I thought I had my travel system down to a science—that is, until my daughter came around. Now, every time I take a weekend road trip or hop on a plane, I feel a little bit out of whack, and like I forgot a toothbrush or a pair of pants (and perhaps I actually did). One thing’s for certain: organisation takes priority above all when we’re headed out on a trip, especially if my daughter is coming along.
Get the upper hand on your next trip—these insanely clever travel packing hacks will save your sanity both before, and during your travels. Check them all out in the slideshow.
Rent, Don't Pack, Your Bulky Baby Gear
Babies have a lot of gear these days, but it doesn't mean it all has to travel with you by car/train/plane. Check out this awesome list of baby supply rental companies across the globe from Travels with Baby, and have everything you need waiting for you when you arrive at your destination.
Image: Travels with Baby
Stuff Your Shoes with Kids' Clothes
Think creatively when you're packing for the whole family in a few suitcases and utilize all the space you've got. You might want to stuff your shoes with smaller kids' clothing, just as Intentional by Grace did here with her boots.
Image: Intentional by Grace
How to Fold Shirts
The more people you have in the family, the more valuable every inch of room in a suitcase becomes. Maximize your travel storage by learning how to roll and fold shirts like One Crazy House.
Image: One Crazy House
Start Packing Straight from the Dryer
Instead of packing up your suitcase in the bedroom, take advice from the Power of Mums and do it all straight from the laundry room. Start by doing all of the household laundry and packing as it gets done. You'll end up with full suitcases of freshly cleaned clothes and minimal laundry when you return home.
Image: Power of Mums
Save Your Shampoo Buying for the Store
If you're going to be headed to the grocery or convenience store upon arrival at your destination, you might want to wait to buy your shampoo there. A Few Miner Adjustments suggests buying all of your liquids (shampoo, soap, sunscreen) at the store so that you avoid any travel accidents on the way.
Image: A Few Miner Adjustments
Camping Box Essentials
We're a family that loves to go camping, but each time it seems to take us a week to get packed for just a few days away. Next time we should just follow Terra Firma Adventures' lead, as they created the ultimate camping essentials box that's ready at a moment's notice for the next getaway.
Image: Terra Firma Adventures
Pack Up Kids' Travel Tables for Car Trips
Road trips require some extra planning and packing for boredom busters along the way. These handy travel tables that HeyKayli packs for her kids are perfect to have handy for any upcoming trip.
Image: HeyKayli
Create a Quick First Aid Kit for Each Suitcase
One thing that should never leave any suitcase is a quick first aid kit. Follow This That and the Little Man's advice and grab your essentials from the travel section of the store and pack in a small bag. You'll be glad to always have those essentials around the next time an ouchie occurs.
Image: This That and the Little Man
Save Your Handbag and Give Kids Their Own Space
Just like you have room in your handbag for your miscellaneous stuff for your travels, kids want a bit of space to carry their own stuff as well. Instead of overwhelming yourself with their snacks, toys, etc., How Does She encourages you to give them their own space and pack a bag for them for the trip.
Image: How Does She
Pack Individual Snack Packs
Instead of loading up on snack-sized packages at the store, buy some small plastic bags and fill them up with your own bulk snacks from home like The Krazy Coupon Lady. You'll get a larger variety of treats for the trip and save quite a bit of money.
Image: The Krazy Coupon Lady
Printable Packing List for Kids
Want to create a quick packing list for every trip? Print these packing lists out from I Should Be Mopping the Floor and fill them out with what you need for each trip. You can even laminate them for certain reoccurring trips and keep them in suitcases as easy reminders.
Image: I Should Be Mopping the Floor
Keep Kids' Toiletries Packed and Ready to Go
Toiletries are usually the items that we forget to pack, and it's usually the kids' stuff that's always left behind. A House Full of Sunshine thought of a solution and keeps a fully packed kid toiletry kit ready to be packed in any suitcase with toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. Smart idea!
Image: A House Full of Sunshine
Pick a Colour Scheme for Kids' Clothes
If you want to make things easy for holiday wardrobes, take a hint from My Life and Kids and pick a simple colour scheme for each child. It will make getting ready each day quite simple, but it will also cut down on the number of kids' shoes you need to pack.
Image: My Life and Kids
Baby Clothes Outfit Rolls
This ingenious baby outfit rolling hack is something I wish I knew about six years ago. Just follow the video instructions from Penny Chevalley, and you'll be able to pack onesies, leggings, and socks in perfect little rolls for every suitcase.
Image: Penny Chevalley
Pack an Activity Bag for the Airplane
An essential component of packing for any trip with kids is the activity bag. Take advice from Samantha Schuerman for what to include, and don't forget to keep some activities for the return trip home.
