5 Easy Steps to Make Packing for Your Next Vacation Stress-Free
Love vacation but not the planning and packing part?
I love to travel and have become a pro at taking the stress and time out of packing and prepping for a trip. Here are my tested and proven 5 easy steps that work for me. Try them for your next trip!
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Make a List of all your days and activities.
I label each day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc) and any specific activities I will be doing that day. For example, on my recent Alaskan cruise, I knew that I would be traveling on Thursday and want comfortable clothes, a light cardigan for the plane, and sneakers. I also knew we would be on some shore excursions that could be rainy and cold, so I listed a pullover and rain jacket for that day.
2. Set Aside any Needed Clothes and Items on your list a few days ahead of your trip.
I usually use a guest bedroom or any free space to lay out my clothes and suitcase. I start setting aside any items on my list a few days ahead of my trip so that I can be sure to not wear them and have to do any last minute laundry.
3. Keep a Packed and Ready to Go Toiletry Bag.
I travel enough that I keep a toiletry bag packed and ready to go in my linen closet. I have travel sizes or extras of all of my needed products and can easily just grab my toiletries and put them in the suitcase when needed.
4. Carry a Backpack and Crossbody Purse.
I always travel with a laptop, my Kindle, extra chargers, and any other necessities in my backpack. I usually take a small crossbody purse and simple slim wallet to easily access my ID, tickets, etc at the airport. The backpack and purse help keep my hands free and make handling luggage, searching for directions on your phone, or grabbing food on the go much easier.
5. Use Packing Cubes.
One time, I had a busted suitcase and had to literally drag my luggage from baggage claim to my car, making a few stops along the way to pick up my socks that were falling out on the ground. Since then, I never forget my packing cubes! I roll all of my clothes to help keep them wrinkle-free. This also helps me quickly see what is in each packing cube without everything being in a single pile layered on top of each other. I also use one packing cube to put my dirty clothes in and keep them separate from the clean clothes throughout the trip. This simple trick also saves time when I unpack as I can just dump the clothes straight into the washing machine.
Bonus Tip
If traveling with your family, use a different colored packing cube for each family member and pack one cube of each color in every suitcase. This way, if one suitcase gets lost, no one person has lost all of their luggage.
Have your own tips that work for you and your family? Leave them below in the comments?