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Whenever summer rolls around, we usually find ourselves going on at least one “long trip” as a family. So, what constitutes a long trip? For me, it’s any trip over a week. Once you start getting into 10 days to a two-week category, it’s a whole new ball game! I actually tend to prefer longer trips, because I feel like you can really get into a groove. You can fully unpack, put things away, and get a routine going…can you tell I’m Type A? LOL. But seriously, while packing for a long trip can be overwhelming, I find that it tends to be simpler to wrap my brain around. But don’t forget– packing “more” isn’t always packing smarter!
Today, I thought I would share some of my best tips for packing my family for a long trip. I tend to pack the kids in one suitcase, Ian and I each in our own, and then some kind of duffle for overflow things. I also ALWAYS pack one carry-on with any valuables, cameras, medications, and one clean outfit for each kid. Plus bathing suits! You just never know if luggage will get lost. I’ve had it happen on a ten-day trip with two kids and we lived in what was in the carry-on for a full four days. Better safe than sorry! Check out my tips for traveling with babies post, and my tips for traveling with toddlers post for more helpful info. And check out my packing tips for a long trip below!
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PLAN THE LAUNDRY
My biggest tip is to plan ahead of time how/when/where you’re going to launder clothes. It’s ideal to stay someplace with laundry on the premises, but if you aren’t that’s ok too! I have scoped out laundromats in the area, taken note of opening times, and then planned the laundry time into my itinerary. Knowing when we can “refresh” clothes helps me figure out how many outfits I need to pack for each person.
TRIP LENGTH VS OUTFITS
My normal rule is that for one week away, I pack one outfit for each day for myself, plus one lounge outfit that is flexible across days and three evening looks. If I’m traveling for more than a week, I only pack three additional outfits– and they have to be flexible enough to be styled with other pieces I’m bringing on the trip. Once I know which day I’m going to wash clothes and refresh pieces, I know how to plan for the second round of outfits. This said, I always pack two outfits for each day for a week for my kids. And I almost always need them! If we’ll be gone more than a week, I pack three additional outfits that are flexible as mentioned before. Most of my kids’ clothes are cotton so they’re really easy to launder and hold up well when traveling!
BRING THE AMBIENCE
I always pack at least one travel-sized candle when I go away, plus a matchbook. It’s so nice to be able to light a great-smelling candle right away upon settling in. It really makes any space feel like home! I also let each child bring one small stuffed animal with them to keep in their vacation bed. It helps them feel more at home.
PACKING CUBES!
Since I pack all three kids in the same suitcase, packing cubes are a must. I have different colored ones for each child, to make finding their clothes super simple.
BRING THE PHARMACY
Whenever I travel for extended periods of time, I make sure I bring the medical essentials with me. Particularly in another country, the last thing I want to do if my kid springs a fever is to be searching for medicine in the streets of a city or town I barely know. And sometimes Ian or I need something, too! Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of what I keep in my medicine bag: Bandaids, Neosporin, Antibiotic Ointment, Cortisone Cream, Kids Motrin, Kids Tylenol, Adult Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, Anti-Nausea medicine, Saline spray, Kids Claritin, Benadryl (kid and adult), SwimEar, NoseFrida snot sucker, Thermometer, Electrolyte Packets.
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PACKABLE DUFFLE
I always pack a medium-sized duffle bag in my suitcase. I use this for any overflow or dirty laundry as we go from place to place. It can also be used as an easily-reachable bag to bring on a long car trip or to fill with snacks.
BABY MONITOR
I always bring a baby monitor when we travel. With a kid who still naps, this is essential if we want to be nearby in the garden while Mateo sleeps, OR if the bedrooms are far from each other it’s nice to hear all three kids throughout the night. My kids usually take a few days to get used to a new place, so it makes them feel better that they can just call for me and I can easily hear them.
PACK ART SUPPLIES
I have never, ever regretted bringing coloring books, markers, crayons, and colored pencils when we travel on longer trips. It’s a great way to create some fun at dinners before the food comes, at our hotel room or rental house when there is bad weather, or at night before bed.
ONE SANDAL, ONE SNEAKER, ONE BEACH SHOE
This is the rule for EVERYONE in the family when it comes to packing! Even the grownups! Shoes are the bulkiest and heaviest things in my suitcase always, so I make sure to really limit what we bring when we travel as a family. I make sure the kids all bring nice sneakers that look pulled together with play clothes or nicer evening clothes. I also bring one nice sandal and one beach sandal. For myself, I make sure that any shoe I bring is neutral enough to wear with anything I pack. I know when I’m on trips with my kids that there isn’t a lot of really dressing up going on, so it’s not hard to plan outfits that can go with a flat shoe!
AIR TAGS FOREVA
The best thing I ever did was buy air tags to put in our suitcases when we travel. It’s such great piece of mind to know exactly where our luggage is, and I can see while we’re waiting at baggage claim how far away our bags are!
LEAVE ROOM FOR FOUND TREASURES
I always leave a little room in our suitcases for things we find on our travels. One of my favorite things ever is bringing back mementos from trips that we can enjoy for years to come– such as tabletop items, linens, special clothing items, or jewelry. The pieces don’t have to be big, but it’s nice to know our suitcases can handle it just in case we find something we can’t pass up!
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I used to have a suitcase as big as yours and it was really handy and could hold a lot of luggage, enough for my travel needs for over a month.