VandVsmama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2011
- Messages
- 9,007
I thought that I'd share my packing list with ya'll in case it might help anyone else out there who is trying to figure out what to bring with them vs what to leave at home.
People in our travel group:
me
DH
ODD (age 6)
YDD (age 4)
We live in Arizona & will be driving to San Diego area first to visit with relatives before going to DL. We're going to San Diego over Memorial Day weekend, checking in to the DL Hotel on Memorial Day and planning on spending 2-3 days at the parks before heading home to AZ.
My packing philosophy:
I hate having to lug a ton of bags, luggage, and STUFF everywhere when we travel, whether it be by car or plane. A year ago, I found a great website called http://www.onebag.com that has some great recommendations on how to pack light. I also have frequented http://www.1bag1world.com and have used many of the suggestions listed there.
Stuff I'm going to bring to keep kids entertained in the car:
1. Disney DVDs (our minivan has a DVD player in it)
2. Leapsters & Leapster games
3. Barbies, My Little Pony stuff
4. Couple of children's books (3 tops)
5. my kids' Color Wonder sets + a new coloring book each, washable markers, crayons
6. SNACKS - I stock up in AZ because we're driving and groceries are WAY cheaper here than in CA. And just before we get to the CA border, we fill up on gas since it is often $0.75 cheaper in AZ than in CA.
7. kiddie port-a-potty - I hate travelling with this thing in the car, but it's a necessity because ALWAYS after we leave the last rest stop for 60 miles, somebody has to pee.
MY toiletry stuff to pack:
1. comb/brush
2. enough shampoo/conditioner to get all of us through Memorial Day - because when we check into the DL Hotel, I plan on using the stuff they have in the rooms
3. makeup & 1 lipstick
4. anti-frizz hair gel - because without it, I look like a poodle
5. sunscreen - spray-on kind + reg. liquid stuff for your face
6. toothbrush & toothpaste - If you're flying & trying to NOT check luggage, there is this tooth POWDER that you can buy (I've found it at camping stores or at health food stores). You don't have to put it in your 3-1-1 quart-sized bag.
Other supplies/useful stuff that I throw in:
These items tend to be small, don't weigh much, and don't take up much room.
1. a Light My Fire spork
2. a shammy PackTowl - these are great because they absorb a lot of water & can be used to wring out clothes that you are washing by hand in your hotel room sink
3. small container of Woolite or Camp Suds - the Camp Suds are more compact & more concentrated & can be used for washing dishes, hands, clothing, your body, etc.
4. a few extra ziplock bags
5. 1 kitchen garbage bag - instead of bringing a folding mesh laundry basket, I use the kitchen garbage bag or designate ONE person's suitcase as the "laundry basket/hamper." I don't want to be dragging along a laundry basket on vacation with me.
6. flushable wipes - goes in my purse. For those obvious times when your kid is in a yucky bathroom and there's no toilet paper.
7. small pack of Clorox wipes - to clean off the telephone & TV remote in the hotel/motel room, because these are the dirtiest things in any hotel room
8. a power strip - I considered this, but we'll just make do with whatever electrical plugs are available
9. an Eagle Creek collapsible tote bag - it zips up into a teeny weeny thing that you can stick in your purse. Comes in handy for carting around extra stuff at an amusement park
10. a sarong - got a couple pretty cheap on a Hawaii trip once and it has all sorts of uses...pool cover-up, towel, blanket to sit on, cover-up for when you/kids are cold, scarf around your neck
Stuff I'm packing SPECIFICALLY for Disneyland:
1. 4 cheap rain ponchos - the $1 kind
2. 2 glow sticks & glow necklaces per day in the parks - so if we go for 3 days, that's 6 of each (1/kid/day)
3. some snacks, Crystal Light packets, water bottles
4. masking tape - to write on with a Sharpie pen my & DH's cell phones, stick it to the inside of each kid's shirt in case we get separated. Saw somebody else on these boards mention it and I think it's a great idea!
5. Disney gift cards we've received
6. check-in docs for DL Hotel
7. some cheap Dollar Store Disney princess knick knacks to whip out when cranky children are in line
8. 1 new Disney Store princess t-shirt per kid
Clothing I'm packing for myself
1. 4 pr of underwear - our entire trip is about a week, so I plan on washing clothes
2. fave pr of flip flops
3. 3 pr of pants/jeans
4. 4 shirts/tops
5. dressy clothing - we will not be dining at establishments that require dressing up, so I am skipping this. If we were, I'd bring 1 or 2 items of clothing that could serve double-duty...note: this is another reason to bring along a scarf/sarong/etc. with you if you're female
6. sneakers
7. sweatshirt
8. my Tilley Endurables hat - it is not the most charming hat in the world, but it does look pretty decent and it will not fly off my head even in 50 mph winds. Plus, this has is water-proof, too. It's awesome. I am fair-skinned and my head is going to be beet-red if I don't wear a hat while I'm outside all day for 2-3 days.
