I need the BEST space saving tips!!!

[Mommy2K0507]

Do the value resorts have laundry? When we stayed at WL, I did laundry halfway through our trip and I wish we had just brought fewer clothes and done more laundry! It was easy enough to do and it would have saved us the trouble of hauling big suitcases!

 

[darthspud]

Do the value resorts have laundry? When we stayed at WL, I did laundry halfway through our trip and I wish we had just brought fewer clothes and done more laundry! It was easy enough to do and it would have saved us the trouble of hauling big suitcases!

yes all the resorts have laundry... at the value resorts they are right near the pool

 

[vermontgirl]

You guys are the best! Great ideas that I must implement on our trip in April~ we are staying at OKW for 12 days studio twin dd's 10 turning 11 on the trip and me and DH! Thanks Indimom for starting this most helpful thread!

 

[Duckyiam71]

Definitely get something to put on the tv to keep misc. stuff in. We hung lanyards over the thermostat, that worked fine. I can't stand clutter. I am hoping to find pop up storage baskets for the other stuff, wallets... Shoe organizer, definitely. Pop up laundry hamper, definitely. Considering getting a second one for shoes, somehow we end up with a lot. Power strip. I also had magnetic clips to hang on the back of the door. The landyards with pins on them were too heavy, but it was great for clipping up the papers we needed.

Aubriee, those packing cubes and folders sound amazing. Do you have a link?

Hey Flip Flop mom, have you tried 3M command hooks for your lanyards? they have some that hold up to a pound. they work great and you can remove them with no mess! i love the command hooks for almost everything!

 

[indimom]

We are planning to do laundry during the trip (I've already bought my Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets and I'm hoping they work well), but I also know we tend to change clothes midday when it is that hot out. So I'm thinking of bringing about 8-9 outfits each, plus two swimsuits each, our own beach towells for the water parks, ....... The list just gets bigger and bigger every time I look at it!!

So my list (so far) looks like:
1. Get hangers from Mousekeeping and hang most outerwear. (Save the couple drawers for everything else and store suitcases in the car's trunk.)
2. An over the door shoeholder for the bathroom supplies.
3. A shoe organizer that velcros to the curtain rod for shoes.
4. A pop-up organizer for keys/wallets/loose change, etc...
5. Pop-up hamper for laundry.
6. Clothes Pins to hang up wet swimsuits over the tub on the line provided.
7. Bring a power strip for charging phones/laptop/camera batteries/video camera batteries/DS (wow, there really are a lot of these things when you think about it... I'd be all for leaving the DS and Computer at home, but the family would never allow it.)
8. I might invest in some of the heavy duty 3M hooks for hanging our backpacks/bags too! Great Suggestion!!
9. I'm also bringing a spring-loaded curtain rod/curtain from home to give us a place to change by the sink. The kids have gotten very private now that they are older. So, while not a space saver, this will be a time saver! They won't be hogging the shower space for longer than necessary changing!

These are such great ideas, I hope there are more to come!!

 

[flipflopmom]

I have read of some people have severe reactions to the Purex sheets, so I am going to do a load with those before I leave to make sure my family is okay with them before we go...

Another idea I had forgotten about, we took a small tote/grocery bag. I put this on the shelf over the closet, and we used this to put "momentos" in. I also had a sheet protector in there for receipts. It helped to have a place for the stuff we brought in from the parks each day without it cluttering everything, and all the papers were together. When we left, it was already packed!

Not as much space saving as sanity saving, but it found it really paid off to take the time to "set the room up" when we got there, instructed the kids on where things went. Before bed, everything was put back in it's place, clothes/shoes for the morning were picked out, park bag was cleaned out and repacked. Made the mornings much easier!

 

[ZoZo]

I just picked up one of those "octopus/squid" power strip/cords - instead of a rectangular strip, it has six separate, grounded power outlets (shaped like an octopus!). It's hard to describe - it's like six extension cords hooked together about 6" from their plugs (see link below). So if you have lots of chargers to plug in (for cell phones, camera, laptop, etc.), you can plug them all in really easily. Most chargers have a big rectangular piece you need to plug into a power strip, so big they often block some of the outlets on the power strip.

http://www.powersquid.com/

Just found some on clearance at my local Walgreens for less than $4 each!

