Are You A
Stressed Out Mama?
Want...
- Less nagging?
- Less frustration?
- More peace?
- More hugs?!
Don't Miss
Mama's Stress Busters.
|
|
|
Share this page and help other parents.
|
Are you looking forward to a pleasant family vacation this year? I'll bet you're not looking forward to the packing!
Maybe I can help a little. I've been packing my family up and out the door for over 25 years. Take the vacation packing checklist below, print out a copy for each family member and add your own items in the spaces provided.
Then check off each item as you pack (and try to pack as early as
possible). You'll find yourself a lot less stressed during that
normally hectic pre-vacation week. You'll find you forget less items,
too.
Vacation Packing Checklist & Tips
Shirts
__ Long-sleeved
__ Short-sleeved
__ Sleeveless
__ Jacket/Blazer
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Pants/Slacks
__ Dress
__ Casual
__ Shorts
__ Jeans
__ Capri’s
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Women's formalwear
__ Dresses
__ Skirts
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Underwear
__ Bras
__ Socks
__ Panties/briefs
__ Hosiery
__ Slips
__ Belts
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Shoes
__ Sandals
__ Walking shoes
__ Dress shoes
__ Casual shoes
__ Water shoes
__ Hiking boots
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Toiletries
__ Shampoo/conditioner
__ Deodorant
__ Shavers/Razors
__ Shaving Cream
__ Cosmetics
__ Toothpaste
__ Floss
__ Mouthwash
__ Toothbrush
__ Sunscreen/bug repellant
__ Hair grooming tools (comb/brush/hair ties/blow dryer/etc.)
__ Glasses/case
__ Contacts and solutions
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Nighttime
__ Pajamas
__ Slippers
__ Robe
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Outside gear
__ Jacket/sweater
__ Gloves/mittens
__ Boots
__ Swimsuits
__ Cover-ups
__ Beach towels
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Electronics/Cameras
__ Camera/digital camera
__ Film
__ Extra batteries
__ Video camera
__ Ipods, DVD’s for traveling, etc.
__Chargers for cell phones, pda's, etc.
__ Accessories
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Vital extras
__ Medicines
__ Money
__ Travel games
__ Phone number, addresses and maps of your destination.
__ Hotel/rental car information
__ Emergency information and an itinerary of your trip that you can leave with a friend or number in case of an emergency.
__ Extra plastic bags for dirty/sick laundry/trash/messes.
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Extra vacation packing checklist for kids.
__ Extra clothes/undies
__ Diapers
__ Moist towelettes
__ Medicines
__ Snacks
__ Toys
__ Lovies and cuddle toys (very important in the unsettled environment of a vacation)
__ Things to do/activity bag
__ Road trip or plane ride? Consider your child's needs and pack accordingly.
__ Plan for extended periods where you must keep children occupied.
__ Choose clothes that pack well and stand up durably...function over fashion.
__ Forget whites!
__ Take extra plastic bags for dirty stuff/sick laundry/trash/messes.
Add your own items
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Handy what-to-pack-for-vacation checklist tips.
- Plan ahead for better packing using this vacation checklist (this link goes to a checklist designed to help you plan your vacation...not just pack for it).
- In general, try to pack less, not more (unless you have kids. Then you may need more clothes.).
- Pack ahead however much you can. I'm an advocate of buying two
sets of toiletries for each family member. Keep one set packed at all
times and you can tick that item off your vacation travel checklist.
- As I mentioned above, create a vacation packing check list for
each family member. You can print them out or keep them on your computer and
update before new trips.
- Spend a bit of time thinking about why you're going on your trip.
This will jog your brain for ideas of what you need. (Here's a true
story. My husband left his suit jacket at home when we traveled to our
son's wedding. How did that happen? Because he broke his own traveling
rules of using his personal vacation packing checklist. He thought he
would just 'remember' something as important as his suit
jacket...whoops! Use your vacation check list!!)
- Consider rolling clothes not folding. You can get more in a
suitcase this way and if you roll clothes carefully, you'll have fewer
wrinkles.
- Speaking of wrinkles...look for fabrics that travel without wrinkling.
- Collect mix-n-match clothes for travel. You'll get more outfits out of fewer pieces of clothing.
- Will you have access to laundry services on your vacation? If so, you can take substantially fewer articles of clothing.
- Leave your vacation itinerary with someone back home with your contact info in case of emergency.
