Just got back from Orlando - the packing post mortem

[timzagain]

My packing was the best it had been in years - MIL was amazed that I was actually able to pack clothes for a ten day trip into my carry-on luggage. However, I still found myself with items I didn't use, and wishing for a few items that I didn't pack.


I was really glad that I:

1. Packed interchangeable clothes around a colour scheme (black, yellow, white) - it made it really easy to dress and get out the door quickly
2. Packed two go-with-everything skirts - skirts are a lot cooler, and I felt "pulled together"
3. Decided to wear as little makeup as possible - my skin was already freaking out from my excessive soda consumption - I'm glad I didn't add makeup to the equation

Things I wish I hadn't done:

• Left my curling iron at home - I got sick of the ponytail/ jaw clip look really quickly and by the end of the trip I felt decidedly unpretty
• Forgot dark coloured shorts - my planned wardrobe involved lots of white bottoms which became very inconvenient when my period started on day 3 of the trip
• Didn't pack a wider variety of inexpensive jewelry. It was only a 10 day trip, but I got tired of wearing the same jewelry for 10 days. When I'm home, I change up my accessories quite a bit. I was starting to suffer accessory-withdrawal symptoms! LOL!
• Nixed my plans to travel with or pack a cross body purse. It would have been a lot more convenient than the tote I was lugging around
• Travelled with 2 cameras! I should have stuck to the compact camera that my DD usually uses.

[/LIST]

I'll add to my lists if I remember anything else

 

[traveljunkie]

Loved your thread title
Thanks for the list, I'm starting to mentally pack. I've gotten better but on every trip there's definately some stuff I think I should've left at home. I usually am the organizer of 3 kids & hubby. None of them are coming on this trip so I feel so free and easy. I am planning to take only carry-ons too. I don't think it will be a big deal for me (used to it) but my sister just can't even imagine doing that. She says she usually takes 8 pair of shoes for 10 days.

 

[timzagain]

Loved your thread title
Thanks for the list, I'm starting to mentally pack. I've gotten better but on every trip there's definately some stuff I think I should've left at home. I usually am the organizer of 3 kids & hubby. None of them are coming on this trip so I feel so free and easy. I am planning to take only carry-ons too. I don't think it will be a big deal for me (used to it) but my sister just can't even imagine doing that. She says she usually takes 8 pair of shoes for 10 days.

Planning/ mentally packing makes a big difference - DH probably thought I'd lost my mind when I whipped out the camera and took pictures of the outfits I planned to wear on the trip. It helped to see the outfits; everytime I was tempted to throw another top in the suitcase, I was able to visualize how it would or would not fit in with the pieces I had already packed or planned to pack.

I'm a shoe and handbag addict and I must admit it nearly drove me nuts to limit the number of shoes and bags. The capsule wardrobe approach to packing helped me cut down on the shoes for sure!

I tried to get the girls (age 11 and 17) to cut down on their clothes - DD11 did attempt to pack a colour coordinated wardrobe but she still packed too many items (do you really need 2 pairs of jeans AND 2 pairs of denim capris for a summer Orlando vacation??) DD17 ignored my suggestions and came perilously close to overweight luggage on the return trip - apparently she had forgotten that she has shopaholic tendencies and the new purchases would actually have to get home in her luggage.

 

[xkwisit]

I can't even fathom packing everything into a carry on.. Although that would be sweet. We have 5 kids (one is a toddler) & I end up having to pack the extras in my suitcase... the 1st aid kit, ponchos, snacks, etc. This year I decided I am only bringing 2 prs of shoes (I too am a shoe & purse aholic) my crocs & a pr of flip flops. I am contemplating bringing half as many clothes since we are staying in a villa & can do laundry~but who really wants to do laundry when they are on vacation. But I need my hair dryer & flat iron & styling products & face cleanser & moisturizer & shampoo & conditioner. I can't leave home without them.

I really like the interchangeable color scheme idea! I will keep that in mind when I am packing.

 

[timzagain]

I can't even fathom packing everything into a carry on.. Although that would be sweet. We have 5 kids (one is a toddler) & I end up having to pack the extras in my suitcase... the 1st aid kit, ponchos, snacks, etc. This year I decided I am only bringing 2 prs of shoes (I too am a shoe & purse aholic) my crocs & a pr of flip flops. I am contemplating bringing half as many clothes since we are staying in a villa & can do laundry~but who really wants to do laundry when they are on vacation. But I need my hair dryer & flat iron & styling products & face cleanser & moisturizer & shampoo & conditioner. I can't leave home without them.

I really like the interchangeable color scheme idea! I will keep that in mind when I am packing.

I couldn't imagine packing everything in a carry-on on a trip with young kids either. Thankfully, the "baby" is now 11 so I need to travel with a lot less of the usual travel-with-kids extras! I don't mind doing a load or two of laundry on vacation. I also try to pack quick drying clothes that I can easily handwash in my hotel room. I have a few cheap plastic hangers permanently stashed in my luggage for drying clothes in the hotel shower

As a rule, I don't pack my regular sized hair and skin care products. I accumulated mini-bottles and jars in TSA approved sizes, decanted the shampoos etc into the recycled 3 oz bottles - just enough to get me through the first day. When I arrive at my destination, I buy normal sized bottles of my favourite products. At the end of the trip, I leave them behind. It's a lot cheaper to forfeit half-bottles of my hair and skin care products, than it is to pay overweight charges!