 

[DisMomme]

Okay, maybe not a space saving tip but definitely a sanity saving tip...we went for 15 nights a couple of summers age and we brought an inflatable mattress (twin size). With 2 almost teens at the time and the small beds at the All Stars it was a lifesaver! We rotated nights on it so every night 2 people had a bed to themselves and a good nights sleep. We just propped it up against the wall during the day so Mousekeeping could clean.

We also brought the over the door organizer and the hanging shelves
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Whitmor-Hanging-Accessory-Shelves-Blue/11065081

Do laundry 1/2 way through so you only have to bring 1/2 the amount of clothes. We brought a pop up laundry basket. The laundry room is near the pool so you can do laundry while the kids swim.

Some people pack their clothes in ziplocks. One complete outfit in each bag. They stack & pack easier that way. Kids also get ready faster in the AM.

HAVE FUN!

 

[indimom]

That powersquid is awesome, I have had that same problem with one plug blocking two outlets. I'm going to see about getting the "squid." It would be helpful even at home...
I'm going to have to think about that twin mattress as well. We only have a full sized one which would take up too much space. The kids aren't that BIG, but they are not really thrilled about sharing a bed, so this might be a big sanity saver... HMMMM...
Thanks for these suggestions, can't wait to hear more.

 

[LuvindisCruiser]

We were at Pop over Thanksgiving and I didn't bring any hangers, I just called mousekeeping and told them how many I needed and they brought them right to me. They brought both regular and the clip kind for pants. I hung all our park clothes and used the drawers for socks, underwear and pj's only.

I've never thought about having mousekeeping bring more hangers !
Brilliant !

 

[Cuchman]

This trip we are bringing an assortment of varying sizes of suction cup hooks. We plan to stick them on the mirrors or shower tiles, and are hoping they will work for hanging lots of different items.
The hooks on the mirror will be for lanyards or hats and the hooks in the bathroom will (hopefully) work for wet suits and coverups after the pool.

If I were not so cheap, I might try some 3M hooks, which would probably work anywhere!

As it is, my suction hook assortment - I think 8 or 10 hooks - was only a dollar More money for the Mouse!!

 

[indimom]

Hey, I was surprised to see this pop back up. Since our trip is over..., I thought I'd add how things worked out.

1. Hanging the clothes was a lifesaver. I don't think I'll ever live out of a suitcase at a hotel again. Spacesaving, everything was unwrinkled, easy to hang and let dry if they were still a little damp from the dryer. Just all around a good idea.

2. The powercord is also a great idea. We found out pretty quick that some of the outlets were too loose and our chargers would fall out or not charge. Go figure. With a powercord we could use the best outlet and and all our items were charged.

3. The pop-up bins and over-the-door shoe holders worked well also. Everything in one place and we then could use the drawers for our foodstuffs, paperwork, everything else...

4. The curtain was a nice touch and we used this every day as a changing area. It also screened the light from the bathroom area so I could get up first and be ready to go before I woke the family each morning.

5. Loved the Purex sheets. Easy to keep in a ziplock. No fuss, no mess. And we had no issues with allergies or reactions.

Probably our only major issue were our towells and swimsuits. There were not enough places to hang them to dry. We noticed most guests hung them out on the rail outside their room, but since we were on the ground floor, we didn't have that option. We used the line over the tub, the hook on the bathroom door, over the metal suitcase stand in the closet, and still had to resort to hanging a couple over the backs of the chairs (which I didn't like doing since the chairs are wood and I figure this damages the chairs over time).

While it all worked out fine, I do think I'll try a suite the next time we take an extended trip. It's just not easy to relax or eat in a room with only two chairs for four people. Yeah, we sat on the beds. But that's just not the same. Although I suppose you could bring folding chairs also.

Hope this helps out anyone else planning a lengthy trip to the world!

 

[dopeydiva]

you guys are AMAZING!! We leave Tues, kiddos still don't have a clue, and I just got more tips. LOve, love, love the idea of a little basket to hold the keys and cards, they always clutter up everything. fantabulous!!! thank you all for sharing.
Stay well,
AnnMarie

 

[Cuchman]

We are leaving Thursday, same - kids have no idea.
Now if we can just acomplish packing all our cool space-saving stuff without being noticed, we are set!

