One of the hardest parts of taking your family on vacation happens before you leave home. Trying to remember everything to pack and making sure it fits can be such a challenge! What if we need this? Or what is someone is sick? Or what if we don’t have a washing machine? Over the last few years I have started keeping a very specific and detailed packing list for our vacations to make packing easier. Every year I refer to the list and modify as needed because as kids grow or we have more kids a few items may change but the basic structure of the list always stays the same.

I’ve broken the list into five major categories: Bed, Bath, Outdoor, Kitchen, and Other with items listed in each. I also find that what we pack in makes a difference for how we pack so I have included a list of what kinds of packing supplies we use. Each trip is different so I edit as needed. I also will refer back to my list while we are traveling or have returned to remember if there’s something I wish we had packed or something we didn’t need at all.

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Packing Supplies:

What you use to pack for your trip can make a huge difference in how prepared you feel. If you can’t find what you need it can make things complicated and stressful. I find that less is always more when we pack so I try to have a bag for each category, and then it makes it easier to keep track of what we brought.

Packing cubes: I used to laugh at people who use packing cubes but now I never pack without them. As we had more kids it became super challenging to remember which bag had a particular child or set of children’s items in it. I also found that multiple bags added to logistical challenges when packing the car. So each family member has a set of packing cubes in a specific color. Depending on the trip we are taking we may only use one cube per family member and then all the cubes go into on bin or bag. I typically use my oversized Scout bag for all our cubes if we are driving and when we fly I can fit more in one suitcase instead of everything getting mixed together. When we arrive at our destination I will put each person’s cube in their designated room. The kids know which color their cube is and they can find their belongings easily versus having to dig through a shared bag. We have two different kinds of packing cubes and each have worked great. I picked them based off of color choices because they are such similar options. I use these for myself and Jon or these for the kids (each kid has a different color).

One bin for all toiletries and first aid: I have struggled with how to transport toiletries and medicine for years. We all use mostly the same products so it feels really redundant to pack small individual sets of things when I know the kids stuff will end up in the same bathroom as ours. So to conserve space and mental energy I started putting all our toiletries and medical supplies into one small rubbermaid bin. I will have individual items separated by Ziploc bags or by toiletry bags but it helps to keep it all in one easily moveable bin. I haven’t tried this method with flying yet but I imagine you could do something similar with one large bag. When we arrive at our destination we take the whole bin and place it on the counter so everyone knows where toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and all the other stuff is. This way all these items have a home base and have a better chance of making it home again.

One bag for kitchen supplies: If we are going somewhere that has a kitchen I always try to pack some supplies to make cooking easier. I will go into detail what those supplies are below in the kitchen category but for now just wanted to mention that I use a medium size Scout bag to transport any kitchen supplies. Then when we arrive that bag goes straight to the kitchen and we can keep our belongings organized and have less risk for leaving something behind.

Cardboard box for non-perishable food: Along the same theme of kitchen supplies, I usually try to pack snacks and dry goods if we are traveling somewhere that has a kitchen. This helps save on time in an un-familiar grocery store and can help save money. I have tried bringing items in other bags or bins, but a cardboard box always works great because you can get rid of it if you have emptied your supply of food (although I have yet to have that happen thanks to a husband who loves to shop at Costco).

Cooler: We tend to pack a cooler when we travel with things that transport well, that will allow us less shopping time while on vacation, and maybe even keep us driving longer with a meal on the road.

Car toys vs. house toys. vs. outside toys: I debated adding this category but it is a part of my packing process so here it is. I try to have a bag for car entertainment that includes things the kids don’t normally play with regularly at home. I keep the bag put away when we are home and then revamp it before we head out onto the road. Once we arrive at our destination it comes inside with us along with extra books, puzzles, and our Duplo basket. I know… of all the things to over pack with, we do bring our entire Duplo collection. Mainly because they are in an easy to carry bin and all of our kids can play with them right now. We then also will have an extra outdoor items like bubbles or pool floats that tend to make it into the “outside” bag with pool towels and sunscreen.

Now onto the list! This is a copy and paste of our master list, so not every item goes for every trip. We adjust according to where we are going and what we may be doing. Also you know your family best so if there’s something that would make a big difference for one of your family members, it may be helpful to make room for it. On our most recent trip Emily really wanted to be sure we brought our pencil sharpener for her colored pencils. Normally I wouldn’t pack something so un-useful and random but she LOVES coloring with colored pencils right now so it was a big deal for her to be able to sharpen them. I am also very pregnant so sleep is not the most comfortable which meant bringing my huge maternity pillow that would have been much easier to leave at home for packing logistics but was very helpful for me to bring.

Family Vacation Packing List:

Bed:

• Sound machine
• Nightlight
• Bed rail
• Pack n play with sheets
• Extra water proof mattress cover
• Wipes/Diapers
• Bed time books
• Clothes w/ suits and jammies for each family member

Bath:

• Toiletries
• Razor
• Toothbrushes
• Hair detangler
• Kids shampoo/conditioner
• Soap
• Extra toilet paper
• First aid
• Kids Benadryl
• Kids Tylenol
• Aloe
• Thermometer

Outdoor:

• Beach toys
• Bubbles
• Stroller- sometimes we opt to leave at home if we don’t think we will need it
• Sunscreen
• Floaties
• Towels
• Beach bag
• Kids sunglasses
• Kids shoes (tennis, water, play)
• Baby backpack- in exchange for the stroller

Kitchen:

• High chair
• Eating utensils
• Cups
• Reusable Water bottles
• Dishwasher soap
• Dish soap
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Ninja food processor
• Frying pan
• Baking sheets
• Any small amounts of spices we may need for meals we’ve planned
• Cast iron skillet
• Spatulas

Other:

• Video camera
• Chargers
• Apple TV- we tend to bring our own instead of trying to figure out how to work a new TV. Also nice to have music!
• Toys
• Art supplies
• Laundry detergent
• Travel baby entertainment chair

A lot of my packing skills come from my parents and from watching our favorite youtube family of travel journalists “The Bucket List Family”. I’ve learned that we can definitely do with less but also that it is really important to pack the essentials. There are stores most places you go so if there’s something you really need like more children’s Tylenol you can usually get some. We typically end up somewhere with a washing machine which means we can re-wear outfits so we pack minimal amounts of clothes especially for the beach where bathing suits rule anyways. Packing can be such a painful task or it can be super fun. Having this list has helped me make preparing for a trip much easier and keep my focus on the exciting vacation ahead.

Now tell me, what did I forget?!

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