The interchangeable clothing plan works really well - here's what I packed:-

1. Four tanks - black, white, yellow and grey
2. Two cotton tunic-styled tops - one black, one white
3. Two skirts - one black,white,yellow & grey floral and one black and white
4. Pants - two white shorts, one white capri
5. Travelled in a pair of dark-rinse denim trousers (lighter in weight and dressier than jeans); also travelled in an easy-to-wash white cotton/lycra blend button down shirt
6. Shoes - my old faithful Reef sandal in a colour close to my complexion. "Nude" shoes go with EVERYTHING. Also travelled in a pair of gold sandals that could be worn day or night
7. A couple of scarves to be used as headbands or belts

I bought a pair of cheapo Walmart dark coloured denim shorts when I realized that Aunt Flo decided to join me in Orlando.

I was so glad that I packed my "normal" clothes this year instead of packing "theme park friendly" clothes like boardshorts that I wouldn't normally wear. I was a lot more comfortable when I dressed like myself!

 

[WDWMaiselFamilyWDW]

I can't even fathom packing everything into a carry on.. Although that would be sweet. We have 5 kids (one is a toddler) & I end up having to pack the extras in my suitcase... the 1st aid kit, ponchos, snacks, etc. This year I decided I am only bringing 2 prs of shoes (I too am a shoe & purse aholic) my crocs & a pr of flip flops. I am contemplating bringing half as many clothes since we are staying in a villa & can do laundry~but who really wants to do laundry when they are on vacation. But I need my hair dryer & flat iron & styling products & face cleanser & moisturizer & shampoo & conditioner. I can't leave home without them.

I really like the interchangeable color scheme idea! I will keep that in mind when I am packing.

Love this thread! Interchangeable colors will be my mantra next time. I too ultimately get weighed down by my beauty products. One year I skipped bringing the bulk of them. Not having my nighttime moisturizer drove me nuts! My face felt so dry by the end of the trip!

Wanted to suggest rethinking not taking advantage of the W/D in a villa, esp. w/kids. We stayed in one this Jan and it was very nice to 1) pack less; 2) be able to wash anything that got spilled on (Mickey ice cream drips, anyone?) and have it ready to wear again; and 3) take home mostly clean laundry! It really wasn't a big deal in the evening to throw in a load and move it to the dryer before bedtime. Although the appliances can be a bit loud...luckily most kids sleep through anything, esp. at Disney!

 

[thebeesknees]

We have 3 little ones (7, 5 and 1), and the last trip we took (1 week long), I did everything carry-on with a total of 3 bags and my purse. Mix and match clothing was the key. Packed the kids' stuff in ziplocks and planned to do laundry 1 time while we were there. Worked out great! We picked up bottled water and diapers when we got to our destination - that saved a bunch of space. Actually, my husband's stuff took up the most room. He likes to shower and change 2x a day, so I had to pack more for him, but we made it. Sure, nobody LIKES to do laundry on vacation, but it doesn't take long and it makes it easier to pack and cart all your stuff through the airport.

 

[ZoZo]

Love this thread! Thanks for starting it!

I'm a (hopefully "recovering") over-packer. This trip, I'm going to scale down. My dilemma this year is shorts - I normally bring denim shorts, but they're a little heavier than I want this trip. What type of shorts do y'all wear? Khaki/canvas shorts? Athletic shorts? These seem like they'd be a little lighter-weight, and hopefully cooler. What type of fabric is the coolest?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Brit_Jude]

Coolest shorts are the athletic shorts that have the words Dri-fit (Nike brand) or something similar. For other brands try quick dry. These are definatley the coolest as they wick away the moisture, dry quickly and are very thin. I would stay away from the denim as that will be hot and keep moisture in the material. But I wouldn't buy anything that you would not be comfortable in, and athlectic shorts are OK for the day but if having a dinner somewhere nice I know I would not be comfortable and would like something a little more pulled together. Look for thin material and hiking or sports stores are the best place to look. Here are a couple of links, I really like the capri's at Sahalie.com, type in quick dry in the search box:

http://www.justgear.com/summer/produ...F___512252.asp

http://www.sahalie.com/shopping/msea...ick+dry+shorts

http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?cp=U...85/pgid-261858

 

[timzagain]

Love this thread! Thanks for starting it!

I'm a (hopefully "recovering") over-packer. This trip, I'm going to scale down. My dilemma this year is shorts - I normally bring denim shorts, but they're a little heavier than I want this trip. What type of shorts do y'all wear? Khaki/canvas shorts? Athletic shorts? These seem like they'd be a little lighter-weight, and hopefully cooler. What type of fabric is the coolest?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I wore cotton-blend shorts on the days when I didn't expect to get wet (e.g. at Universal Studios); quick drying athletic shorts on days when I expected to get wet (wet rides, water park days) etc. The athletic shorts were cool and comfortable though not particularly stylish! On other days, I wore capris and yes, even a skirt. On "Aunt Flo" days I wore the denim shorts I was forced to buy because I didn't remember to pack my black bermuda shorts. I'm not a big fan of denim shorts as they're too heavy and hot for an Orlando summer vacation.

 

[mikelynn91]

Lands End (and Cabelas I think) offer many Quick Dry fabric options for tops and shorts - I must say it was nice to have a modest tank top and quick dry shorts on the Kali River in AK! Athletic sandals completed the ensemble and the drenching was dry before the chafing began!

Another must have is cargo shorts - now I admit they are a little bulky BUT they really do offer major convenience - the child and the husband can maintain their own snack, camera, phone, etc. AND that lightens the mommy backpack load!

My advice - I'm a Georgia peach and I hate the humid heat of FL - avoid denim - although it's cotton it really holds in heat and takes forever to dry (again with the chafing). Think khakis and Quick Dry and you can't go wrong!!