Stuff that I'm debating whether or not to include:
1. a pool/beach towel per kid
2. 2 sleep sacks - I received these as gifts a couple of years ago. I am considering packing these because: (a) they're small & lightweight; (b) they compact down really well; (c) my kids can use them in case they decide that they want to sleep on the hotel room floor instead of the bed.
Clothing for kids:
1. 1 pr flip-flops or sandals per kid
2. 1 pr sneakers/kid
3. 8 pr of undies/kid
4. 7 shorts/pants/bottoms per kid
5. 6 shirts/t-shirts per kid
6. 1 set of pj's per kid - in May, most likely my children will just go to bed in their underwear and a t-shirt anyway
7. 7 pr of socks/kid
8. 1 bathing suit/kid + goggles for pool - we don't bother with pool noodles or floaties. If my kids didn't know how to swim, I'd bring children's pool safety items with us...or I just wouldn't go in the hotel/motel pool at all.
9. 1 sweatshirt/kid
10. a couple of hair scrunchies - for braids, ponytails, etc.
11. nail polish - because I'm going to paint their nails in princess colors the night before we go into the parks. If I was flying, I'd probably skip this
12. each kid's favorite stuffed animal
13. 1 pillow from home per kid - if I was flying, I'd skip this
14. 1 nightlight - so we don't trip over ourselves in a pitch black room
15. our white noise machine from the kids' bedroom - helps them sleep through an earthquake or a train wreck, drowns out ambient noise from your hotel neighbors. Well-rested children = happy parents = everybody has a great day.
16. 1 pull-up/day for the 4 yr old - because she still has accidents once in awhile at night and I don't want to have to call Housekeeping in the middle of the night because of wet sheets
Invariably, my DH overpacks. Sometimes he has brought 2 bags of stuff just for him...plus he brings all of these technical manuals for work that he thinks he will read in his "spare time" on vacation....which equals to lugging around an extra 20-40 lb of books that he never reads while we're on a trip. Thankfully, he discovered his Google tablet recently and I hope for our next trip, that he will just bring that instead of a ton of books + a laptop + his tablet.
People in our travel group:
me
DH
ODD (age 6)
YDD (age 4)
We live in Arizona & will be driving to San Diego area first to visit with relatives before going to DL. We're going to San Diego over Memorial Day weekend, checking in to the DL Hotel on Memorial Day and planning on spending 2-3 days at the parks before heading home to AZ.
My packing philosophy:
I hate having to lug a ton of bags, luggage, and STUFF everywhere when we travel, whether it be by car or plane. A year ago, I found a great website called http://www.onebag.com that has some great recommendations on how to pack light. I also have frequented http://www.1bag1world.com and have used many of the suggestions listed there.
Stuff I'm going to bring to keep kids entertained in the car:
1. Disney DVDs (our minivan has a DVD player in it)
2. Leapsters & Leapster games
3. Barbies, My Little Pony stuff
4. Couple of children's books (3 tops)
5. my kids' Color Wonder sets + a new coloring book each, washable markers, crayons
6. SNACKS - I stock up in AZ because we're driving and groceries are WAY cheaper here than in CA. And just before we get to the CA border, we fill up on gas since it is often $0.75 cheaper in AZ than in CA.
7. kiddie port-a-potty - I hate travelling with this thing in the car, but it's a necessity because ALWAYS after we leave the last rest stop for 60 miles, somebody has to pee.
MY toiletry stuff to pack:
1. comb/brush
2. enough shampoo/conditioner to get all of us through Memorial Day - because when we check into the DL Hotel, I plan on using the stuff they have in the rooms
3. makeup & 1 lipstick
4. anti-frizz hair gel - because without it, I look like a poodle
5. sunscreen - spray-on kind + reg. liquid stuff for your face
6. toothbrush & toothpaste - If you're flying & trying to NOT check luggage, there is this tooth POWDER that you can buy (I've found it at camping stores or at health food stores). You don't have to put it in your 3-1-1 quart-sized bag.
Other supplies/useful stuff that I throw in:
These items tend to be small, don't weigh much, and don't take up much room.
1. a Light My Fire spork
2. a shammy PackTowl - these are great because they absorb a lot of water & can be used to wring out clothes that you are washing by hand in your hotel room sink
3. small container of Woolite or Camp Suds - the Camp Suds are more compact & more concentrated & can be used for washing dishes, hands, clothing, your body, etc.
