Time to Pack

I'm a frequent viewer and commenter on Lines, which is the app for Touring Guides. http://touringplans.com/ One of my fellow chatters in a firm believer in soft packing, packing lists, and early packing.  If you want to hear about her having a panic attack, tell her that you waited to pack for your week long Disney vacation until the night before, or worse, the morning of.......that doesn't settle well with her.

I admit that I am a list person. I love lists. I use them for shopping, chores, to dos, honey dos, and packing.  If I didn't have a list, I'd never get everything done, purchases, assigned or packed.  I feel that a list is essential when it is vital you don't forget anything.

Let's talk about packing lists.  There are some great lists on the web, but I prefer to do my own. I simply set up an Excel spread sheet with the name of each person at the top, a column between each person, and then I list what all we need to bring per person.  Once I pack an item, I highlight it in yellow to help me keep track.  Below if an example of what I use:

Mom		Dad		Daughter		Son		Family
Capri jeans		shorts		shorts		shorts		Sunscreen (30 up)
2 pr khaki pants		T-shirts		tops		T-shirts		laundry soap
swim suits		one or two polos		dress		polo		snacks for trip
2 long sleeved tops		jacket		jacket		hat		Pop tarts for breakfasts
ankle socks		hat		swim suits (2)		ankle socks		mister fans
tennis shoes		socks		tennis shoes		jacket		fat retractable Sharpies

Please note that this is something that I like to use, but it is not a perfect list. Some people are more comfortable using something like you'd find at http://blog.touringplans.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Packing-List.pdf This is a great list, but I'm more comfortable with my system. What ever system you choose, you won't go wrong.

Now that we have a list, what should be on the list?  Well, this is where it gets tricky.  If you are like my family and driving down, you have a lot more flexibility than a family that is flying. We can bring as many liquids in as many sizes as we'd like, unlike fliers.  You will want to consult with you your airline and the TSA to make sure you are allowed to bring everything you'd like.

I am bringing a large storage box filled with a toaster (great for Pop Tarts), a Keurig (okay I am spoiled), beach towels (much better than hotel towels), glow in the dark items for the kids, pre-purchased souvenirs, and other items like laundry soap, coffee pods, etc. In our suitcases, we'll have our clothes, swim suits, socks, underwear, etc. We'll have our shoes, our cameras, makeup, bath stuff, etc.  We are also bringing things like a power strip (helps when you have multiple items to charge), Trent charger, moleskin for possible blisters, sunblock, hats, an extra memory card for our camera, my Disney binder with all of our important trip information, and much more. We are also bringing a case of water, a case of beer (for mom and dad), snacks, breakfast items, and my daughter's jogging stroller. Thank goodness I have a mini van or I'm not sure we'd get it all down and back.  We'll probably look like the Beverly Hillbillies, but that's okay.

Now, when do you start packing?  I can't tell you when is the perfect time to pack, but I can tell you when I began packing. I started my soft packing (pre-packing) about one month ago. We leave for our trip in 49 days. Some may consider that too early, but we had a lot of items that we could put in a storage box and out of the way, so we chose to get it started. I have not packed any clothes, but will likely start doing that soon.   I know that none of us will use our swimsuits between now and trip time, so I might as well pack them. I also don't want to be packing everyone the night before so starting early is vital.  (And yes, I usually pack everyone. If I didn't, I know we'd be hitting Wal-Mart when we got there to buy the items left behind.)  I know that the days leading up to our trip I will be busy doing laundry, searching for items, shopping for last minute items, and packing like a mad woman.

I hope that this gives you a little help with packing for your trip.  If you'd like a more indepth list of what all I plan to bring, feel free to leave me a comment.

See y'all real soon,

Wyndie