For some, preparing for vacation is the worst part of vacation. If you are anything like me, you feel like you need a vacation just from all the work that goes into preparing for vacation. Well, here are some packing pointers that will hopefully help reduce some of the stress and anxiety that can come with preparing for an amazing vacation.
After assembling all your essentials for your Disney vacation, do you ever wonder, “How in the world am I going to fit all that in my suitcase?!” I asked myself this as I looked at the pile sitting next to my suitcase when preparing for my most recent trip. As I began packing my clothes it became clear that I would have plenty of room!….maybe too much room. The trick is to roll your clothes. I start with my shirts and roll them real tight and squeeze them in the bottom of the suitcase between the two bars that run down the middle.
Use smaller pieces of clothes like socks, underwear, and baby clothes to pack into those tiny spaces where your other clothes like shirts and pants/shorts may not fit. This will help ensure you are using every square inch of your suitcase. Every inch counts!
Also, make sure the heaviest part of your suitcase is at the bottom. If it is at the top you might have a difficult time getting your luggage to stand upright without it falling over all the time. Because I pack my clothes so tight, the area where I pack my clothes is usually the heaviest so I pack the majority of my clothes at the bottom of my suitcase.
Speaking of weight, if you use my tips above and absolutely nail it, you very well could be in danger of reaching the weight limit if you are packing one of the larger sized suitcases. You don’t want to have to open your suitcase at the luggage check and start stuffing more things into your carry-on and start layering your clothes like Ralphie’s little brother on A Christmas Story. Been there. Done that. Take some of the guessing out of the process and use your bathroom scale to weight your luggage.
Save room to bring home souvenirs. One great way to make sure you account for this is to pack food in your luggage. If you eat all the food during your vacation then your luggage will now have vacancy for your sweet snow globes you thought you needed! If you have little ones, another way to plan for souvenirs space is to pack diapers instead of having some shipped or buying them when you arrive. As the little tikes inevitable blow through those diapers, you will have more than enough space to fit all of the toys they pointed at while on vacation.
I’m saving the most important pointer for last. Out of all these tips, if you follow any, follow this one! Start packing early! I’m talking a couple of weeks to a month out. This is the best thing you can do to relieve the anxiety that comes the night before vacation when you are up at 12am sitting on your suitcase trying to get the thing to zip so you can get 4 hours of sleep before waking up to catch your flight. Start setting aside your vacation close weeks out as you do laundry. Designate a “packing” zone where you can collect all the things you need and gradually start packing. You can even get the kids involved. My 4 year old loves to pack his own bag. How much of what he packs that actually makes it on the trip is a different story.
Packing should help build anticipation and excitement for your vacation, not anxiety! I hope these tips will help you be better prepared for your next amazing vacation! Share your “must do” packing tips in the comments below! I’d love to add to further develop my packing skills!
Don’t forget that the travel planners at Wishdrawals are ready to help you book and plan your next magical Walt Disney World vacation! If you don’t already have a favorite planner, we’d love to match you with your new love; just email us at info@wishdrawals.com
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