Packing light - what are your tips?

[SassyCat]

My DH and my trip to Disney in July will be my first time on an airplane since 2000 (!!!). I refuse to check a bag (have had bad experiences in the past and don't want to deal with all the hassle). So I told him he better not bring more than will fit in a carry on. Our trip is only going to be from Thurs to Sun, so I think we will be able to do it. Granted, I have always been a big overpacker...you would not believe the amount of luggage on our last trip in Jan...

On the last trip, DH used those space saver bags you can get at wal mart (the ones where you squeeze the air out), and they did a wonder for all his clothes. I used ziploc bags, but I think the way the space savers flattened his clothes will work better.

I am excited that the summer clothes will take up so much less room than the winter clothes we have brought on our last two trips (first trip was FREEZING and the second was HOT).

The only toiletries we plan to bring are a toothbrush, bar soap, solid deoderent, and a hairbrush. We will just use the shampoo in the room. I don't want to deal with any of the liquid stuff. Urgh...

I am going to try to be good for once and not buy many souvenirs. I'm going to try to just got a couple of small things, but if I do get anything that won't fit in my carry-on, we will get them shipped to our home.

Thanks for all the tips!

 

[jpkkld]

My tips -

I always say take twice the underclothing you think you'll need and half the clothes.

That's great! And SO TRUE!

Happy travels!

If you are partial to your liquid cleanser, what I do is wet a paper towel and squirt some on, squish it up so it saturates the towel. Then let dry and cut in half....two face washings. Place in a ziplock for travel, they are very flat and take up almost no room. Just wet with water when needed at the hotel and they suds right back up.

I got this idea from this board, someone mentioned doing it with dishwashing soap for travel, so I figured should be good for any soap, and it was

THAT'S what I've been looking for! THANK YOU!!! I've been going crazy trying to find what someone called "Palmolive cloths". They must have been talking about this. Brilliant. I love these boards!

-Kristin

 

[timzagain]

If you are partial to your liquid cleanser, what I do is wet a paper towel and squirt some on, squish it up so it saturates the towel. Then let dry and cut in half....two face washings. Place in a ziplock for travel, they are very flat and take up almost no room. Just wet with water when needed at the hotel and they suds right back up.

I got this idea from this board, someone mentioned doing it with dishwashing soap for travel, so I figured should be good for any soap, and it was

Wow! What a fantastic idea! Even though I'd seen the tip for the dishwashing soap, it never occured to me to try it with my facial wash. Thanks - I'll have to pass this tip onto my DD17 who's trying to figure out how to cram 12 days worth of business attire etc into a carry on when she goes to the Global Youth Leaders Conference in the summer!

Actually, I'll probably do the same with body wash and keep a few in my purse. It'll come in handy for the times when there's no soap in a public washroom!

Thanks.

 

[aubriee]

If you are partial to your liquid cleanser, what I do is wet a paper towel and squirt some on, squish it up so it saturates the towel. Then let dry and cut in half....two face washings. Place in a ziplock for travel, they are very flat and take up almost no room. Just wet with water when needed at the hotel and they suds right back up.

I got this idea from this board, someone mentioned doing it with dishwashing soap for travel, so I figured should be good for any soap, and it was

Actually, I'll probably do the same with body wash and keep a few in my purse. It'll come in handy for the times when there's no soap in a public washroom!

Thanks.

Wow! Great ideas ladies. I gotta try both of these (or should I say all three ideas, if you count using the one with dishwashing liquid). I just hope I don't get my Palmolive paper towel, mixed up with my facial cleanser or body wash paper towels.

 

[nettii]

I always bring the free sample shampoo & cond. the ones in the flat packages. I unpack hard case items like Lysol or baby wipes and put them in ziploc. any snacks I unpack the boxes and slip them in where ever I can. And remember you can bring one carry on and a personal bag. have fun! Nettii

 

[timzagain]

Wow! Great ideas ladies. I gotta try both of these (or should I say all three ideas, if you count using the one with dishwashing liquid). I just hope I don't get my Palmolive paper towel, mixed up with my facial cleanser or body wash paper towels.

I was worried about that too until I remembered that ingenious invention ... the permanent marker! LOL!

My very fussy DD17 was curious as to whether the same principle would work with cotton pads instead of the paper towels. As she puts it, "It'll look much nicer!" Personally, I don't care how it looks. I want it to be functional.

Incidentally, I was checking another list of packing tips elsewhere on the 'net and it was suggested by a reader that astringent/ toner could be transported in the same way - just put a few cotton balls in a ziploc bag, saturate them with the toner then zip the bag shut to seal everything in!

As for laundry, I've also included a clothesline, clothespins and a few plastic hangers. I've learned the hard way from travelling with our kids to swim meets - there is never enough space in a hotel room to dry clothes!

Last year on our Mexico trip, one very snarky teenaged girl in the group HAD to point out to me that "the hotels do supply hangers, you know" Yet the same smart aleck had to borrow one of my plastic hangers when she realized that the hotel-supplied hangers would only work in the closet and were useless for drying things in the shower!

Thank you all for the tips! Keep them coming!

 

[theToes]

lots of helpful info in here for us rookies.

 

[stackyallred]

I haven't tried it yet but I read this tip on one of the other threads. For kids clothes, use two gallon Ziplocs and put one complete outfit in each. Roll it up pushing the air out then seal. Saves space and you have outfits ready to go each day. Not sure if an adult outfit would fit this way, probably not but it's worth a shot. I'm going to try this on my next trip.

I have a friend who does do this with adult clothes, only she uses the 2 gallon bags. She, like me, does not like to spend time on the trip deciding what to wear so she does all the planning ahead of time by using the 2 gallon bags. They are a little more expensive, but when you are just using them for clothes, they can be reused many trips!

