Planning and Packing For Travel

Planning and Packing For Travel Reduces Stress And Increases Enjoyment!

#1 Goal: Pack As Light As Possible!

This definitely takes some thoughtful planning but you will enjoy the benefits.

Easy to carry luggage, non-cluttered car, organized hotel room/camper. Just think how nice that will be...

It's no fun traveling in a loaded car or carrying heavy bulging luggage. It is even less fun coming home with more than you came with, particularily if you didn't use half of what you brought!

So Let's Get Organized!

Take the time for planning and packing for travel. Really think about how you can trim your travel items.

Try to let everyone pack for themselves (except small children of course!). This is a life skill that your children will need over and over again. By about age 10, most children should be able to pack entirely by themselves. Really! It's okay to check what they packed but I encourage you to teach them young.

Each person should have their own bag. Car bags should be separate. Actually, with car bags, you might want to set some rules. At the very least, give each person one small bag and tell them they can only take what fits in it and still be able to close it.

You may have heard of Space Bags and I highly recommend them. These are the clear bags that you pack into and then remove all the air. You will hardly believe just how much you can pack in one of these! However, please be forewarned that they tend to make you want to bring more than you need ;-) The upside is that what you do end up packing is dramatically reduced in size.

An alternative to Space Bags are Eagle Creeks Organized Traveler Cube Set. The set consists of three different sized bags with four colored patterns to choose from. The Traveler Cube Set is basically a "classier" look than the Space Bags but are still really inexpensive. Personally, I prefer providing more "people space" than "luggage space" when traveling! If you're interested, you can find them in the Travel Accessories now at Luggage Online.

Tips To Help You Make Some Decisions

Pack clothes that won't show stains too much...

• Patterns
• Bright colors
• Darker colors

Choose a color scheme for mixing and matching and choose outfits that can double for both casual and dressy.

Pack clothes you can layer easily.Choose clothes that don't wrinkle too much...

• Cotton/polyester knits
• Fleece
• Rayon
• Washable silks

To reduce wrinkling when packing, try some of these methods...

• Put heavier items on bottom
• Stuff nice clothes with tissue
• Put socks inside shoes and use shoe bags
• Roll clothes after folding
• Pack suitcase tight--shifting causes wrinkles

Choose jackets that will work with most outfits. For example, in our part of the country, many women wear denim jackets in a variety of dress situations.

Quick Tip

For real young kids, pack a complete outfit, underwear and socks included, in a large zip style bag.

Accessories

Choose accessories that will work with several outfits and color schemes.

A Note About Toiletries

Travel sizes are usually more expensive but they tend to pay off in other ways. You can dramatically reduce the weight of your toiletry bag by paying a little extra and purchasing travel size items.

Snack Tips

It may make sense to bring pre-packaged snacks even if a bit more costly. This helps reduce waste, spillage and they are lighter and easier to pack.

Remember to choose "Low Mess" foods...

• Things that don't leave crumbs
• Things that won't drip or stain

Invest in no-spill cups and bottles too...forget the juice boxes with straws!

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