Today I want to share some of my favorite packing hacks & travel tips that have been a huge help to me over the years and I think you'll benefit from them too! I don't know about you, but I always love a great hack/tip especially if it saves me time, effort, space & is convenient and easy to do. :)
Below are my top 10 packing hacks/travel tips that can be helpful for any busy woman/momma (doesn't every woman always have a list a mile long, is super busy & can benefit from a little help or a few time savors? Do you often find yourself wishing there were a few extra hours in a day so you could tackle a few more things from your to do list(s)? If you answered yes, you're in good company!;)) to help prep for, pack & plan for your next trip. So grab a pad of paper & your favorite pen and lets get started :)
#1) One of my go to travel tips is to first start by making a list of all the items I plan to pack or will need to bring on my trip. That helps me to plan accordingly, minimize what I bring and eliminate bringing duplicates of items (or at least thoughtfully consider if I really need that extra set of shoes or 3rd/4th pair of jeans for a short weekend trip ;)).
-I like to make a running list in my phone on a google doc so that I always have it handy and can keep it with me when I'm out and about. That way if an idea strikes or I randomly remember something I have my list in easy access.
-I prefer to keep a separate page for each member of my family, as well as a list of snacks/games/entertainment etc. that will be needed for myself and to occupy my kiddos. On separate pages I list items to purchase/needed for the trip as well. *For instance: If one of my kiddos has outgrown specific items (such as: a swimsuit, sandals/shoes, snow coat/jacket, etc.) that are musts for the destination those get added to the list. Also added to a list is all medicine, vitamins & health care items each person will need that I don't want to forget. *When packing my bag I also have individual pages for: beauty products, bath products, hair products and other essentials.
-Lastly, I always jot down things (can you tell I'm a list oriented person? 😉) I plan to bring on our trip such as: Phone charger, camera charger & extra batteries, external phone charger/car charging cord, earplugs & eye mask (I am a terribly light sleeper, so these are some of my must haves for a good night sleep when I travel), travel container with my jewelry (**see below for some of my best travel hacks for how to safely transport all your jewelry), my travel journal, book or magazine for plane, earbuds/headphones, travel size packs of tissues, allergy meds, and my mini travel case of my YL essential oils that travel with me on every trip and other essentials I want an extra reminder for etc.
#2) After I've made my lists I like to start gathering items that I know I/we will be taking but can live without much access to for a week or so (and put them next to or sometimes in my/our suitcase) about a week before my/our planned trip. This not only helps me have less things to look for when I start packing, it helps me eliminate forgetting something important if I end up needing to pack more last minute than I anticipate.
#3) Head to the store: Plan a shopping day and make sure to bring all your lists with you! This helps to keep me on track & to not forget what we need while at the store. *I like to pick a date a few weeks or at least a week before my travel dates so that I have plenty of time to find all the items on my list and still have enough time to hit up another store if needed.
-One of my favorite places to start is the dollar/cheap section at Target. This is the first isle or two that is right near the entry. Especially in the beginning of Spring & Summer they tend to have lots of items geared for travelers and the prices are usually really great too! For my girls trip last month I wound up finding almost everything I was looking for in the first 2 isles & the section with travel size items (near beauty/makeup). I found the perfect container to safely transfer all of my daily vitamins & allergy meds, a great new eye mask (for sleeping), cute and space saving reusable container/bags to transport lotion, shampoo, conditioner etc., a few cute new masks (requirement for travel during Covid times),a new portable charger for my phone and several other useful items. Last spring I snagged some great car/road trip games for my kids in this section that we all enjoyed on our long road trip from Oregon-Montana-Wyoming-Idaho and back. I think you'll find lots of great things too for any future trip you have coming up :)
#3) Once I have all of the items on my list gathered I begin to prep/plan what I/we will be bringing & pick out my outfits (could be used for a kiddo instead if you prefer). I know this might seem silly to some, but let me tell you why this helps me and I think it will be beneficial for you too! 😊
-Planning out my/our outfits helps eliminate packing unnecessary items in my/our suitcase(s) and helps keep me/us from or helps limit me/us from "bringing all the options", thus making it easier to pack & to get ready while on my/our trip. 😉
-To start, I like to think about/look at all that we have planned for activities as well as locations we plan to visit so I can carefully consider what types of outfits would be practical for my/our trip. For example: if I have a super cute pair of sandals I'd like to bring but we will mostly be hiking, walking in super muddy, wet/swampy areas or dry & dusty places, odds are packing those shoes wouldn't make sense and would take up wasted space in my bag. Same goes for my kiddos bags: we like to focus on packing the items that will be the most practical & serve the most purpose. If we will be hiking and out doors a lot on our trip it won't make sense to bring our newer/not worn in shoes (not only because we could ruin a nice pair of shoes on a rough terrain, our feet will thank us not to try and break in a new(er) pair of shoes while on a 5 + mile trek in the woods! I may or may not be speaking from experience here, haha;)).
