How far in advance can you pack?

[DisneyPhD]

We are leaving a week from today for WDW and Vero Beach (very early in the morning.) I know I should be getting ready and packing, but I just can't do it. I can't pack any more then a few days in advance. I need the clothes to live in some, and if I start too early I just pack more and more until I have too much. Life seems to get more complicated as our family grows. I used to have to just pack for me. Now I have to pack everything for 2 kids, myself and a lot of DH too (but he does take care of his clothes himself. Of course packing is much more then clothes. We will have a car, but as I have found, you never want to take time to run to the store anyway.

Anybody else? Or do you pack weeks in advance and are all ready to leave?

 

[luvmydogs]

I hate packing. Hate, hate, hate it. It doesn't make me more excited about the trip by packing early, so I usually wait until the night before or the morning of. But I'm also one of those annoying, uber-organized, type-A people, so I usually have these goofy alphabetized, sub-catagorized lists of everything we'll need to take so even though I dread packing, it doesn't actually take me a long time to do it.

 

[Blondie]

I'd like to bring the luggage out sooner than 2 days prior to our time to leave, but the dog gets terribly depressed as soon as he sees them. I've tried to place them in another room of the house, but he follows me everywhere so he sees them anyway.

Therefore I only start 1-2 days before we leave. I've got it down to a science now. I'll start picking out my outfits before that, I just don't place them in the suitcase. I also use two gallon size ziplock bags for underwear, socks, bras, etc. This way if our luggage should spill out somewhere or we need to rearrange due to weight restrictions with the luggage itself, at least the personal items are somewhat contained and not all over the place!

DH is on his own. He packs his own clothes. This way if something of his is forgotten, he can't blame me!

 

[VAgal76]

I never pack earlier than the night before. 90% of the time it is the morning of. I think it makes it more exciting to wait until the last minute then you KNOW you are on your way. Our household is like the Disney commercial and it never fails. We are too excited to sleep.

 

[DisneyPhD]

My cat gets very upity when he sees those suitcases come out too.

I have been known to start putting things in lundery baskets a few days in advance. Also I have been "collecting" things I know we want, like things we bring back (Pal Mickey, walkie talkies, light spinners, minnie ears,)

I make lists, but they are more in my head.

My problem is this time I might have to serve in Jury Duty the 2 days before, leaving Friday open though) I just can't bring myself to pack a full week ahead. I am hoping I don't have to.

My probem too is the kids. I can't pack with my youngest around. She follows me and takes out everything I put in.

Oh we always seem to leave really early (1st fight out.) So that means leaving the house around 5:00 am. Not such a good plan to wait until the morning off. However the day before is another story.

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

I'm a packing lunatic. I usually get the suitcase out a month ahead because I get so excited. Then I make a list of things I want to make sure I pack, pull things out if I need to wear them, then do a final double check the night before to make certain I put everything back!

 

[goldcupmom]

I'm the WORST!!

I have have 1 suitcase out already and tossing things in for our trip on 7/5! It's been out about 2 weeks. But, my DSis lives in Lakeland, so I always take stuff to her and the Dnieces & their families, so I throw them in suitcases so I don't forget.

Actual packing clothes/stuff for the trip starts about a month out, tho!

I know, I'm a fanatic!!

 

[anewvance]

The question for me is "how long after the trip do you unpack?" I kid you not, I have a partial bag still packed from our Jan trip to Disney!

We are leaving a week from today for WDW and Vero Beach (very early in the morning.) I know I should be getting ready and packing, but I just can't do it. I can't pack any more then a few days in advance. I need the clothes to live in some, and if I start too early I just pack more and more until I have too much. Life seems to get more complicated as our family grows. I used to have to just pack for me. Now I have to pack everything for 2 kids, myself and a lot of DH too (but he does take care of his clothes himself. Of course packing is much more then clothes. We will have a car, but as I have found, you never want to take time to run to the store anyway.

Anybody else? Or do you pack weeks in advance and are all ready to leave?

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

I keep asking my DFi if we can start packing yet. He doesn't understand that just makes the trip seem nearer. He is the one packing the morning of. I hate to pack by myself, therefore the suitcase is out but empty. Next week is another story though!!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

The question for me is "how long after the trip do you unpack?" I kid you not, I have a partial bag still packed from our Jan trip to Disney!

Me too!!!! I wasn't going to admit it, but you did first! OMG, I hope the TF isn't reading now!

I am totally anal about lists and as long as I have a packing list I know that all is well in the world. Mine is computerized so all I have to do is update it and print it off. Then on the back of it I make a to-do list of things I need to do the few days before vacation.