 

[Jacks2583]

thanks for all the great ideas!

 

[jksgrammy]

I pack a folding clothes dryer (bring when we drive, not fly) that I purchased at Bed, Bath & Beyond for around $14 (using a $5 off coupon). Holds quite a few bathing suits and/or towels. Whenever we stay in a room w/a balcony, we just leave it out there for the entire trip (ground floor? not sure I'd leave outside).

Another item is over the door individual towel hook (I usually pack 4 of these). Bought at our local $ store. Can hang lanyards, extra towels, hats, etc.

I need to get myself some of those fold up boxes for storing snacks, etc.

And ALWAYS pack Ziplock bags (not cheaper brands as agree with other poster about tendency to rip). Carry a couple in our backpack when going to the parks. Use them to put camera, wallet, etc. in when going on any water ride.

 

[BlondeJungleBookFan]

If I had the opportunity to drive, I'd use my car to help with clutter.

I'd take a laundry basket, and fill it up with dirty clothes every time I went to the car. Keep it out of the room, at least.

I would think you could keep some of your stuff in the back of the car/trunk...extra shoes, clothes for week 2, etc.

Most of us take things that "we might need" - you could keep those in a basket/box in the back of the car also, and not even take those in....then IF you needed something, you could retrieve them from the "might use" box.

 

[mmeb144]

We used plastic clothes hangars for our swimsuits when we stayed at a state park. We had very limited drying space for our swimsuits. We just hung our suits on the hangars and hung the hangars on the shower curtain rod. Worked very well.

Where do we find the small sized pop-up cubes? We've seen the big ones, but nothing that would be small enough for the change, etc.

 

[leebee]

I have some clips with magnets on the back, that I bought at the Dollar Store. At POP, the room doors are metal. I used these to hang a copy of park hours, our touring plans and daily schedule, and ADR's (all info- day/meal, location, time, res #). It was nice to not constantly hear "Mom, where are we going today/ What are we doing?" THey were in one place, didn't get lost, preserved my sanity. Next time, I might laminate the lists...

We also used the clips to hang mickey head paint chips on the outside of the door, as a decoration.

I wouldn't waste closet space for shoe organization; I'd bring a big, flat plastic bin and put it over under the window, for everyone to stash their shoes OR get some of those flat plastic shoe drip catchers and put them under the window. ALL SHOES GO HERE ALWAYS. Make it a rule... I hate stumbling over shoes in the dark!

I set up the ironing board in the POP closet space and use it as additional counter space. (We found that the over-the-door hangers prevented the bathroom door from closing- they are too thick). It is short enough so there is extra space at one end for longer hanging things, and if you don't put it up to full height, there is enough space to hang shirts above it and still use it as a counter space.

If you have taller family members, you could get pop-up shelves and put them in the top of the closet for storage. Also use them on top of the entertainment center for storage.

Bring an extra trash basket or two! POP room had a small barrel in the toilet area and another small one under the sink. THere is nothing in the room- the "normal" sized trash basket is dedicated for recycling! I wish we'd had a couple of small baskets for beside the bed or over next to the window. It really keeps the clutter down if you can just drop a tissue into a bedside trash basket instead of having to take it to the bathroom (ick... invariably they end up on the ONE bedside table...).

BEdside table (one for two beds) has one drawer with space beneath. The table itself has the phone, a large clock, and the tissue box on top. We put the phone in the underneath part to make more space on the table top. We also put the phone book and bible up on the back of the entertainment center so there was space in the drawer. I used the space underneath the table top (where the phone was stashed) to put my backpack... and mine only.. so I could find it easily each morning.

Store empty suitcases in the trunk of the car. Dirty laundry can be stashed in them, and extra shoes can be stored in them too.

I have a friend who travels with her own beach towels for showering- finds hotel towels to be too skimpy. THey take the damp towels and stretch them out in their car while they are in the parks, as there really isn't space for 4 drying towels in the room (although I'd use the backs of chairs, just put a dry hand towel over the wooden part).

 

[poplover777]

we sent our granddaughter to Europe for 3 weeks and found it useful to purchase some dollar store items for her. Don't laugh but we bought underwear and socks and had her throw them away after wearing them. Also
travel size toiletres and some t-shirts to dispose of. This made space in her bags for the soveniors that she bought.