Packing light - what does that mean to you?

[Bexx]

We are staying for 12 nights and I certainly intend to make full use of the washing machine (especially for the children's stuff!). So I'm trying to take the good advice of "packing light" For myself, should I stick to the tried and tested method of "one on, one off and one in the wash" Is that still too much - or too little?? I don't want to get bored of my clothes!!!

So I hope I'm not getting too personal, but much stuff would you pack for this length of stay?!

 

[JoEllen]

We had that length of stay for our trip last June. I thought we were so smart to pack everything into two bags for the three of us. Then when we checked bags at the airport they both weighed in over 50 lbs! We had to pay a $25 penalty for each bag. So be careful not to go over the airline weight limits in your efforts to pack smart.

 

[DVC-Don]

We only pack 2 changes per person (one on, one off) plus one slightly dressier. We do laundry every night. The four of us travel down (summer) with with a total of two 26" bags and two carry ons.

 

[Patty3]

I always overpack, two outfits for each day, one for day and one for night. I am curious as to how others handle this.

 

[goofy4tink]

When we go for 8 days/7 nights, I usually pack 4 changes of clothes plus an extra two pair of socks and underwear. It's when we go in Dec that we have a problem. We have to have some heavier type clothing and jeans/long sleeve shirts due to the night chilliness.

Going in June for 9 days and will pack 2 carry-on bags (that will be checked) for dd and myself with the above number of changes. We always carry a satchel type bag with bathing suits, clean underwear and toiletries on the plane. Just in case something happens to our stuff!!!

 

[Tooneric]

Packing Light??? What's that?

For my family that means the usual Suburban filled to the brim, and the kids bring their collection of Flashing light gizmos purchased at Disney over the past several years.

 

[lsutigger2]

And packing light can also mean a couple pair of shorts (denim, tan, khaki, black, etc) and several tops to go with them. I did this when we went in Oct. We were there for 9 days and worked well. We do use the washing machine a lot. Dh golfs and needs extra clothes!! We drove down and I think I brought more food stuff than clothes!

 

[Deemarch]

It's easier to "pack light" when the weather is certain to be warm. Packing a couple of pairs of shorts and a few t-shirts is a great easy vacation idea. I also push my DH to only bring 1 pair of shoes...(My DH is a shoe nut) That really lightens the load. And now we have discovered that we have to weed out the unnecessary items from out toiletry bags. We each have one always ready to go but very full with things that you MIGHT need from electrolysis to emergency surgery! Much too much!

Denise

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

We take three pairs of shorts each, a pair of pants, four or five shirts (differing sleeve lengths, as we go in the winter mostly), four pairs of socks, four pairs of undies and windbreakers.

And then a monster-sized cooler full of bacon, sausage, milk, eggs, pb&j, etc. (We drive.)

We stayed at the Poly this last trip to see if we were missing anything by always staying at a DVC resort. I never realized how much I relied on my own washer and dryer, and how much money we saved by simply fixing our own breakfast most mornings. I'm totally hooked on DVC - these two reasons alone make it all worth it to me.

Sorry for the digression, but I really don't think I could pack as light if I didn't have the convenience of appliances right in my room.

 

[kathleena]

We leave from Maine, so are usually wearing long pants. If we are going down in cooler months (dec, jan, feb) then I bring one additional long pants, two shorts, two shirts and three socks & undies - like to have extra of those, as who wants to put on dirty ones after the pool. Warmer months I bring three shorts. Plus we are wearing shirt/socks/undies. Plus we wear one pair of sneakers and pack a second. You shouldn't wear them two days in a row - let them dry out and relax for a day. So we always have a change of shoes. That's for adults. Only one jacket per person and we wear one on the plane or a sweatshirt - depends on the weather in Maine.

For kids - I would bring one extra change of clothes - they tend to get dirtier and spill food more.

And for all the xtras - I've learned to pack very light thru the years. I leave at home things I haven't touched in a few trips, or take less.

I've become so good at this - the last trip DH and I had
1) Tote with camera and expensive stuff like razors that we don't check
2) Small carry on with change of clothes and toiletries
3) Med suitcase that is only half full

This way I can safely buy a few things and take them back in the med suitcase. I don't buy much anymore anyway - my heyday buying year are in the past!

 

[KNWVIKING]

Leaving the wife home.

 

[timC]

It means DS11 forgot to pack underwear again...

 

[kweaver]

I tend to overpack (and I'm a master at fitting an unreal amount of stuff in the van!). Though now that we'll always have laundry in the room...I might be able to change that. (Last time we did laundry every day...why is it more fun at WDW? Even in those tiny washers and dryers...)

We tend to do WDW in the summer...and like (need?) to change our clothes sometime in the afternoon (and certainly before going to a nice dinner). Kids are messy...so this generally applies to them too. So two outfits per day...luckily summer clothes are lighter and quicker to dry!

