You go on holiday? Planning that vacation is part of the fun. Packing for that vacation is the part of the planning stage that I love.
Ok, I was once a female guide. The motto, Get ready, still sticks with me. To be prepared for anything. On vacation, I often take all sorts of things out of my bag when needed. I used to carry around a Swiss Army Knife because it’s so handy, until I got tired of setting alarms at airports and having to submit to body checks, just because of that Swiss Army Knife in my bag.
#1 Roll up your clothes
Your luggage can only pack so much. How are you going to pack your clothes, your children’s clothes, and your other travel essentials in that bag? How do you get into your clothes without too many ugly wrinkles? Fold each item lengthwise, then roll it up tightly. Pack large items first, then tape smaller rolls into empty spaces. Pack the sock (also rolled up into little balls) last, as they can fit into the smallest spaces in your luggage. Oh, and stick with fabrics that don’t wrinkle easily. The cotton and polyester blend is ideal for a warm vacation, while the wool is ideal for a cold vacation.
#2 Bring some detergent
Your children will run, play, sweat, get dirty again and again during the holidays. At least that’s what mine do anyway. All family vacations require a bag of detergent. When I can find bars of detergent, I’ll bring them in and pack them only when they’re dry, to avoid messing up my luggage. When I can’t find detergent bars, powdered detergent would have to suffice. Either way, every night after we get back to the hotel, if we are going to stay in that same hotel for more than 1 night in a row, I would wash everyone’s clothes and dry them before I go to sleep. That way, we don’t run out of clean clothes in the middle of vacation. After washing the clothes, I wrung them out as dry as possible and hung them up to dry. To make them dry faster, I put them on the lampshades and leave them on when we go out. The heat from the lamps would dry the clothes faster than normal. Of course, be careful not to burn the clothes. Keep clothes out of light bulbs.
#3 Bring a little light
What I find useful is a small little flashlight. I use it to find my son’s lost toy in the dark. On vacation, that mini flashlight is very useful at night. I even carry one in my bag when I go to the movies. We lost our car keys before and I used the mini flashlight to help me find them again. When it’s dark, light the way with your flashlight. When the children are bored, you can entertain them with your mini light and fan. Blow on a paper toy that you fold with the fan. Tell stories with shadows cast by that light at night.
#4 Bring non-spillable products where possible
Have you ever opened your luggage and found that your lotion bottle exploded? Happened to me a couple of times. Everything in the suitcase is messy. A rotten way to start a vacation if you ask me. Instead, use single-dose skin care, carry solid lotion for your body, and bar soap for bathing. If you can find a shampoo bar that would be great. At least these wouldn’t mess up your bag. Dry them before packing them in their containers or plastic bags and then put them in your luggage.
#5 Bring your camera. You would like to capture the happy moments of your vacation. If you go to the beach, take a waterproof camera with you. If you can, bring a digital camcorder so you can capture your vacation on the go and even turn it into a home movie.