A friend recently called me to ask what she should pack for a week long road trip.
It didn't take me long to ramble off a few things to her that I always take, and then she asked me if she could just have my list. In truth, I always start laying things out a few weeks before collecting and building as we get closer to our departure date. But I had never really thought about making a formal list until she had asked me if I had one. There are a few things that I always pack, and I usually write them down in a trip binder, but I dont have a saved copy of it really. But because I was curious, I decided to browse around on pinterest and started to look up packing lists. I found a few that intrigued me. But those bright fun and colourful family packing lists included things for babies or toddlers, like toys, umbrella strollers and extra wipes. These are things we obviously no longer need, and to print that list seemed to be a lot of wasted space and paper for us. What I was looking for was a list that was more for the family with tweens I guess? But in looking for a list it has really dawned on me that its not exactly teens I have in my car but mini adults who actually just require the same things as I do. Gone are the days where we packed toys, music, and portable players and dvds to pass the hours and keep them entertained. Now they too have their own tablet/ereader, their own taste in music and they're own choice it what book to bring. Packing has definitely become much easier, and we require a lot less things. Though the clothes have gotten bigger, we also require a few less changes for incase of spills or spoils. So...what do we pack?Well for starters.... The kids each carry their school back pack with them on any trip. It is their carryon, their compartment, and their responsibility!!!! Anything they want to bring must fit in it with a little room left over for things we pick up along the way. Included is usually things like- Tablet and/or 3DS WITH GAMES 2 books A note book and small box of pencils/pencil crayons Sometimes a stuffy A small packable game (Uno or Yahtzee) Their money (their trip allowance) - Once it's spent, its spent!!!! and whatever else they want to bring. My bag is a bit more complicated. Tablet and Charger ( for blogging of course) Camera, Charger, Camera Cards Cell Phone and Charger GPS and Charger Ipod - loaded with a road trip play list. Travel Binder including Maps, Reservations and Itinerary. A Book My wallet of course I also bring a note book and a couple pens. Why? Well its a great way to journal our daily adventures. By writing down everything we see and experience, it is right there in a notebook to remember for when we want to make a scrapbook or photo book or if we need to go back to it when we want to remember the name of a town or a restauarant. But I also use the notebook it to keep track of all our $$ spent. For example: I write down what Gas cost us in Dayton, OH, what lunch cost us in London, KY, and even what the postcards cost us in Gatlinburg, TN. By keeping track I have a total at the end of each day of what we spent. I am always happier knowing I have kept track of how much money we have left and how much we have spent, and knowing that no money has gone missing. Now for the bigger bags....They are the perfect size. Big enough to fit what you need for a week, but small enough to count as a carryon suitcase, and oh, the places they have been. Best 25.00 x 4 I have ever spent. These bags are always filled with our clothes and our toiletries. Usually an outfit for each day. But we usually wear a pair od shorts more than once. If we are over a week we still just pack for a week, and do a load of laundry at the hotel. 1 swim suit 1 waterproof jacket 1 pair sandals 1 pair of runners/ or comfortable walking shoe 1 hat 6 tshirts/ shirts 4-5 shorts 1-2 pants 1 sundress for the girl and I 1 hooded sweatshirt 1 pair of sleepwear And in a big toiletry bag toothbrushes toothpaste hairbrush hair elastics sunscreen bug spray a 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner And a little extra that I like to pack: Extra large ziplock bags, because they can do many things.
Now if you want to have a fun check off list, try this one that I did find on pinterest. I actually just printed it off for myself too. I think it has a good list, and because its cute it makes packing fun too. Find it's printable here: http://hellocuteness.com/2012/12/free-printable-lets-go-on-a-trip-packing-list/
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