Photo by Vlada Karpovich.
It’s exciting to plan a family vacation, the dread only dawns on you when it’s time to pack for yourself and the little ones, too.
To avoid disaster, unnecessary packing and losing your most precious items, we’ve rounded up the best packing tips for parents from experienced travel bloggers. So, get packing with ease and enjoy your vaycay.
5 packing tips for parents and kids:
Make a packing list for each person
This may be your first trip as a family with kids, so it’s always best to write a list of packing items for your young ones.
Each one may have different needs such as floaties for swimming, nappies, formula or specific medications they need to take.
Ask for advice from family on what they took to make things a little easier and add those to your list as well. It may also be helpful to ask about things not to take with you – such as your own towels, if you’re staying in a hotel.
Becky, the blogger behind Your Modern Family, shared that she finds it easiest to have a separate list for everyone in her family.
“When I begin packing, I am crossing off the items that I have packed. I also highlight or put a star next to the items that will need to be packed last minute.”
Don’t use a separate case for each family member
Packing each individual family member’s clothes into a separate suitcase is a huge waste of time and space – especially when it comes to younger kids and babies.
Their clothes and shoes are so tiny, they can easily fit in your suitcases. And, you won’t have too much to lug into the car or around the airport/hotel etc. Oliver of the Oliver’s Travels blog shared some insight on why it’s best to share.
“If one case goes missing, someone will end up without clothes. To ensure you avoid this scenario pack a few sets of every family member’s clothes within each case instead. That way everyone will still have something to wear should the unthinkable happen,” he said.
Organise
Keep your items organised using packing cubes and bags to keep items separate in your luggage.
You can have one specifically for pool and beach clothes, cosmetics and medication and carry an extra one for dirty laundry so you know what to wash when you get home. Jenna from G Adventures said: “Packing cubes make unpacking easier. For example, you can keep all your child’s pyjamas in one cube, and once you’ve arrived at your accommodation, it’ll be easy to find them.”
Keep valuable and irreplaceable items in your carry-on bags
It’s always smart to keep your most precious items close to you when you travel – either on your body or in a carry-on bag. Kirsty from World For A Girl blog shared with her followers: “I’m an optimist, but with airlines having lost my checked luggage more than once (my bags went to Paris and Hawaii without me!), I try to pack light and use only carry-on bags. If I do need to check a suitcase, I use it to pack things I could replace if I had to.” If your kids are particularly attached to a special toy, blanket or clothing item, make sure that’s with you at all times to avoid tears and tantrums.
Do keep a copy of your details with each piece of luggage
“Most importantly a number which you’ll be contactable at all times should any of your bags get lost,” said Oliver of Oliver’s Travels. Nowadays there are luggage tags that you can track digitally on your phone or via Bluetooth as well, pick whatever makes you feel the safest.