How far in advance do YOU start packing for your trip?

[tmbacon]

OK, so we have about 20 days until we trek down to FL for our Spring Break vacation, which includes a day at Daytona's Nascar Speedway (pre-cruise), the 4-day Wonder Bahamas cruise , and Kennedy Space Center (post-cruise). I feel like all the months of obsessive Disney planning is finally coming together now! I have already started to pack for the trip - my husband thinks I am crazy to do so, but call it the obsessive planner in me.

....so just curious, when do YOU start packing for a vacation?

 

[frangi]

my vacation is in October, while I may not be packing I'm keeping on eye on what I want to wear. Looking in stores for new clothing. Playing the game how many different outfits with very few items.

 

[atigeg]

lazy here, usually wait until the morning before driving to the port

 

[MACfamily4]

Crazy here. Our next cruise is a year away and I already have a disney tote into which I am putting "things to take on the cruise" stuff. Not packing, really; more like collecting the necessaries. It makes me laugh at myself - sheesh!

 

[Dream426]

Our trip is at the end of August. I will start buying things throughout the summer and I will probably start packing the week before the trip.

 

[DLW8]

When I unpacked from our December trip, I started putting things that were for the cruise back in a bag as well for this year's trip, it will just make it easier to pack at the end.

I will "kind of" pack when I put away the summer clothes for fall clothes, I did this last year and it was a big help. Instead of packing away our summer clothes, I packed them into a suitcase for the trip. I did do some "editing" when it was time to pack, but everything was all together which made it easier.

I am also now shopping for dresses for the cruise, and have bought DD a few items for formal/semi formal/dinner wear already. Once the cruise gets closer, those types of clothes for warmer weather won't be around.

The "REAL" packing will occur the day before we leave...maybe 2 days before as we will be leaving the day after Thanksgiving this year.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

When I get back from the last one, I start putting stuff in the case, I dont properly pack till the night before but make a list months and months in advance, Like someone else says, I collect stuff in the case rather than actually pack it.

Happy Packing everybody

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

About a week to week and a half before we leave I start setting aside things I know I want to pack so I'm not wearing them and doing last minute laundry.

 

[tylerdylansmom]

Last Sept we went to disney. I packed a little at a time. Things I bought specifically for the trip(pop up hamper, power strip, water bottles, etc) went directly into the suitcase. When the summer clothes went on clearance I bought a bunch for my boys and packed them into their suitcases. (When they got there I don't know what was more exciting the fact that we were in disney or the fact my oldest had new clothes to wear in Disney)
Then I did the same for me. I bought some new clothes and packed them right in my suitcase. The week before our trip I made a packing list and then went through our suitcases to make sure i had what I needed.
The morning of our trip I packed the last minute essentials(toothbrushes, hair brush, etc)

 

[quentina]

About 2 hours before we leave for the airport. The entire ordeal is hysterical. I have not checked luggage for 10 years so......we only do 1 carry on each. Somehow, we do just fine (I do wash).

 

[cinderella&prince]

Our cruise is the end of May and my daughter and I are packed!!! lol just need to get my husband and son packed an we r ready to go. I can't help but pack so early. I am afraid to forget something or buy too much

 

[NancyIL]

I will put non-clothing items to be packed in one place as I think of them, but the actual suitcase packing doesn't happen until the day before a trip.

 

[inkkognito]

Lately we've been starting the morning of the trip! We used to do it the day before and head out early to the port but we've gotten lazy lately. DH is the packer and he does it the day of our cruise & we head out early in the afternoon. I think he keeps some stuff in the bags all the time tho' so it's ready for each cruise.

 

[Bookwood]

I pack (into suitcases) the day before we leave. However, I do start collecting whenever I find things we need on sale. Piles have started for a Jan 2011 already.

 

[speakupjc]

One week before. That we will can do it lesiurely without packing. When I do the laundry before our trip I just pack it in the suitcase.

 

[orlandothebeagle]

About 2 hours before we leave for the airport. The entire ordeal is hysterical. I have not checked luggage for 10 years so......we only do 1 carry on each. Somehow, we do just fine (I do wash).

Our packing can get hysterical as well cause of wt limits and too many shoes etc and the fact that I am in holiday mood/mode and have a few glasses of wine when I am doing it.

 

[DisneyHeather]

I'm on the EBTA and started pulling stuff out of my closet and putting it next to the suitcase. I'll probably put it all in the suitcase the weekend before I leave. For now I just keep putting stuff in that bedroom so I don't forget anything.

 

[shaylahc1]

I'm on the EBTA and started pulling stuff out of my closet and putting it next to the suitcase. I'll probably put it all in the suitcase the weekend before I leave. For now I just keep putting stuff in that bedroom so I don't forget anything.

Ditto that. DH pulled the suitcases out of the closet last weekend and I am in the process of washing up new clothes for the trip. I am further complicated by the fact that I am 1)packing for 6 people and 2)3 of us are going on the EBTA and 3 of us are flying out to Barcelona for the 1st Med. I am leaving DH behind with 2 of our children for 2 weeks which means not only do I have to pack, I need to make a list of things for DH to do before he leaves. We have 5 animals that will need tending to, dog needs to visit the vet to get his kennel cough shot so he can go to the kennel, I need to stop the mail, get bills ready to go out while we are gone, etc etc etc. I am feeling like this these days.

It's all worth it! Once I board the ship it will be 25 days of bliss aside from having to throw in a few loads of laundry

 

[Anal Annie]

For our summer vacations when I can more accurately predict the weather (temps) I would likely start a couple of weeks out. For our trip in 2 weeks however I will have to wait until that week before to get a more accurate weather forecast. FL temps have been running well below normal for months now. While it's SUPPOSED to be an average of 80-81 during the day right now it seems they're lucky to be in the low 70's. I am COLD at anything below 75 so cannot rely on what it's SUPPOSED to be. Just yesterday though I started making a couple of piles of clothes that will need ironed IF they make the cut for the weather forecast.

For our WDW / FL vacations we have an Owners Locker which has all of our toiletries, ponchos, mini umbrellas, OTC meds, sunscreens, flip flops, Downey Wrinkle Release, air freshner, collapsible cooler, pool/beach bag, string backpack, batteries, spray fan bottles, my Captain Morgan ETC. so all I have to pack for FL is clothes & shoes. I LOVE that big purple box!! That helps cut down on our packing A LOT. I am already missing it for our Med cruise as I will have to pack everything.

 

[Anal Annie]

Ditto that. DH pulled the suitcases out of the closet last weekend and I am in the process of washing up new clothes for the trip. I am further complicated by the fact that I am 1)packing for 6 people and 2)3 of us are going on the EBTA and 3 of us are flying out to Barcelona for the 1st Med. I am leaving DH behind with 2 of our children for 2 weeks which means not only do I have to pack, I need to make a list of things for DH to do before he leaves. We have 5 animals that will need tending to, dog needs to visit the vet to get his kennel cough shot so he can go to the kennel, I need to stop the mail, get bills ready to go out while we are gone, etc etc etc. I am feeling like this these days.

It's all worth it! Once I board the ship it will be 25 days of bliss aside from having to throw in a few loads of laundry

Good luck with all that!!