We only stay for 5 nights at a time...so I could probably take enough clothes for 2-3 days and be just fine. I like a little more variety, though.

 

[debbiebones]

Here's something we're going to try next Thanksgiving. We'll be sharing a 2 BR with my cousin,his wife and their two small girls. I'm going to suggest that we bring as few toiletries as possible and then make a trip to the dollar store, get what we need and split the cost. That will save money and space. I'm sure for a week, we can make do with off brand shampoo, toothpaste, hairspray, etc.

Deb

 

[Kissyme]

Each time we have been to Florida I have packed less but last year we shocked the chap at the check in desk who could not understand how we had so little,(there are 5 of us) as a result we were stopped twice on the way out and twice on the way back I think they thought we were up to something
Think I will have to pack a bit more this time to take into account the weather.
A good tip if you have boys is to buy shorts with pants inside doing away with having to pack extra and always roll your clothes and not fold you can fit alot more in that way and they crease less

 

[pumpkinboy]

We are staying for 12 nights and I certainly intend to make full use of the washing machine (especially for the children's stuff!). So I'm trying to take the good advice of "packing light" For myself, should I stick to the tried and tested method of "one on, one off and one in the wash" Is that still too much - or too little?? I don't want to get bored of my clothes!!!

So I hope I'm not getting too personal, but much stuff would you pack for this length of stay?!

Here's a good rule of thumb for International travel: Get everything you think you will need and pack that, then take out half the stuff, and bring twice the money. Heck, that's a good idea with any kind of trip.

But with Sterling so strongly appreciating vs the Dollar, and clothes being much cheaper here anyway, plus there's no VAT, and now it's an even better deal with the currency differential, I'd say pack the minimum, buy more clothes here, and maybe buy an extra suitcase for the way back - The savings on the clothes will defray a good portion of the airfare. My guess is that your savings on clothing will be minimum 25%, probably more like 50% from what you would pay in the UK. Plus you will have a clothes washer while here, so you can wash the new stuff and wear it the next day. If you were planning on doing clothes shopping at any time this year, you might as well do a big portion of it in the States for the enormous savings.

So for my UK and European friends (I have some Dutch cousins coming for a visit this summer), I have advised that they pack BIG suitcases that are mostly empty, but with perhaps 2-3 days worth of clothes (got to have your favourite football jersey, for example), maybe 5 days of socks and underwear, one pair of shoes (and of course presents for your US friends and relatives ). Buy stuff like swimsuits and additional climate appropriate clothing here. So, pack light for the way here, heavy for the way home.

But just remember that free advice is worth what you paid for it, so...

Have a great vacation!

By the way, with 12 days, you will surely be doing the DVC discounted Annual Passes, right?

 

[TinkTatoo]

.......So for my UK and European friends (I have some Dutch cousins coming for a visit this summer), I have advised that they pack BIG suitcases that are mostly empty, but with perhaps 2-3 days worth of clothes (got to have your favourite football jersey, for example), maybe 5 days of socks and underwear, one pair of shoes ..............[/COLOR][/FONT]

That's what we do - take one BIG case with another one inside, 3 or 4 changes of clothes. We use the laundry and buy cheap stuff when we are there (Super Target is my favourite for this at the moment)

Have a great trip Bexx and please tell us what OKW is like

 

[DebbieB]

Packing light? My Mom and I last month had 2 large suitcases, 2 large carryon size (checked one), a freedom bag and a laptop. The bellman who picked up our luggage from the room said "is there just the two of you?".

 

[Laurajean1014]

We usually go away for 10 days/nights in a one bedroom at OKW.

I pack 3 pairs of shorts/tops/underwear per person and do laundry everyday. I use up one large suitcase (27") and it fits everything. I also pack 2 bathing suits per person. (3 people in family). I pack two cereals, maple syrup, peanut butter, jam, tea bags and splenda.

A must is at least 2 pairs of shoes per person. I believe in not wearing the same shoes day after day so they do not cause blisters or tired feet. I also like to wear the slinkiest sandals (I believe a foot should breath in 90 degree weather instead of sweat in socks and sneakers).

I already have a packed small bag filled with all of the toiletries that we will need. (We travel a lot for long weekends do to DS sports). So, a never ending toiletry pack is essential.

A family of three can pack in one case and use a smaller roll on case for other things (portable DVD player, laptop, dvd's, ipod, etc.).

Don't forget to buy laundry tablets! They are great to use and the whole family can help out and do laundry - 'cause it makes it sooo easy!

 

[llp479]

I usually pack for half the number of days we'll be there. So, for our 9 day stay in June, I'll pack four sets of clothes, plus what we wear down. I find in the hot summer months, we tend to go through two sets of clothes a day. After an afternoon swim, who wants to put back on the sweaty clothes from the AM!

For the 3 dds, I have the pants that zip off into shorts, capris. Works great as then I don't have to pack pants for them as well as shorts!