6 more days and too much luggage

[stahshee]

Wow we are a family of 6 and we are bringing 10 checked in bags and 2 carry on I am bringing lots of bottel soda for dh he is very picky! and I am bringing bottel h2o for me im picky! thats 2 suit cases filled with drinks. 2 coolers filled with lunch meat aw: . and anothor suit case filled with snacks for all of us . I have so much. I am even doing laundry down there. Im still not done packing . Im on my way!

 

[safetymom]

Just be careful your bags are not overweight. You will pay a hefty charge if they are.

 

[goofy4tink]

Wow we are a family of 6 and we are bringing 10 checked in bags and 2 carry on I am bringing lots of bottel soda for dh he is very picky! and I am bringing bottel h2o for me im picky! thats 2 suit cases filled with drinks. 2 coolers filled with lunch meat aw: . and anothor suit case filled with snacks for all of us . I have so much. I am even doing laundry down there. Im still not done packing . Im on my way!

Have you considered putting in an order with either netgrocer.com or wegoshop.com? They are both very good, especially if you really want just soda/water/snacks. It sure would save on luggage!!! ANd the addtl weight could put you way over the limit.

 

[powellrj]

I agree, you may want to check into one of the shopping services and save yourself from overweight luggage. Pop and water can add a great deal of weight to your bags, and its really not that much more to use one of the shopping services.

 

[Annette_VA]

You could do the shopping services, or you could also ship some of your stuff down to the hotel.

We usually ship down diapers, wipes, snacks, juice boxes, etc.

 

[EmmaAndQuinnsMommy]

How much does it normally cost you guys to ship down all those drinks and snacks via UPS, etc? I think it is a fabulous idea, but am wondering how much that would cost.

Carrie in CT

 

[Brina]

why not leave all the food items home and go shopping at the publix? we found everything we needed there and didn't have to lug it.

 

[lovetheworld]

I shipped 60lbs of formual, snacks and diapers for a long trip. It only cost me $30.00 or so....I did get a slight break on the shipping through my work. BUT if you go over your weight at the airport you will pay at least double. I shipped in brown boxes address to the resort and then also wrote this:


att: RESERVATION #
ARRIVAL DATE
LAST NAME

I put this in the bottom left of the box..I have done this 3x's with no problem.
some times the boxes are in your room when you arrive...other wise they are there within the hour!

 

[isla bonita]

I am so cheap. We use the plane and pay nothing. I also do not bring those type of products. My items are for our rental home. I purchase items such as sheets, decorations, towels and such. We always rent a car so we shop. Actually we call ahead and pick up cases of items at the Sams Club down on 192. It doesn't have everything but we go to the market and fill in were we need to.

 

[Berrygood]

Wow we are a family of 6 and we are bringing 10 checked in bags and 2 carry on

How are you getting to your hotel? Are you sure there will be enough room for 6 passengers and all that baggage?

You're not going to the moon, they have food stores down there. My thought before I leave on a trip is that anything I've forgotten I can buy when I get there.

 

[mel63]

I shipped 60lbs of formual, snacks and diapers for a long trip. It only cost me $30.00 or so.

Is it worth the $30 to save a few $ down there. Does it even save you anything?

I am bringing lots of bottel soda for dh he is very picky! and I am bringing bottel h2o for me im picky! thats 2 suit cases filled with drinks. 2 coolers filled with lunch meat aw: . and anothor suit case filled with snacks for all of us.

With the soda & water and being picky, are they national brands? Are they not available down there? I agree with shipping items, but does it save any money, or cost more then stopping at a store down there? Check and see if you can purchase them online and get free shipping. Then have it sent to your resort or hotel.

As for the overweight charges. Yes, they are hefty. The family in front of us to check bags, only had one HUGE bag. It was oversized, but don't know about over weight. They were charged more for the bag, then if they had bought a ticket for it, and sat it in a seat. Now we flew airtran, and our round trip tickets were about $120, but they were being charged almost that one way for the bag. They had to pay it again on the way back. So check the weight & size limits of your carrier, and check to make sure that your bags are under the limit.

 

[stahshee]

How are you getting to your hotel? Are you sure there will be enough room for 6 passengers and all that baggage?

You're not going to the moon, they have food stores down there. My thought before I leave on a trip is that anything I've forgotten I can buy when I get there.

well we are taking a van (10 passanger) also I have 4 coolers

 

[NotUrsula]

That's it, STOP packing right now, and unpack everything you've packed so far. Here is the overpacker's rule: Not a single item goes into a single suitcase until *everything* (incl. toiletries) is spread out together on a flat surface, like a bed or the spare room floor. Now look hard at that mountain, and think about how much duplication you really have.

Step 2, reject any item of clothing that does not match at least two other items of the same person's wardrobe. Back to the closet. Next, any third or fourth prs. of shoes, same fate. If you are going for 14 days, you get to take 8 outfits maximum for each person, except that you can take 3 extra outfits for really small kids who are very messy. PJ's can be re-worn at least 3 days before washing. No puffy fleece clothing unless you are leaving from a below-freezing airport, and then you only get one piece of it per person, and you pack it in a ziploc to get the air out. No jeans; bring khakis or wind pants if you need long pants, jeans are bulky and heavy. Think about how you will have to separate the colors on laundry day, and try to balance that out so that you won't need to do extra loads.

