stand out in a crowd
Travel Packing Tips
Getting Ready to Hit the Road
When I was growing up my mother would always pull out our suitcases at least three weeks before a trip. She would lay them all out on the living room floor and start packing, doing a little bit each day. I used to think my mother was being a bit ridiculous. Now I realize how organized she was.
Pull those suitcases out and start putting in things that you need. Don't worry about organizing the suitcase. You can do that once you are sure you have everything that will be going into it. The idea is just to get everything in one place.
Here are some more travel packing tips to help keep your trips organized:
Start a list and keep it handy. If you are away from home and think of something you need to bring, write it down. When you get home, toss it into your suitcase Be sure to pack your important papers (birth certificate, passport), travel related papers (tickets, hotel reservation information, itinerary). Pack these documents in a carry-on in case your luggage goes missing. Pack your medications in your carry-on. If you own something so valuable or sentimental that it could never be replaced and you would be devastated if it went missing - leave it at home.
Travel Packing Tips
Travel Light
Pack light. Many people think that if they pack in excess they will be prepared for anything. The truth is that the chances that you will actually need half of that stuff are slim and if there is anything that you do need you can always purchase it at your destination. Get brutal when it comes to determining which things are essential and which are simply dead weight.
You can learn to lighten your load with these simple tips:
You do not need multiple outfits for each day of your trip. Unless you have a specific event that will require a change of clothes, one outfit per day of travel is sufficient. Denim is great for travel because you do not need to wash jeans after each use. Save space by packing your favorite jeans. Plan to wear them twice, with a different top each time. If you will have laundry facilities available you can mix and match outfits. Pack two different tops for each pair of pants and wash clothes as necessary. Bring a pair of shoes that will be versatile enough to wear with most, if not all, of the outfits you have packed. Bring as few pairs of shoes as possible - they are bulky and take up a lot of space. Pack travel-sized portions of toiletries. Bring only enough to get you through your trip. Pack wisely. Use all available space. Tuck rolled up socks inside shoes to save a little room. Lay clothing as flat as possible. Little things like these can make a big difference in the number of suitcases you have to bring.
Finally, when you return home from your trip, exhausted as you may be, take five minutes to empty every suitcase. Put the dirty clothes into the laundry hamper. Put the clean clothes away. Put the toiletries into the bathroom and return the suitcases to their storage location. Just doing these few things will make your first few days back at home much more relaxing.
With these travel packing tips you can travel anywhere with ease. Remember to bring drinks and snacks for the road. Happy travels!
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