Just curious does anyone else pack 1 to 2 weeks before their trip ? Please tell me im not alone ?

[ChasingLeslie]

I was putting new "Disney clothes" aside for the kids three months in advance. I pack about a week in advance and then take it all out and re-pack the day before to make sure it's all there!

 

[pd1138]

We are just over a month out and i told my kids yesterday we can begin packing 15 days out. I am another one who loves planning and packing and I consider it part of the magical vacation!! I already have our Disney tote out with items we only use for our trips and as I pick up things at target or five below specifically for the trip I just stick it in the tote for now. I like to be fully packed and ready to go two days ahead.

 

[pd1138]

Hi I usually don't - which unfortunately leads to me having to pull an "all nighter' the day before just to pack. In my defense I am packing for me and my two kids -my DH packs himself and is always done quickly- very annoying

I am so glad I am not the only one! I'm packing for me and the four kids which always seems to include a baby or toddler. DH always asks what takes me so long to pack as he just goes into his closet at the last minute, pulls out a few outfits and bathing suits and declares Done! LOL!! But, then a few days into the trip he's asking me if I happened to bring the tweezers, or nail clippers, or that bug bite stuff, or did I have an extra plastic bag, or his rain poncho...... And the list goes on! Cracks me up every time!!

 

[Jennasis]

I would pack a month early but DH makes fun of me for it ...so I do it anyway, quietly

 

[Parker Clan]

We make a "Disney" spot on our guest bed months before the trip lol
We put things like sunscreen, paper products for breakfast in the hotel, ponchos etc there. Since we drive I don't worry about consolidating, the night before I just throw half my dresser in our bags

 

[mrzrich]

Most of my Disposable income goes to my Disney trips, so I honestly don't have enough clothes to pack more than a day or two ahead. Granted I am fairly local (Less than 2 hours away) so there is no climate change that would cause me to dress differently for Disney.

 

[loves to dive]

I pack the night before but I travel a lot so I kind of have it down to a science. We always keep three hanging toiletry bags packed at all times, one for me for solo trips, one for my honey for his solo trips and one for both of us for combined trips. We have a little area in our closet with open shelves and one of the them has only travel items on it, all organized in little cubbys so if I look in one of the toiletry bags and it's missing something I can just grab from there. I try to take things that can be worn more than once like shorts or capris and then I just have to grab shirts that will inter match with those, that way I don't have to take a big suitcase. If I'm taking sundresses, those can fold down pretty small but I don't wear them twice and don't wear shirts twice. I don't make lists any more except in my head. For dive trips we do start packing about a week early but that's just because there are some specialty items that if they need replacing they have to be ordered. We have a local dive shop but since we are land locked they don't really carry any of the brands we have found work for us.

 

[BarbieGal457]

I do! I start a list 1-2 months out just in case I need to order/pick up anything on errands. At a month out I put my suitcase in my spare bedroom, open, and put in it things I know I won't need until the trip, like travel toiletries and such just to corral them in one spot. I try to start packing at 3ish weeks out and then as it gets closer, I start to pack things that I do wear or use often. I do the laundry, fold, pack, repeat. This way, the night before I don't have much to add in and then the morning of I am pretty set to go quickly. We tend to leave about 3am for the airport, so it's nice not being a crazy lady in the wee overnight hours! I just love packing, it gets me so excited for the trip no matter where I'm going (but especially Disney).

 

[keishashadow]

I was putting new "Disney clothes" aside for the kids three months in advance. I pack about a week in advance and then take it all out and re-pack the day before to make sure it's all there!

I'm taking GD in August. Had a ball going out and picking up Disney character stuff. Surprised how many nice wicking ones WalMart offered...wound up spending $30 and having armfuls of stuff and cute water shoes.

We are fortunate to travel often, I keep a bin full of travel stuff & specific smaller ones that go into suitcases as to standard toiletries. Easy to keep it current and just grab and dash lol.

I work off a special Disney packing list, there's just so many things different that need to make the trip.

I'm not a fan of packing, know some who start a month early, others who are tossing stuff in a bag a few hours before they leave the house. Whatever works is a good thing!