As far as actually packing, I gather stuff as soon as I think of something, but I won't pack for this trip until Mon/Tues (we leave early Wednesday). I'm bringing some food with me (non-perishables) snack/breakfast type stuff that I wanted to get ready today, but I didn't get to it and I wanted to get medicine and cosmetics together tomorrow, but I won't have much time. Hopefully I can get those things done and can then wash clothes on Monday and pack on Tuesday.

It's harder when our whole family is going somewhere. Then I have a whole lot more people to get organized, even though my other kids are older and pack their own stuff (I still need to tell them what to pack) and I have to get the pet stuff ready for the pet sitter and bring the dogs to the kennel, etc. It's a lot of work to go on vacation!

 

[Jillpie]

I LOVE to pack!! I pride myself in the fact that in 6 trips to Disney, we have never forgotten anything. We're leaving in June, and I have one suitcase out in the living room (but its only because my son just got home from Italy and I couldn't bear to put it back in the attic ).

I do unending lists too. I can't wait to pack! I'll probably start the beginning of June. Or maybe mid May. Or maybe....tomorrow!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I must be a packing FREAK. I have the "master list" on the computer and start crossing off things and laying them out the minute we get our hotel ressies. I am ready months in advance. (everything except clothes we may need between now and then.) I honestly don't know if I could do a "spur of the moment" Disney trip.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Before I was married, I would make a list on the computer then pack the night before I left for a trip.

Before we were married, DH would never make a list but would pack 1 or 2 weeks befoe he went anywhere.

Anyone else see the marital conflict popping up here?

We've reached a good compromise - I make lists on the computer at least 1 month in advance and print out a copy that gets posted on the fridge. Anytime one of us packs something from the list, we cross it off the master list. I toss non-clothing items into a suitcase randomly as I find them over a couple weeks, and DH usually has his suitcase packed 1 week before the trip and set next to the door, ready to go. I pack 3 or 4 days before we leave just to keep DH's stress level down.

The funny thing is that for our WDW trip last year, I was packed at least 10 days in advance, but DH didn't pack until 2 days before! He wasn't so excited about the trip, but I sure was!!


Oh, and unpacking? DH does it in the first 10 minutes after we walk in the door, and I do it in the next 10 weeks...

 

[JuneChickie]

I pack the night before we leave. and I unpack when it suits me.

Of course gifts come out immediately and dirty clothes also ,,
but anything else may stay in there for years ,, keep in mind we live in
Minnesota and so untill our next trip , we don't wear many hot hot hot
summer clothes or flip flops.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

I usually start getting toiletries and accessories organized about a week before. Not because I have to but b/c it's fun! The actual packing of clothes is the night before after I have ironed everything.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Ok, I tend to unpack pretty quickly. At least get the laundry out. Something's I always leaved packed (the travel toiletries and such, sometimes I have to go find medicine in my travel bag.)

Does anyone else bring back old souvenirs? We do this alot. Especially with the kids. They have tons of WDW stuff that I pull out just before the trip and it feels all new. We get something new every time, but not 10 things new. We look like we just spent $300 in souvenirs, the truth is this is 7 trips worth of stuff and some was bought at the outlet super cheap. Toys, hats, Minnie ears, light spinners, autograph books (sometimes we need new every few trips.) Penny pressing books (with pennies.) I think I have enough WDW T Shirts to dress all week in them (for every member of the family.) Also having 2 girls the youngest has a whole line of Disney Princess outfits I just have to pull out of plastic containers in the basement. (and grows super slow so they last a while.)

 

[HayGan]

I always pack the night before. Sometimes when I am travelling by myself I pack in the morning.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Oh, and unpacking? DH does it in the first 10 minutes after we walk in the door, and I do it in the next 10 weeks...

Sounds exactly like my husband and me. He wants the van unloaded before we hardly even go in to go to the bathroom and greet the animals. Then he wants to unpack right away, which obviously proves a challenge to me.

 

[2bemarried]

I'm SO obsessive compulsive when it comes to packing. I have a packing template on my computer that I review and then print out. Once that's done I bring out the suitcases and organize them by what items will go in each bag. After that I pack all of the "vacation specific items..ie. beachtowels, swimsuit, sunscreen". Then I move on to packing my clothes, dh's clothes are next and finally the bath items get packed the morning we leave. That's all in between making sure the laundry is done, the house is clean, and the pet sitter is confirmed

This upcoming beach vacation is proving to be a challenge for me b/c DH bought me an IPOD yesterday. I have the laundry going, but I have printed my list much less packed anything. I can't believe that we leave in 4 days and I'm sitting loading cd's into the IPOD oh well...I'll be a last minute packer for a change

 

[Micca]

I can't pack more than a week ahead of time. I try to pack a little lighter each trip.