When do you start packing?

[Mickey's Best Girl]

We leave Thurday evening and I just finished packing 10 minutes ago.

 

[beansmom]

we are taking dgs and his clothes are already packed except his shoes. I'm mid way...and DH won't begin until about an hour before we leave.

Hey, *I* won't be the nekkid one if he doesn't get done.

 

[RMulieri]

Depends when we are going, but most often clothes are the LAST thing packed.Our December trips are so unpredicatable with the weather that we simply wait till right before to try and pack clothes.Our September trips it is usually just waiting to pack because so much of our stuff is being used and washed.toiletries etc go in a box as soon as I pick them up and they are usually packed a few weeks before

 

[kaelarad]

We make a trip at Christmas every year so I have a general packing list that I update as needed.

Because I work retail part time, I am almost done buying things we need for the trip. I have our warm weather clothes together in the closet and will start a pile of other things starting this weekend as we get to the 30 day mark.

Actual packing is the weekend before we leave. I work late the night before we leave and DH will be responsible for packing the car for the 2:00am departure!

 

[goofyernmost]

Folks, you gotta understand that when you are asked that question..."are you packed yet", it is done and said as a tease/joke. It means you must be excited to go, so you might already be packed. It isn't serious.

Now to the serious answer about how long before, well, that depends. If I have a late morning or afternoon flight, I will pack that morning. If I'm leaving early in the AM I will pack the night before. I never worry about forgetting anything because, unless I'm heading for some third world country, there is a pretty good chance that they will sell me whatever I forgot.

My X used to insist on packing laundry soap powder. You don't know how many times I had to explain that they have stores in Florida and I would be willing to bet that they would love to sell me some once I get there.

 

[Nayan]

We leave Wednesday and I haven't packed a thing yet . I'm going to start today though and since I have a master list it helps cut down on the stress level a little.

 

[basketlacey]

We leave Friday afternoon and I helped the kids pack their clothes yesterday. They will still need to add socks and underwear but the shorts and tshirts and swimsuits are packed. I didn't want to risk anyone wearing something that we wanted/needed to take this week. I plan to do laundry before we leave but if something unexpected comes up, I'll only need to do underwear and socks. I won't pack toiletries until the morning of but I do need to figure out what we need from the store. We won't have a car so I hope to take everything with us rather than need to make a Walmart run.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

We leave Wednesday directly from work/school, and I probably won't pack until tomorrow night or even Wednesday morning if I am particularly hating myself

Then again... we've been lucky enough to have a lot of trips in the past year. We've pretty much got this down to a science now.

 

[vcgirl925]

I start a couple weeks in advance, but don't finish up until probably the day before. I start my spreadsheet of all the stuff i need to pack and go down the list. Whatever i can start packing i'll start.

I'm in the cold weather right now so we can pack up all our tees and shorts ahead of time. I have all our "bathroom" needs packed because we have a seperate travel bag for those things. We have our snacks packed. We have our kids airplane backpacks packed. Pj's and rain gear are packed. Bathing suits are packed. There is really not much left.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

i completed my spreadsheet in may

i normally pack about a month/3 weeks in advance.

however... we leave in 48 hours and i don't have a thing ready.

i work both my jobs today and tomorrow which means i leave at 7am and come home at 9:30pm.... so my time is very limited.

who needs sleep anyway?

 

[jesseybell]

I have my packing list ready (3 weeks in advance though it's been 95% done for a while) - In the attic I have the kids summer clothes in a tote and the trinkets I've bought for them and I have a couple small things to buy. But since we have no idea what the weather will be, I probably won't start actually packing until 2 nights before.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Once we book/decide where we are going, I'll start picking stuff up at the store that we'll need (ponchos, disposable sippy cups, glow sticks, shirts/pants) and keep it all in one place.

About 2 weeks out, I'll start adding clothes to that pile that we DEFINITELY want to take with us so the laundry monster doesn't steal them.

48 hours out, I'll get the rest of the items we need.

The night before, throw everything on our bed, at the amount of stuff, throw the kids and DH out of the house so I can pack in peace, the squeeze as much as I can into the suitcase. When DH returns, use DS as a weight comparison for the suitcase (he's 42 lbs) and adjust our suitcases appropriately.

When we left this time, our big suitcase was 48.8 lbs. Luckily, it shed weight on the return!

 

[Minnesota!]

Well, I have my list made of what to pack, and since the seasons are changing and I am putting away the warmer weather clothes now, I have been putting stuff for our vacation into a separate spot. Not suitcases, mind you (although I would love to...but that might be a little over eager!), but definitely have piles and lists made.

It's part of the fun, for me!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We leave in 4 days and alot of the toiletries are ready to go in the bag and alot of the clothes are folded and ready to go but I will not be fully packed until Friday at 2pm! I will probably still do laundry up til then

 

[DanceGirl914]

Normally I start packing a week or so before except for the last minute items that I might decide to wear that week.
But this year since we are going in December and it is to cold to be wearing shorts, capris etc. I have all those items packed already - since mid October actually.
But the cooler weather items that I am going to pack will be packed during the week before we leave depending on when I get the laundry done.
Most of the toiletries that I pack I buy in Buffalo, so they won't be packed until the night before.

 

[rubato]

I am always partially packed. I have a suitcase just for WDW. In it are all the things I need nowhere else. Mickey and Minnie ears, disney books, pin trading stuff, etc.... That way, I don't have to go looking for these things. Then, since we travel in January, I hang my summer clothes off of my canopy on the guest bed in the fall, instead of putting them away. I don't actually pack until the weekend before we leave, but I have a pile on that guest bed as I think of it and cross it off the list.

 

[mrsz06]

We always pack the night before and morning of b/c of toiletries and what not. Also we wait until we have dropped our Pug off at his grandparents house b/c he FREAKS My hubby is packed in less than 5 minutes. Me on the other hand I take a little longer.

 

[exwdwcm]

I've been packing all year!

I have a 'disney box' like a storage container i keep year round now that we are DVC and go almost every year. I keep things like ponchos, lanyards, light sticks, luggage tags etc. in there. buy up more throughout the year on sale and put it in too.

I just got the big suitcase down this weekend and we leave in 25 days. I've started throwing stuff in like bathing suits that we won't use until the trip. it helps me know what we might need to buy like long sleeve t-shirts for layering or a new pair of jeans etc. The rest of the actual clothes packing i will probably do during the week before. We leave the weekend after thanksgiving on a 6:20am flight, so will do all the last minute toiletries and stuff that night before and be ready!

as far as ' you can buy it when you get there'.......DEFINITELY and i try and think about that more and NOT overpack. However, there is also a lot to be said for remembering to bring that pepto bismol if you know you get tummy aches a lot- vs having to pay $9 for it in the hotel store. They can really rip you off on stuff on site and i know many don't have a car to hit up a walmart etc. Plus, it is less time I spend running to the store (we rent a car) vs spending it in the parks or hotel having fun!

 

[trekker93]

I get pretty busy so I like to use the suitcase to store them in.I am probably 40% packed already for next year!