Planning a family vacation can be stressful. This is especially true when planning a trip post corona lockdown. Many of us are more than ready to hit the road, but planning and packing for your next big adventure can feel like a task.
Travel Packing Tips for Family
When packing for the whole family, you have to take different styles and habits into consideration. This can seem daunting, but theses packing tips will help you stay organized and motivated to have a fantastic vacation.
Make a Packing List
One of the most important packing tips is making a packing list. This is the best way to remember everything you need to bring. Make the packing list a week in advance of your departure. This way, you have time to add and take away as needed.
If you are traveling with many children, then make a packing list for each of them and add the items that the children feel.
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Older kids can handle the packing from there, leaving you with more time to help the little’s.
Involving kids with packing can make things more tedious. But giving your children some control gives them a sense of purpose and responsibility. You could even provide your kids with their backpack and have them pick out a toy to keep them entertained.
Pack By Day
If you have a large family, getting the necessities packed can feel overwhelming, instead of throwing everything into a suitcase, pack by day.
You can do this by taking a zip-lock bag and packing an outfit, underwear, and travel accessories for one day in each bag.
This is one of the most efficient packing tips for your next family trip. Doing this will take the guesswork out of picking an outfit every day and keep everything organized in your luggage.
Once the outfits are worn, you can put them back in the bag and keep dirty laundry away from clean laundry.
Keep Spare Clothes for Kids
It’s always a good idea to have a spare change of clothes handy when leaving the house. This is even more important when you’re traveling. Sitting in the airport or on a long car ride can result in boredom and potential accidents.
Pack a simple change of clothes for your kids in your carry-on or backpack. This way, you can get them changed without digging through your luggage. Don’t forget to pack also a spare pair of comfortable underwear for yourself too. It never hurts to be cautious. Take a look online for comfortable underwear if you are planning a camping day, there are sites like EBY that may be very helpful for this.
If you’re traveling with multiple kids, you can even pack spare clothes in zip-lock baggies. Then you have a place to put messy clothes after they change.
Reference the packing tips above for best practices. Don’t forget about the wet wipes – They’re a lifesaver!
Pack a First Aid Kit
Travelling post lockdown is more complicated than travelling before COVID-19. It’s more important than ever to make sure you’re travelling with a first aid kit and hand sanitizer.
You don’t have to pack your entire medicine cabinet, but make sure you bring the necessities. Things like ibuprofen, kids Tylenol, antihistamines, bandaids, and bug repellent are great to have on hand.
Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Ensuring you have everything you need in case of a skinned knee or bellyache will make your vacation run smoothly.
It’s a good idea to keep your first aid kit close to you while you travel. Especially if you’re camping, hiking, or traveling to remote locations.
Leave Room in Your Luggage
It can be easy to pack everything but the kitchen sink for your next family trip post lockdown. Feeling prepared is essential, but you should leave some room in your luggage.
A family vacation means making memories, and of course, buying souvenirs to remember the fun.
Make sure you have a bit of room to store your mementos. You can do this by leaving a small compartment in your luggage empty, or bringing an extra packing cube to keep them in.
Vacation is also a great time to shop for friends and family. If you plan to shop for those you love, bring an extra bag to carry gifts home. It is advisable to keep some space in your car roof rack for any extra baggage while returning from the trip.
Package Liquor Effectively
This packing tip is exclusively for the adults of the family. When traveling, many of us like to take our favorite bottle of wine or whiskey with us.
There is nothing like sharing a bottle of dry red wine while relaxing on vacation, but the bottle must arrive intact. You can pack your wine effectively, even if you’re traveling to a remote location.
Consider how much wine you want to pack before packing your clothes and toiletries. You want to cushion your bottles by surrounding them with full articles of clothing.
Line the perimeter of your luggage with shoes to absorb any impact. Then, build your base by packing your clothing on the bottom. Make sure not to stack your clothes too high.
Next, you want to place your bottles in a bag. Plastic or reusable grocery bags work fine, as long as you can tie them at the top.
Finally, take your remaining clothes and wrap the bottles again. Sweaters and jackets work best.
Wrap the bottle and then tie the sleeves around the kneck. The neck of the bottle is the most vulnerable, so it will be most likely to break. If you don’t have jackets or sweaters, use whatever is thickest.
Finally, place the wrapped bottle in the suitcase and fill the area around it with clothes. Pack everything else on top, and make sure your luggage closes tightly.
This packing tip may cause you to come away with a wrinkled outfit, but a perfectly intact bottle of your favorite dry red wine!
Pack a Surprise
Since the adults get their wine, it’s only fair the kids get a surprise, as well. Packing a stash of new toys, card games, or colouring books will keep your kids entertained during long layovers or car rides.
If you pack items your kids have never seen before, they’re more likely to stay entertained for longer. It’s also nice to throw in a new beach ball or outdoor toy for your kids to play with once they’ve arrived.
Surprises make your kids feel special and cultivate happy memories they will carry with them forever.
Your next family trip, post lockdown doesn’t have to be stressful as long as you plan accordingly. Following these 7 packing tips will ensure your family vacation runs smoothly.
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