Packing for a trip is the exciting part! Unpacking is the tricky part. Most of our family trips involved changing locations often. In fact, most people would say we changed locations too much and too soon—but that’s the way my husband preferred. He liked us to be in a different place almost daily. There were times that we’d be in different countries within 24 hours, even! The way to cope with this (as a mom) is to pack the kids’ bags in a way that they can get to the clothing and items they need without totally disrupting the “tidiness” of their suitcase (or backpack in our case, often). My solution for the latter (on a few trips), was to:
pack their clothes inside compression bags. The reason for the latter is because they could pull out the compression bag without pulling out the other items, like toiletries.
I’d pull out the compression bag and store it on the bottom of a hotel armoire.
I’d leave the backpacks or suitcases aside and when they needed something, they had easy access to it without having to really unpack their suitcase or backpack. Storing the suitcases aside kept them out of our path (and we didn’t have to trip over things!)
It was easy to toss the compression bag back into their suitcase when it was time to uproot again.
Another tip I do when packing, for me mostly, is to
hang my outfits on hangers,
fold them over and pack them into my carryon suitcase on the hangers.
When I arrive to the hotel, I directly hang them up into the hotel room (or villa) closet. Voila! everything is fast and ready to go and wrinkle free for the most part.
I even hang corresponding jewelry onto the outfit so I don’t have to spend time sorting that out of jewelry cases.
Trip prep is time consuming. Re-entry can be tough, too. Some people say they need ” a vacation from their vacation.” Organized people will get well-prepared for a trip so they can enjoy it way before it even starts! The opposite of this can create disasters.
Here are some of my trip prep tips:
Stop your mail. If it’s going to be a long trip, put a note in your mailbox requesting this “stop mail form” from your mail carrier. You put the start and stop dates on it and they’ll save up all your mail and deliver it to you on the last day.
Trade favors with a neighbor and have them collect your daily newspaper so it isn’t obvious to others that your home is unoccupied. Or hire a neighbor kid to do this.
If it’s summer, you’ll need your plants watered. If you have a sprinkler system, you can gather up all your container plants and put them where the sprinkler will hit them.
Pets—some people use kennels. I hire a neighbor instead to dog sit, get my mail and newspaper, feed my chickens and water my plants. It is peace of mind to know I have someone coming over daily to be on my property, check for doors or windows that might have been tampered with, etc.
Visit the carry-on size toiletries aisle at Target or Walmart to stock up on what you need for the flight. Spread out your trip prep errands so you are not overwhelmed. I go to Target one day, Elephant Trunk another day. Spreading it out will also increase the excitement for your travels!
Packing-–I start way early on this. It gives me an opportunity to see if anything needs to go to the Dry Cleaners or alterations place rather than last minute panicking. I love being packed early but I realize I might be unusual on this. 🙂 Before departing each hotel or city, I spend time , while I’m not tired,to re-pack and check my hotel room carefully. If you do this last minute or after a late night, it will mess you up for the next day. For example, the next day, you may have to catch a very early shuttle to the airport. You need your mind clear for stressful transitions. You need to:
leave yourself a note the night before reminding you to empty your hotel safe,
check for passports and tickets,
gather up your phone charger that is still plugged into the wall, and any other essentials. ( I’ve trained my teenage sons to do this, too, from a young age)
I take a tote for the flight and I pack small cross-body bags to use when I arrive to the destination. The tote is perfect for flights and it has compartments for various essentials:
I prefer being over-prepared and I have a funny story about it. My sister came over the day before one of our big journeys to Greece. She wanted to say “bon voyage” (or “Kalo Taxidi”, in our case). She found me and my oldest son outside, sitting at a patio table. My son was listening to his favorite album on his iPod and I was reading a book. We were enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. She exclaimed, “how are you so relaxed the day before a trip? You look like you are already on vacation!?!?” I never realized it before—but I guess it had become my way of getting in vacation mode before we actually got to the vacation! All the over-prepping is a little gift you give to yourself.
I found pages of travel tips in my journals. Writing them while ON a trip was practical….while everything was still fresh in my mind. Traveling wears many people out because they don’t like getting inconvenienced by the little details and they miss certain amenities of being home. Once a traveler gets over this hurdle, they will learn to be over prepared and power through the most intense of itineraries.
keep a journal
pack maps
pack wet wipes
pack a roll of toilet paper in your daily backpack. You won’t always find toilet paper in the public restrooms
pack baggies to store things in, like dirty flip flops, toiletries, sandy swim gear, dirty clothes if you are in between laundry loads
baggies for packing breakables
pack bubblewrap and duct tape ahead of time….useful for wrapping souvenirs
save museum stubs—they are pretty and make good bookmarks, etc.
from internet
ask for bargains and discounts, especially on bulk shopping
pack or buy duffels to store inside your suitcase. Once you fill this with souvenirs, you can check it through at the airport
buy suntan lotion, sunscreen, and saline solution in America and pack it in your bags that you check through–not your carry on.
It is never too early to model for your children how to keep a travel journal. This is something they will cherish years and decades later. At least, that’s how my children reacted upon finding their journalizing from our travels. It’s even possible to have the youngest of children start this journalizing habit.