- If you do purchase extra toiletry sets for each family member so
you can pre-pack, do purchase travel sizes of everything and pop those
little containers into a sealable plastic bag in case they leak. And they
will leak if you travel often enough, so save yourself a ton of
frustration and put sealed plastic bags on your vacation packing
checklist!
- OR...alternatively, consider purchasing some things (like
toiletries) at your destination. Then you don't have to pack them at
all.
- Consider security regulations if you are traveling by air.
- Traveling with a pet? You'll definitely need a separate vacation
travel checklist just for your pet. Here are some helpful guidelines
for traveling with your pet.
- Take a goodie bag containing needle and thread, small scissors,
and a couple of safety pins in different sizes. Include a couple of
different buttons, extra pantyhose, band aids, a paperclip and rubber
band, plus an ink pen and a small pad of paper. Keep these items as
small as possible and if you are packing any of them elsewhere, don't
include them here.
- Pack day items separately for ease of use.
- Wrap shoes in plastic bags so they don't mark up clothes.
- Use your packing checklist differently for air travel
than for a road trip. (If you are planning a road trip, feel free to
use my road trip checklist.)
- DO pack your sense of humor and patience!
- Expect delays. If there are none, you'll just get happier.
- What would be the most frustrating thing that could happen on
your trip? Can you pack anything that would alleviate it or help if it
happened?
- Consider what you want most from your trip and pack accordingly.
For example, if this is a family vacation and you want to preserve
family memories with your kids, then take your camera or video camera.
- Pack fragile items to the interior of your luggage, wrapped inside
clothing. Consider NOT packing liquids or fragile items inside your
suitcase, but shipping them home instead. And check the regulations for
what's allowed in your luggage before you check your baggage on a train
or plane.
- Pack like your suitcase is going to be the toy for an 800 lb.
gorilla. Then you will know your luggage will arrive the way your want
it to.
Your homelife will really benefit from a happy vacation. Use this
vacation check list, grab some travel brochures and get
planning!
Great comments on this vacation packing checklist from other visitors.
"Very helpful page. Thanks."
Jeanne
"thank you, the list was very helpful."
Sylvia
"this information is really helpful so that you can check off all items needed and to realize when you have too much packed."
Mary
"Love this it is so helpful everytime i go on vacation!!!"
Kayleigh
"Very Helpful Information! I had made a list prior to vistiting your website and realized I left off some items! Thank You!!"
Richard
"This checklist helped me out a lot!! I forgot many things until I looked at this list. Thank you."
Victoria
"this gave me almost everything I needed! It was very useful.."
Brooke
"Thanks for the checklist. The items I added might be of use to others.
-Swim goggles (great for the ocean)
-Sarong (in nighttime category)
-Electric outlet converters for European vacations.
-Sunglasses
-Most important--gifts for friends or hosts you may be visiting."
Steve
"This was terrific . .just what I was looking for . .thank you!"
Roseann
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH COLLEEN. MY NAME IS J AND I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO HELP ALL OF US OUT. I LEAVE FOR VACATION IN TWO WEEKS AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I DO NOT FORGET A THING!!!!!"
Jennylee
" I found this list extremely helpful! The tips at the bottom also brought me back on track.Tthanks for your help!"
Jennifer
"This checklist really helped. I have six year old twins and I always forget something when packing for our vacations. I'm sure, with this list, I won't forget a thing!"
Twins' Mommie
"Great check list and travel tips as well. I can just print this and put it in my suitcase with name and address!"
Lori
Colleen Langenfeld is a mother with over 29 years of parenting experience and helps other busy moms around the globe at www.paintedgold.com.
Note from Colleen: Remember, I earn my living making excellent recommendations to you, Mom, so when you choose to click any of the links on this website and make a purchase, I may earn a commission.
Naturally, that means I care about what you think! If you try a product or service I recommend, I'd love to hear from you. How else can I keep my recommendations top notch for all my visitors?
And thank you, for stopping by.
|
|
We enjoy and value feedback from our website visitors!
We also like to put visitor comments on our website for the benefit of other visitors.
If you submit comments, we ask your permission to share your comments on our website (see permission checkbox below).
We only ask for your name and email address in case we need to contact you for clarification.
Our strict privacy policy is that we will NOT share your name and email address with anyone else.
We will only use the first name and initial of your last name when saying where the comment or quote came from.
For example:
"This information was really useful!" - Jane S.
|
|
|
|