4. a few extra ziplock bags
5. 1 kitchen garbage bag - instead of bringing a folding mesh laundry basket, I use the kitchen garbage bag or designate ONE person's suitcase as the "laundry basket/hamper." I don't want to be dragging along a laundry basket on vacation with me.
6. flushable wipes - goes in my purse. For those obvious times when your kid is in a yucky bathroom and there's no toilet paper.
7. small pack of Clorox wipes - to clean off the telephone & TV remote in the hotel/motel room, because these are the dirtiest things in any hotel room
8. a power strip - I considered this, but we'll just make do with whatever electrical plugs are available
9. an Eagle Creek collapsible tote bag - it zips up into a teeny weeny thing that you can stick in your purse. Comes in handy for carting around extra stuff at an amusement park
10. a sarong - got a couple pretty cheap on a Hawaii trip once and it has all sorts of uses...pool cover-up, towel, blanket to sit on, cover-up for when you/kids are cold, scarf around your neck
Stuff I'm packing SPECIFICALLY for Disneyland:
1. 4 cheap rain ponchos - the $1 kind
2. 2 glow sticks & glow necklaces per day in the parks - so if we go for 3 days, that's 6 of each (1/kid/day)
3. some snacks, Crystal Light packets, water bottles
4. masking tape - to write on with a Sharpie pen my & DH's cell phones, stick it to the inside of each kid's shirt in case we get separated. Saw somebody else on these boards mention it and I think it's a great idea!
5. Disney gift cards we've received
6. check-in docs for DL Hotel
7. some cheap Dollar Store Disney princess knick knacks to whip out when cranky children are in line
8. 1 new Disney Store princess t-shirt per kid
Clothing I'm packing for myself
1. 4 pr of underwear - our entire trip is about a week, so I plan on washing clothes
2. fave pr of flip flops
3. 3 pr of pants/jeans
4. 4 shirts/tops
5. dressy clothing - we will not be dining at establishments that require dressing up, so I am skipping this. If we were, I'd bring 1 or 2 items of clothing that could serve double-duty...note: this is another reason to bring along a scarf/sarong/etc. with you if you're female
6. sneakers
7. sweatshirt
8. my Tilley Endurables hat - it is not the most charming hat in the world, but it does look pretty decent and it will not fly off my head even in 50 mph winds. Plus, this has is water-proof, too. It's awesome. I am fair-skinned and my head is going to be beet-red if I don't wear a hat while I'm outside all day for 2-3 days.
Stuff that I'm debating whether or not to include:
1. a pool/beach towel per kid
2. 2 sleep sacks - I received these as gifts a couple of years ago. I am considering packing these because: (a) they're small & lightweight; (b) they compact down really well; (c) my kids can use them in case they decide that they want to sleep on the hotel room floor instead of the bed.
Clothing for kids:
1. 1 pr flip-flops or sandals per kid
2. 1 pr sneakers/kid
3. 8 pr of undies/kid
4. 7 shorts/pants/bottoms per kid
5. 6 shirts/t-shirts per kid
6. 1 set of pj's per kid - in May, most likely my children will just go to bed in their underwear and a t-shirt anyway
7. 7 pr of socks/kid
8. 1 bathing suit/kid + goggles for pool - we don't bother with pool noodles or floaties. If my kids didn't know how to swim, I'd bring children's pool safety items with us...or I just wouldn't go in the hotel/motel pool at all.
9. 1 sweatshirt/kid
10. a couple of hair scrunchies - for braids, ponytails, etc.
11. nail polish - because I'm going to paint their nails in princess colors the night before we go into the parks. If I was flying, I'd probably skip this
12. each kid's favorite stuffed animal
13. 1 pillow from home per kid - if I was flying, I'd skip this
14. 1 nightlight - so we don't trip over ourselves in a pitch black room
15. our white noise machine from the kids' bedroom - helps them sleep through an earthquake or a train wreck, drowns out ambient noise from your hotel neighbors. Well-rested children = happy parents = everybody has a great day.
16. 1 pull-up/day for the 4 yr old - because she still has accidents once in awhile at night and I don't want to have to call Housekeeping in the middle of the night because of wet sheets
Invariably, my DH overpacks. Sometimes he has brought 2 bags of stuff just for him...plus he brings all of these technical manuals for work that he thinks he will read in his "spare time" on vacation....which equals to lugging around an extra 20-40 lb of books that he never reads while we're on a trip. Thankfully, he discovered his Google tablet recently and I hope for our next trip, that he will just bring that instead of a ton of books + a laptop + his tablet.
