Friday, July 9, 2010

Packing Made Easy

I don't normally share the articles I write for The Imperfect Parent here.  However, I wrote an article yesterday that I thought would be of interest to some of you.  It features a few tips my family uses to make packing for vacations easier.  

Packing Made Easy - click on the link to visit the site


Packing for a vacation can sometimes be overwhelming.  Here are some tips to help make packing easier for your next family vacation.

Make a list.  Then only pack what’s on it.  Include how many shirts, pants, shorts, etc. each person needs for the trip.  If your child is old enough to pack for themselves, hand them the list and let them lay out the clothes they want to bring. 

Have a color scheme.  Try and pick clothes within the same color family.  For example, pack only khakis or only jeans, then pick shirts that can be interchangeable.  Also, dark colors tend to not show marks and wrinkles as bad as light colors. 

Plan to Layer.  Pack multiple thinner items rather than several larger bulkier items if you’re vacationing somewhere cold.  Thermal underwear for instance, takes up less space than two bulky jackets. 

Limit your shoes.  Shoes are often heavy and take up a lot of space.  Another reason to color coordinate is so you can wear your shoes with more than one outfit.  Try and limit your shoes to three pairs, one walking, one dressier pair, and one pair of sandals or flip flops.  Then wear your heaviest pair on the plane.

Rick Steves Packing Cube Set, BlackEagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Folder 20 Organizer,Cherry RedInvest in Packing Cubes and Pack-It FoldersEveryone in my family has different color packing cubes and pack-it folders.  Using packing cubes and pack-it folders keeps your clothes from getting too wrinkled and keeps your clothes organized.  Also by having different color packing cubes everyone in your family can find their clothes more easily. 
I love these!  I will write a blog post in the future about them I like them so much.

Don’t over pack.  If you are packing an item “just in case” you need it, leave it at home.  If you end up really needing that extra dress, consider buying a new one at your destination. 

Put your toiletries in a waterproof bag.  There is nothing worse than arriving somewhere and all your clothes are wet or sticky from soap or shampoo.

Do you have any packing tips?

1 comment:

  1. great tips! I also heard to use your shoes as a storage place for rolled socks or other small things. The space inside the shoes are just empty space. :)

    ReplyDelete

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