Image: Samantha Schuerman
Pack Each Day's Clothes in a Bag
When we went to Walt Disney World, we followed the advice of Five Little Chefs and packed up each day's clothing ensemble in an individual bag. It not only made packing incredibly easy, but getting dressed in the morning was a quick and simple routine.
Image: Five Little Chefs
Don't Forget Plugs and Batteries!
If you're taking any electronic devices with you on the trip, heed the advice of Mama Plus One and pack extra batteries and all the power cords you need. "We had our in-car headphones go out one year during a very, very long marathon of an awful children’s show, and it was pretty much a tragedy."
Image: Mama Plus One
Always Pack Garbage Bags
What's the one thing you should have in your suitcase whenever you travel with kids? According to ClutterBug it's garbage bags. They're perfect for containing dirty laundry and anything else that gets soiled along the way.
Image: ClutterBug
If You'll Have a Washer/Dryer, Pack Light
If your destination has an in-unit washer and dryer, take the advice of East Coast Mummy Blog and pack light. There's no reason to pack extras of anything, so pack some detergent in that extra room in your suitcase.
Image: East Coast Mummy Blog
Limited Luggage Overseas? Use Packing Cubes in a Large Suitcase
If you're opting to only travel with a few large suitcases for your family, use travel cubes, like Small Notebook, to keep each kid's clothing separated. It makes unpacking at your destination super easy.
Image: Small Notebook
Post-It Note for Last Minute Things
With kids, there are a lot of things you can't pack up until the last minute: stuffed animals/lovies, noise machines, etc. My Life and Kids created a simple sticky note reminder system for the door to make sure nothing is left behind.
Image: My Life and Kids
Ride-On Suitcase
Think of every bad moment you've had in an airport with a young toddler/preschooler, and then realise how having a ride-on suitcase would have solved that problem. Trust me, ours was a lifesaver on quite a few trips.
Image: Where's Sharon
Pack Your Car Smart
When it comes to long road trips, you need to step away from traditional packing and embrace something different in order for everything to fit. The Real Thing with the Coake Family has great tips to show you how to use large containers to pack all your necessities and make everything fit in your car.
Image: The Real Thing with the Coake Family
Road Trip Pillowcase
Every child needs a comfy pillow for a road trip, no matter how short or long the journey is. Make this simple DIY road trip pillowcase, using instructions from Amazing Mae, that has a convenient pocket for books and toys to bring in the car.
Image: Amazing Mae
DIY Sleeping Bag
Headed out for a quick trip and need sheets or a sleeping bag? Make some of these DIY backpack sleeping bags using a pattern from Fleece Fun for your kids. They're easy to keep track of, double as a blanket or pillow, and take up very little packing room.
Image: Fleece Fun
Pack Loose Items in Plastic Soap Dishes
Every parent knows that it's the "little things" that get lost in transport. Keep the clutter to a minimum and still pack up hair bands, crayons, etc. by keeping them in plastic soap dishes like I'm an Organisation Junkie.
Image: I'm an Organisation Junkie
Summer Go Bag
Do you take a lot of quick weekend getaways to the beach? Or perhaps just a lot of sunny destination trips? Well, you'll want to keep a summer go bag packed like Love and Marriage so you don't have to restock on sunblock, sunglasses, and other sun essentials.
Image: Love and Marriage
Teach Your Kids to Pack on Their Own
The art of packing for a trip is something that many of us learn the hard way. Turn your next trip into a lesson for your older kids by using these printable packing sheets from Stuffed Suitcase. Soon enough, you can put your kids in charge of packing for the whole household.
Image: Stuffed Suitcase
Triangular Crayons
If I can share one important packing essential for toddlers and long plane flights, I'm going to channel this tip I learned from Travel Mamas long ago: pack triangular crayons. Trust me that this will make your flight so much more enjoyable that you may keep some in your handbag for everyday use!
Image: Travel Mamas
Booster Seat As a Backpack
Transporting child car seats during plane travel can be a major headache for parents. Where's Sharon tested out using booster seats that convert into backpacks, so kids can easily carry their own seat (and stuff!) through the airport.
Image: Where's Sharon
Bins for Under the Car Seat
Instead of worrying about backpacks or travel bags on a road trip, just do like Mum of 6 does and pack a simple bin under each child's seat in the car to contain all of their stuff.
Image: Mum of 6
More Family Travel Ideas:
41 Genius Hacks for Travelling with Kids
What to Pack in Your Emergency Travel Kit for Family Trips
25 Kid-Friendly Hotels with Insanely Wacky Amenities
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