#5) Once I have everything ready to start packing I lay out all of my outfits together on my bed (to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. I also do this for each member of my family when I help them to pack their bags), then I will collect all the bottoms in a pile and either fold them in thirds or roll all of the pants, jeans, shorts & other bottoms. Doing it this way not only helps prevent wrinkles but it's a major space savor too!
-I also like to roll my tanks, cami's or t-shirts and either use them to help hold shape in a pair of shoes, roll them & place in between my shoes (to help prevent them from being crushed) or to line the bottom of my suitcase. I've learned over the years that this allows me to fit multiple cami's or tanks in my bag without taking up much of that precious space.
#6) Over the years I've learned that packing shoes on the bottom of my bag helps fit more pairs & also keep their shape while I travel (especially if they are stuffed with a rolled up cami or pair of socks). As an added bonus clothing will stay clean and have less likely hood of getting wrinkled from the weight of shoes (if they were to be packed near the top or on top instead).
-After all my shoes & pants/jeans etc are packed I pack any heavier/bulkier items such as sweaters/sweatshirts/coats etc.
- Next I roll up any tops that are heavier weighted & any t-shirt's I plan to bring and place them on top.
-Lastly I will pack any delicate/your intimates/light weight or more fragile items. Generally I pack my intimates in a separate compartment of my suitcase to help protect them, keep them in a easy to find location. I also place my more delicate tops/dresses either in a separate compartment, garment bag or near the top of my bag to minimize wrinkles or crushing them.
#7) If you plan to bring hats or several with you, try stuffing the inside of your hats with a few rolled up tops, cami's or socks etc. and pack the hats upside down and surround with light weight items to help them keep their shape while you travel.
#8) One hack I've been doing for years is to pack a few of my lightweight felt covered hangers into one of the top pockets in my suitcase or on one of the sides. It is super helpful to have a few extras when I arrive at my destination (or at least some that I know don't have germs from who knows how many others on them, especially if staying at a hotel😳) to hang up any delicate items or pieces that are prone to wrinkles. Hanging them as soon as we reach our destination gives wrinkles a little time to release and allows the items to breathe.
#9) Speaking of wrinkles: I just recently purchased a travel size steamer that was amazing for all of my delicate more prone to wrinkle pieces. We used it a lot on my girls trip this month and I don't think I'll travel without it in the future :) I love that it is super small, can fit into a little corner of my suitcase & most importantly it does an excellent job of releasing wrinkles from all our clothes! This isn't the same brand I have, but you can find a similar one here:
#10) The last things I tend to pack are my smaller makeup bag and jewelry tote/container (See photo & info below for a few hacks).
-Insider tip: If you haven't yet heard of/tried Thrive cosmetics, I highly recommend trying and starting with their mascara! Seriously one of the best I have ever used!! The mascara not only lengthens, provides fullness, is water proof and best of all it NEVER smears or creates the dreaded racoon eye effect! If it happens to flake at all, simply brush away and it won't leave any dark circles or smudges under your eyes. Really simple to remove also with a little eye makeup remover or makeup removing wipes. *I have their mascara, several of their eye liners, eyeshadows & brow gel. Love them all! https://thrivecausemetics.com/products/liquid-lash-extensions-mascara?variant=39096501196&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsqmEBhDiARIsANV8H3ZVm3YJp0hcSS68yqXXU9pi6irYJbQO5nriMIfr83m1FgEJ80qZxC4aAi9NEALw_wcB
*Jewelry: Has this ever happened to you? You pack several necklaces, arrive at your destination and go to grab one to accessorize only to find every chain is tangled and it will take forever to sort out the whole mess?!
-If you said yes to the above, try this hack and you will never have to deal with that again!;) *Place one end of your necklace through a straw (you can purchase a whole pack for dirt cheap at the dollar store or any grocery store), feed it through and close the clasp on the other end. Once all necklaces are fed through straws store individually in a Ziploc to further protect them and keep from getting all entwined with other pieces of jewelry. *Another option is to place/lay flat (end to end) each necklace on a piece of glad press and seal wrap and cover with another piece on top, press together around your jewelry to lock them in place, then roll up and store in a small cosmetics bag. Also another option is to use a small piece of tissue paper(that you would use for a gift) & roll up each necklace carefully, tucked inside. Form into a circle or in half and store inside of a Ziploc or small container for safe keeping while you travel.
All righty friends, these are some of my tried and true travel tips/hacks, hopefully they prove useful for you too! I would love your feedback, any travel hacks or insights you can share that work well for you & your family so please leave me a note in the comments or connect via https://www.instagram.com/thishomeschoolerslife/ or via email in the connect tab to the right. I look forward to hearing all of your great tips! :)
Many happy travels and prayers that you have many wonderful adventures with your crew!
Until next time,
~K
The Joy of Travel series, part 2
*To check out the rest of "The Joy of Travel' series check here:
Part 1: https://thishomeschoolerslife.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-joy-of-travel-how-to-plan-prep-to.html
Part 3: https://thishomeschoolerslife.blogspot.com/2021/05/travel-tips-for-visiting-glacier.html
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