 

[DantePD]

I do, but I work a weird schedule, so it's honestly easier to get it done on my last day off before the trip, so I can at least catch SOME sleep between getting off the clock at midnight and catching a 0800 flight

 

[maxiesmom]

I too have a staging area. I'm a little over 2 months out, and I already have all my travel sized personal care products grouped together. I've been tempted to pull my Disney tees together, but I have fought the compulsion to do that so far. I will pull clothes together more than a week out, so that I can cull whatever I pull together. Unfortunately I will have to pack the day before, as we are flying out after working a full day. I will spend that day panicking if I am not ready to go.

 

[BoatDriver]

Take this with a grain of salt, because I'm a "bit" OCD.

Vacation Booked: The new items list gets started on my computer. This includes things we've never brought before, but discovered we (I) absolutely need for this trip. That list will continually evolve as we get closer to the trip. (For instance, I found these great little strobing LED keychain lights that I plan on attaching to the children for easy identification and location at night)

D-30 Days: Dust off the Disney spreadsheet. I have a dedicated packing spreadsheet for every type of vacation or business trip (At last count, there were seven). I'll add the new items from the above list, remove those that didn't make the cut, and begin shopping for the items we don't yet have.

D-14 Days: Start the collection and sorting process. We're not ready to pack yet, but I begin gathering everything and sorting it into piles, checking it off against the spreadsheet as I go.

D-3 Days: Let the packing commence. Time to start putting it in bags, checking the items against the list again, and making sure the bags make their weight.

D-1 Day: Carry-on suitcase packing. (Refer back to the well-used spreadsheet)

Of course, this year is a bit different since I'll be in Orlando for board meetings five days before my wife has the unenviable task of flying down with the two little ones. I'll do my best to have her all packed up and ready before I go, but she's not quite as "structured" as myself, so she'll inevitably roll her eyes at my antics and I'll inevitably have to pack some extras that I'm sure she'll forget.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I do. I gather as much as I can and pile it in our guest room. I make check lists and cross off as we go

 

[lustergirl]

I start a couple weeks before by throwing little odds and ends in the suitcase, such as extra toiletries I just purchased.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I used to but now I've got it down so I don't have to.
After every trip I take I refill my bathroom bag so it's ready to go and I have a small plastic box with my disney only stuff. I can now pack for a 5 day trip in an hour no matter the destination.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

When my kids were small, I used to pack two to three weeks ahead. I would leave the suitcases open on the floor and throw things in as I thought of it. I was so afraid I would forget something important, so I took no chances with last minute packing.
Now I'm more last minute. I make more now than I did back then, so if I forget something, I just buy it when I get there. And my kids pack their own bags now, so there's less stress on my to remember all of their stuff.

 

[katt789]

I almost ALWAYS start packing at least a week beforehand!! Heck, we're going to Asia in OCTOBER and yesterday I was all "should I start doing a trial run now?!" BAHAHA.

Packing early is like, another way to get excited, another way of "planning" for some people. I like to use it to make sure I have everything (ie: what do I still need to go out and buy) to make sure everything fits in the right sized suitcase I thought it would, etc. I usually have a "park bag" of things that stay packed, like, cm appreciate cards, pins, tiaras, mickey ears, the kind of stuff that I won't use at home at all, that helps with the process. Sometimes I'll end up taking out things, mainly clothes, to make more room, I won't wear everything anyways!

Then the few days before I'm usually all packed, do some laundry, throw the last few things in and call it a day!

 

[mkymouse1928]

We travel in the fall after the weather has changed so I just pack when I'm starting to switch over to fall/winter clothing. I also buy new socks and undies for the trip so those go in when I make that purchase. I keep a toiletry bag stocked with travel toothpaste, shower gels, shampoo, etc. That bag gets cleaned out, restocked and organized at the conclusion of every trip. A week before we leave I run through a check list and add any missing items (ie sunscreen). This leaves the remaining days for me to grocery shop, and take care of the last minute items.

 

[Goofygirl17]

This is how I do it too! Only it's our dining room table. I found some cute glow sticks that look like mickey ears this week. Grabbed them and added to pile.

Where did you find them?

 

[tsme]

I always go over what clothes I have way before our trip. I want to be sure I have what I need & it all fits (my weight tends to fluctuate, unfortunetly). And then the week before I start making piles to pack. It gets me more excited with each item I put aside to pack. The actual putting stuff in the bags usually the day before.