My youngest son had finished kindergarten when we took our first family trip to Europe. Because he hadn’t started 1st grade yet, all he knew how to do was “pre-writing”. Pre-writing is a combination of phonetic writing and illustrations. I found his journal entries and they are precious to me now that he’s in high school!Translation: “Thank you for this trip and thank you for letting me sleep in your bed. Thank you very much.”
This may have taken him a long time, too, now that I am remembering this trip. When our nights were winding down, I had the boys write some reflections in their journal. Another good time to do this is at restaurants waiting for your dinner. Translation: “Thank you for taking me to the beach but not thank you for not letting me catch a fish.” (At least he was polite in his disdain!) I don’t even remember what he is referring to in this entry.
His older brothers were in elementary school at this time so their writing was more advanced and in cursive. I love the innocence of pre-writing or “inventive” spelling as many educators call it. Translation: “We went to the beach and we did some exciting things. Thank ya, thank ya very much” (Elvis impersonation. really.)
When we waited for the ferry boat to Morocco, I had my youngest son draw “portraits” of us at a table in a cafe in Tariffa. We laugh about these now. Translation: “We road (rode) on donkeys to the castle. That’s it.”
He was so excited when he discovered these—it’s like finding a buried treasure!
Ahhhhh…..the Greek islands. Need I say more? Just saying the words “Greek islands” conjures up visceral feelings of elation, relaxation, euphoria, health…..When I re-read my travel journals, I find excerpts from our lazy days there that remind me how happy and relaxed we were on any Greek island. For example, one excerpt described: ” We drove to a bakery for breakfast tiropitas (cheese pies) to tide us over until lunch. We headed straight for the beach and had a great morning/afternoon of complete beach relaxation. The boys played in the sand, tried to catch small fish and collect rocks and walk far out into the water. I read guidebooks of Greece and Rhodes, walked around the strip of shops and found some evil eye bracelets for my girlfriends back home.”
In my opinion, no one can enjoy a Greek island quite like a little boy! Having three boys, I realize this is my reference point….but you learn how to live life all over again through the perspective of a little boy when you parent three of them!
I always thought of myself as someone who loves islands but staying on a mountain top villa in Crete made me realize I might be addicted to both—-islands AND mountains! I found this excerpt from my journal after staying on a farm villa in Crete.
“As much as I worship the scenery–white, blue, the Cyclades, cruise ships, windjammers, speedboats in the sea, exquisite shops, beautiful beaches, white marble floors and winding streets, chaise lounges, etc….I think I am realizing that I love the countryside too. The scented herbs of a hill meadow, the crow of a rooster, the maaaaa-ing of goats, the taste of goat milk, cheese, the swirl of wine you taste, grown from the vineyard you are staying on—all part of the country charm…
We’ve heard birdsong and watched seagulls flying in groups off the cliffs. We’ve seen layers and layers of white umbrellas that look like statues on this cliff and huge pots of geraniums and other flowers on every balcony. It’s a visual overload. It is worth all the sleeplessness, travel planning, costs and saving to get here. Exhaustion before relaxation…but utter relaxation once you get settled. No emails, no phone messages, no sorting of mail, no dishes or laundry, no feeding of pets….just meeting your basic needs and desires.”
Follow this lesson plan to build trip itineraries with your family:
Chania is one of the 4 major port towns in Crete (Greece’s largest island). I had no idea it was so beautiful! It has a Venetian influence. www.explorecrete.com/chaniaThe cafes, shops and hotels on the waterfront were so appealing. I love being near the water. Staying at one of the hotels nearby the port would be wonderful…..but I wouldn’t trade our stay at the farm villa near Herakleion for anything!
The history of this port is fascinating. There is a maritime museum, Venetian Lighthouse and Chania Archaeological Museum. There is a monastery boutique hotel that looks interesting to me! hotel: http://monasteryhotel.gr/en/
My sons saw an octopus drying in the son. It gives a whole meaning to the words “fresh seafood” when you see fishermen catching octopus. This is something my sons definitely do not see back home in our landlocked state. The local Greek boy helping the fishermen was used to this daily occurrence and demonstrated details to my Greek-American sons seeing this novelty.
Read attached link to find out about Villa Creta– a stunning hilltop villa rental near Herakleion
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great tool for travel planning customized to children.
Create- create an outline or plan for where you want to go on your trip. Create a lesson plan, quiz, unit, etc. for your destination.
Evaluate–evaluate your route, logistics, budget.
Analyze– analyze the purpose of your destinations. What are you wanting to accomplish there– adventure? history? recreation? a combo? Analyze the different geography, customs, languages, religions of each destination.
Apply–apply your knowledge of the newly researched travel unit. Draw a map, a flag from that country or state. Make a quiz of factoids for your family. Make a model or do an experiment or craft relating to that country.
Understand–read your travel guide books. Quiz each other. Complete a quiz. Make flash cards.
Remember–make a photobook when you come home from your trip. Let the kids be involved in this process so they feel ownership of it. Read the photobooks frequently. This will keep the memories vivid in their metacognition.
