Packing light with kids sounds sensible until the suitcase is open and every part of the trip starts becoming a possible clothing emergency. There’s the beach outfit, the backup beach outfit, the outfit for dinner, the outfit for after dinner because someone will absolutely sit in something sticky, the travel-day clothes, the pajamas, the spare pajamas, and then the tiny voice in the back of every parent’s head going, “Okay, but what if there’s a disaster?” Mostly, it’s the moms that think about all of this, and they’re usually the ones that are doing all the packing here too.
You’re probably already trying to figure out your travel plans without overplanning too much, you’re probably trying to budget where you can, and you have this to juggle and deal with as well. Plus, as you know here, kids do make travel messier. Like, by a lot, that’s just what happens because they sweat, spill things, sit on questionable surfaces, get sand in places sand should never be, and somehow go from clean to suspicious in less than an hour.
Now, it sounds like the easiest option would be to overpack, but no, there are weight limits, luggage limits, what about souvenirs? So no, you shouldn’t overpack, and you can avoid that without regrets, so here’s how!
Don’t Pack for Every Possible Version of the Days
Well, it’s very easy to pack for imaginary plans. The fancy dinner that may not happen. The cool evening that probably won’t be cool. The extra outfit for the activity sounded nice while booking, but it may get skipped because everyone’s tired and someone needs a nap. Your average person here tends to pack for the imaginary things. It’s the ideal version of the trip, that’s what gets packed.
But wouldn’t a lighter suitcase be nicer? Because a lighter suitcase starts with being a little more honest about how the trip will probably go. If most days are going to be casual, sweaty, outdoorsy, beachy, or pool-heavy, then comfortable basics are going to earn their place more than fussy little outfits that only work for one specific moment. Which, yes, both kids and adults, this is usually how it seems to go here.
Plan for All the Grossness
And you better believe there’s going to be a lot for the whole family. There’s going to be food falling on clothes during mid-meal, there’s going to be sand or mud getting on them (even parents), there’s probably going to be some stickiness, lots of sweat, and body odor too. If you all will be wearing polyester fabrics, then you can count on that. So no, you don’t need extra clothes here, but you will probably need to look into a laundry service, though. If you’re on a cruise, then you can usually pay some money from there; sometimes hotels offer it, but there are even small local services for locals and tourists too.
Stop Packing Outfits that Can’t Work Together
A suitcase gets bulky fast when every outfit is treated like its own separate little production. What does that mean? Well, one pair of shoes for one particular outfit, that’s probably the best example here. It’s not just you, it’s the kids too, it helps if basically everything goes together and matches together. Sure, it’s understandable you want to look cute for pictures, same for the kids, but you’ll look just fine already!
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