 

[MEF13]

If you are partial to your liquid cleanser, what I do is wet a paper towel and squirt some on, squish it up so it saturates the towel. Then let dry and cut in half....two face washings. Place in a ziplock for travel, they are very flat and take up almost no room. Just wet with water when needed at the hotel and they suds right back up.

I got this idea from this board, someone mentioned doing it with dishwashing soap for travel, so I figured should be good for any soap, and it was

Love this idea!

Thanks

 

[MapleGirl]

My best pack-lightly tip --> don't bring the kids!
Just kidding.

Anyway, DH and I each pack a carry-on sized suitcase and a full sized backpack.

I don't bring jewelry or makeup, aside from what I wear on the plane and the makeup I normally have in my purse - lipstick, chapstick and face powder.

We are all about the disposable mini toiletries.

The Disney coffee is terrible, so we bring a small electric tea kettle and a camping coffee filter from REI.

With that we can make coffee, tea, instant hot chocolate and instant oatmeal. We get milk/creamer and sugar at the resort.

I stuff our Crocs with socks so they don't get bent out of shape in the suitcases.

We bring travel slippers that roll up and pack away in their own little bags. We got them from LL Bean and just love them!

Once we get to WDW, we go to Basin to get some bath salts. That way we don't need to pack bubble bath and the salts are nice on your feet after walking in the parks all day.

We bring a pop-up hamper or a huge plastic bag to put dirty clothes in. At the end of the trip, we can just shove the whole thing in a suitcase along with our shoes.

We order bottled water from Costco and have it delivered to the hotel. We give away any extras we have at the end of the trip.

When I pack, I have have a checklist. That way I know exactly what I'm bringing. It saves me from having to tear the bags apart to see if I've forgotten something and helps me collect everything from the hotel room when it's time to go home.

Finally, I try not to fret if I've left something at home.... we can buy just about anything we need on or near Disney property and as DH says "We can always make more money!"

 

[Luv2Diz]

My favorite travel tip comes from European travel guru Rick Steves:
"Lay out everything on your bed that you plan to take. Now....leave half of it at home!"

I always used to overpack on clothing, but no more. I take lightweight nylon (parachute type fabric) pants or shorts. I wash them in the sink, hang them in the shower and they are dry by the next day. They roll up small for packing and you only need 3 - 4 pairs for a long trip.

 

[Twitterpated Dad]

You might want to check out these sites:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/packlight.htm

http://www.verber.com/mark/travel/packing.html

http://www.travelite.org/

http://www.frequentflyer.oag.com/tra...rryonguide.asp

http://onebagger.squarespace.com/blog/?currentPage=2

 

[Twitterpated Dad]

You also might want to check out these threads for lists and tips:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1634425

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2096617

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2071382

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2052286

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

I always used to overpack on clothing, but no more. I take lightweight nylon (parachute type fabric) pants or shorts. I wash them in the sink, hang them in the shower and they are dry by the next day. They roll up small for packing and you only need 3 - 4 pairs for a long trip.

I love the lightweight nylon pants idea. I always wear jeans but they take up so much room and cannot be easily rinsed out - even for when we go backpack camping they take up a lot of room and are heavy. But we leave in a very rural area and I hate, hate, hate to shop so I have no idea where to get something like this. Could you pass on some ideas as to where to find these? Any stores/online places that are found everywhere? Thanks for any tips.

 

[Luv2Diz]

I love the lightweight nylon pants idea. I always wear jeans but they take up so much room and cannot be easily rinsed out - even for when we go backpack camping they take up a lot of room and are heavy. But we leave in a very rural area and I hate, hate, hate to shop so I have no idea where to get something like this. Could you pass on some ideas as to where to find these? Any stores/online places that are found everywhere? Thanks for any tips.

These types of pants are available online at Sierra Trading Post. Nike, Columbia Sportswear, and JC Penneys also carry them.

 

[holden]

We always ship the heavy/bulky stuff down ahead of time - sunscreen, toothpaste, hand sanitizer wipes, disposable ponchos, etc. The box is always there when we arrive, and we never bring any of it home. We give any leftovers to a family who is checking in (well, the sunscreen and stuff like that).

This saves a ton of weight (pun intended) in our suitcases, which is great since I share my suitcase with the girls. Yes, three ladies fit clothes for a week in one suitcase. And I pack two outfits a day for the kids!

Also, I reuse some clothes. For example, if I wear a sundress to dinner one night, I might wear it in the parks one day or on the flight home.

 

[Twitterpated Dad]

I love the lightweight nylon pants idea. I always wear jeans but they take up so much room and cannot be easily rinsed out - even for when we go backpack camping they take up a lot of room and are heavy. But we leave in a very rural area and I hate, hate, hate to shop so I have no idea where to get something like this. Could you pass on some ideas as to where to find these? Any stores/online places that are found everywhere? Thanks for any tips.

rei.com

campmor.com

 

[disneyorvegas]

If you happen to use a CPAP machine (like I do), check with the airlines because this is considered a medical device and shouldn't count as your carry on or personal item.

WOW! I didn't know that! I will definitely check with Jet Blue before our next trip! Thanks!

 

[janiejake]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shagley
If you happen to use a CPAP machine (like I do), check with the airlines because this is considered a medical device and shouldn't count as your carry on or personal item.
WOW! I didn't know that! I will definitely check with Jet Blue before our next trip! Thanks!
Curious to see what you both are told/experience. I called Sun Country to ask about this, and was told it was my dh's 'personal item'. I was very disappointed to hear that....Now that our trip is over, perhaps I'll call again and see if I get the same answer?

 

[EmilyJ]

Great tips! With these fees, Im hoping to bring 2 suitcases TOPS, one (under 50 pounds) would be best!