How To Pack For Family Vacationsby Teresa Plowright
Whether you're going away for three days or six weeks, it's still a big job to pack for a family trip. Here's tips. Difficulty: N/A Time Required: 1- 2 hours Here's How:- First, forget the usual advice to 'travel light.' Small kids can go through three clean t-shirts before you even get off the plane at your destination.
- Use plenty of clear zip-lock bags for packing tooth-brush stuff, toiletries, audiocassettes, batteries, crayons, etc.
- Practice redundancy for important items (like bandaids). Buy twice and pack each in different places -- this doubles your chance of finding the thing when you need it!
- Don't forget to pack the medicines you use most frequently (children's fever medicine, etc.).
- Have each child use a backpack to carry their fun stuff.
- Have each child use one piece of 'rolling luggage' for their clothes. Even 4 or 5-year olds can handle 'rolling luggage' on flat surfaces.
- Let older kids pack their own bags -- but check the contents in case they've packed their rock collection, or 5000 Pokemon cards.
- For the budget-minded: bring along cereals, crackers, instant soups and other snacks. As you use up your food-stuffs, you'll free up room in your luggage for souvenirs.
- Ditto, with diapers: bring plenty of your own (you know where to buy them cheapest as you use them up, you'll have room for souvenirs._z_holidays_z_);
- Bring plenty of amusements (see below), and maybe a ball or frisbee too.
- Don't forget Mom (or Dad)-to-the-rescue stuff: batteries for hand-held electronic toys, scotch tape, scissors, pencil-sharpeners.
- Don't forget baby-wipes for cleaning hands, faces, messes.
- For hot climates bring sunglasses, sunscreen, sunhats, aqua-shoes if you have 'em, snorkel and facemask, swimsuits and extra t-shirts to wear while swimming.
- Dress your child in "disposable clothes": i.e. clothes on the verge of being worn-out or too small. Once they're dirty, say "sayonara": you'll have less to launder. (If the clothes are outgrown but still good, consider giving them away.)
Tips:- Don't forget to pack your own stuff! It's easy to get so busy packing for the kids that you leave behind the things you need yourself.
- Check for those most easy-to-forget items: sunglasses, cameras, sunhats, swimsuits.
- Two swimsuits are a good idea: use the second one when the first is wet.
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