Once you weed out enough to get down to a TOTAL of 3 checked bags, THEN you can permit yourself to think about bringing substantial amounts of food in your luggage, but several cases of liquid is sheer madness. You'll spend in tips what you would to ship it, and you'll have to distribute it throughout the luggage to balance the weight, increasing the chances that it will leak all over the hold. Have WeGoShop deal with the beverages if you absolutely cannot stop at a supermarket or convenience store when you arrive. BTW, if you want to bring coolers, the best thing to do is to pack some of your clothing/dry food in them (use trash bag liners so you can easily pull all that out when you arrive, to make room for your ice.)

FYI, no perishables or ice of any kind can go into checked baggage.

 

[4fireworks]

NotUrsula-
That's perfect!! You are an inspiration for all of us!

 

[swilshire]

Since you'll have a car, a quick trip to Walmart or Sams Club would be easy and simpler than all that luggage. You'll probably have to pick up perishables like milk anyway.

Even when we drive, I try to limit myself to food items that I can get a lot cheaper at home or that don't weigh much. Even then, I only take two coolers for the six of us.

We bring a cooler of frozen items like meat that I know I got cheaper at home. Things like Pop Tarts, chips, and crackers that I can get for half off make the cut.

I never bring sodas or waters any more, because they are just as cheap there as they are at home.

Since you mentioned laundry, I do try to figure out how much detergent I'll need and bring just that amount along, even when flying. I get it on sale much cheaper at home and I dont' want to buy a big bottle and leave half. I used Wisk tablets when I could get them because they pack so easily. Ditto on fabric softener sheets, which take no room at all.

Sheila

 

[stahshee]

Since you'll have a car, a quick trip to Walmart or Sams Club would be easy and simpler than all that luggage. You'll probably have to pick up perishables like milk anyway.

Even when we drive, I try to limit myself to food items that I can get a lot cheaper at home or that don't weigh much. Even then, I only take two coolers for the six of us.

We bring a cooler of frozen items like meat that I know I got cheaper at home. Things like Pop Tarts, chips, and crackers that I can get for half off make the cut.

I never bring sodas or waters any more, because they are just as cheap there as they are at home.

Since you mentioned laundry, I do try to figure out how much detergent I'll need and bring just that amount along, even when flying. I get it on sale much cheaper at home and I dont' want to buy a big bottle and leave half. I used Wisk tablets when I could get them because they pack so easily. Ditto on fabric softener sheets, which take no room at all.

Sheila

we are getting picked up in a ten passanger van not renting one

 

[stahshee]

. wow I did manage to rid one of my suit cases by packing 2 small coolers in a bag . I am as of right now bringing 9 bags and 2 carry on I called NWA and they said I could check my cooler filled with lunch meat ug: and my 2 suit cases filled with soda. by the way I did take out some soda because I was afraid that i would have to pay $. my dh loves Pepsi and I love Sams club H2o. we are not having a food stop. now I am bringing some snacks for the airport-plane-layover-plane. I have no idea what to bring because the first time I flew when we brought crackers and my 2 yr crused them and we had a mess and the airline attendent was mad I tryed my best to pick up the smallest crumb. now I have anothor dd 2 and we are not bringing crackers. My dh keeps reminding me about the cracker prob so Im thinking grapes in a cooler?

 

[Bugsmom73]

I would still use Wegoshop. They can pick up your pepsi and lunchmeat for you. That is way too much stuff for one trip. When we go down in Dec of 06, we are taking Max of 1 piece checked luggage and one carry one per person. We have 5 people staying one room, it is going to be tight enough, not including 2 strollers.

 

[C&CMOM]

Has anyone ever packed bottled water in a suitcase before? I'm worried about how it will hold up on the flight. I plan on packing one suitcase with water and snacks and use that empty suitcase on the way home for souveniers.

 

[lovesdumbo]

We are a family of 5. Me, DH, DD(5 1/2), DS(3 1/2) and DD(21 months) on our last trip. I did mail a package to the hotel with diapers, wipes, laundry soap, Halloween costumes, activity books for plane ride home, glow sticks...that cost me about $20. Worth the $$$ not to have to deal with another bag at the airport. I checked 2 bags (both under 50 pounds) and had 2 carry ons, 1 car seat, 1 stroller, 3 kids and 1 DH who doesn't travel well. That's enough for me to keep track of at the airport. We got picked up at the airport by FL Tours and did a grocery stop for Pepsi (DH), bottle water for all, and snacks. I didn't want to rely on a grocery stop (can be canceled if flight is delayed) for diapers.

I'm leaving Sunday for 3 nights with just DS. I'm not completely packed yet but hope to have 1 rolling carryon bag (that is packed with all our clothes), a carry on bag and day pack. I may have to weed out some things as I have yet to pack snacks, water bottles, misty mate fan, camera, battery charger, books for DS for plane and 1 1/2 hour car ride to airport, sandles for both of us. I've hope to finish tonight so I can stop worrying about it.