Planning a vacation is always exciting, but it can also be stressful. After all, it would help if you remember many things that may be challenging to keep track of when traveling with small children.
Fortunately, there are several ways you can streamline your family’s vacation checklist and eliminate unnecessary stress. Read four tips to help you pack efficiently and enjoy your family trip.
Curate Your Outfits
You may wonder how to start and what to do. But all you need to do is prepare a what to pack for family vacation checklist when going on a trip. Curating your outfits is a great way to ensure you remember everything when packing for a trip. This process helps you save time and money and ensures that each item of clothing you bring has a purpose.
Start by going through your closet and removing any items you don’t like or don’t fit. This may seem daunting at first, but it’s a necessary step in building a more streamlined wardrobe that you’ll love to wear.
Once you’ve purged your closet, it’s time to think about what pieces are most important for each season of the year. This can help you focus on the essential items for your daily routine and will allow you to create versatile and stylish outfits quickly and easily.
Another helpful technique for curation is using a color palette to select items that coordinate well together and can be worn all year long. You can choose from a range of neutral colors that work well for any season, and also consider adding one or two more colorful options to your mix.
Once you’ve narrowed down your style selections, take the time to try on each piece of clothing and see how it fits. This will give you a better sense of whether it works for your body shape and help you find any gaps in your closet that need filling.
Leave One Set of Pajamas at Home
If you are wearing your PJs while out of the house, consider packing a set that can also function as casual daytime clothing. For example, a pair of oversized button-down shirts in a print or design that matches the pajamas can create a vacation-like feel without leaving your home.
These lightweight sleepwear pieces will add little weight to your bag and can be folded easily. They are also durable and comfortable, making them the perfect travel companion.
Changing into your pajamas each night will help keep bacteria from building up on the fabric, which can lead to skin infections and pimples. If your PJs are too dirty, they can even transfer germs from one person to another.
The American Cleaning Institute recommends washing your sleepwear after three to four wears, but you’ll have to consider several factors when deciding how often to change them. For example, if you’re sick or your child is, you might have to wash them more often than someone who only uses them for bedtime.
Ultimately, it all comes down to whether or not your child thinks the benefits outweigh the inconvenience of leaving their pajamas at home. If they’re unwilling to compromise, let them go. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with the resulting battle.
Bring One Backpack Per Child
The one-backpack trick might only work for some trips, but it can be a great way to get rid of extra luggage, especially if you don’t have a lot of people traveling with you. It also works well for those who need to pack multiple bags but need help to afford to bring extra carry-ons.
To avoid backaches and other health issues associated with carrying too much weight, pediatrician Ellen Rome recommends packing backpacks that weigh no more than 10 percent of your child’s body weight (for example, 11 pounds is a good number for third graders who weigh 75 pounds).
Choose a backpack that fits snugly over the shoulders and has two shoulder straps to help distribute the load evenly. A pack slung over one shoulder can cause your child to lean to the side or backward, which can strain their back and neck muscles.
Ensure your child’s backpack has wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back. Tight, narrow straps that dig into the shoulders can interfere with nerves and circulation, leading to tingling, numbness, and weakness in the arms and hands.
If your child has a school backpack, ensure the pack doesn’t have too many pockets or compartments that could cause them to forget something important. Please give them a folder for papers they must bring home, check their backpack daily, and take out anything that can be there.
Don’t Forget the Personal Items
One of the most important parts of packing for a family vacation is ensuring everyone has everything they need to feel comfortable and happy. You’ll plan and make a list of everything that you need to bring with you. This list can help you avoid forgetting anything you need on your trip, making the experience less stressful and enjoyable for everyone.
For example, a good list can include items you can’t live without, like sunscreen and bug spray. These are necessary, especially if you plan on spending time outdoors, and they can be expensive to buy at your destination.
Another must-have on your list should be a travel-sized toothbrush. Not only will this save you space, but it can also make a difference in how clean your teeth are while on vacation.
Similarly, a tablet is a perfect way to keep kids occupied while on long plane rides or other forms of transportation. A good travel tablet comes with various games and activities to entertain your kids, and it can be loaded with apps that make it easier for your children to navigate the screen.
Streamlining your family’s vacation checklist is easy and can make the experience more enjoyable. Follow these tips to simplify your list and make it your go-to travel guide for future trips.