This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy.
If you’re looking for some family vacation packing tips that will help you feel more organized, prepared, and less stressed for your upcoming family vacation, we’ve got you covered!
As a family of 5 who loves to travel, we’ve picked up a lot of useful packing strategies over the years and have finally found a great flow to preparing and packing for our family vacations.
This post will discuss our expert tips, as well as dish on some of the best and most useful packing essentials to make
After reading these fantastic family vacation packing tips, you too will be able to pack like a pro and make your vacation as simplified and stress-free as can be!
Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the links and purchase them, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
Family Vacation Packing Tips
Before any family vacation, it is essential that you are outfitted with the proper luggage, bags, and backpacks for the type (and duration) of your trip.
Likewise, with the addition of each family member who will be joining you comes the need for additional clothing, toiletries, and miscellaneous that you’ll need to remember to pack.
This may mean having to either purchase more luggage or borrow extra pieces from a friend or neighbor if you’re traveling with a larger group.
Leave bulky items behind, and instead opt for travel-size/portable versions of necessities such as these travel bassinets and baby beds.
If the thought of having to pack for your entire family is still somewhat anxiety-provoking, however, we’ve got you covered with more expert tips!
In fact, here’s where to start…
1. Check the Weather
Rainy? Cold? Hot? Cool in the evenings?
Having a general idea of what the weather will be like while you travel will help determine the type of clothes that you will need to pack.
This will also help determine the non-essentials that should be left behind.
Make it a point to check the weather forecast for your destination the day that you begin packing.
Check the weather forecast again the day before you depart so that you can make any last-minute changes or additions.
Additional planning tip: No matter what the weather, be sure to bring a light jacket or evening cover-up when traveling to warmer climates.
If you have been exposed to the sun all day, once it finally sets, you are bound to get chilly.
2. Start With A Packing List
Once you’ve determined your destination, what it is that you’ll be doing, and have checked the weather, refer to a dependable packing list.
Either write out, or print off a hard copy of an electronic packing list so that you can physically check-off items that you have accounted for.
The most reliable checklists that we frequently refer to include our camping checklist, beach checklist, Mexico packing list, and road trip checklist.
As a gift for you, click the following image for a copy of our FREE Family Vacation Essentials Checklist that is both customizable and printable.
3. Pack in Advance
Though every fiber in your body wants to procrastinate, do not give in.
Commit to packing 3 days in advance in order to develop a good packing routine.
Packing ahead of time will help you feel organized and decrease the stress that typically comes from packing for an entire family.
4. Do Not Overpack
Avoid bringing “just in case” items.
Likewise, bring only the outfits that match how many days you are traveling for, and what you will be doing on each day of your trip.
If you are traveling by air, consider wearing the same outfit home that you wore on the way there.
Likewise, pack a few simple layering pieces that can be worn interchangeably and more than once.
Finally, traveling with small children typically yields feeling the need to bring a ton of child gear.
Strike a balance between bringing the necessities along with a few extras such as a few books or tows to entertain themselves along with their favorite stuffed animal.
Additional planning tip: Worried that you’ve possibly overpacked? Be sure that you own and use a handheld luggage scale in order to prevent ever getting to the airport with an overweight suitcase.
Store this little gadget in your suitcase throughout the duration of your travels and be sure to weigh its contents again before the way home.
Family Vacation Packing Tips: Suitcases & Clothing
My first suggestion is to determine how many suitcases you are going to commit to bringing on your family vacation.
We limit how much luggage we bring when flying based on the cost to check bags and the amount of work it takes to lug them around the airport.
Likewise, we consider the number of suitcases to pack when traveling by ground due to the space limitations of which vehicle we are driving.
If you find that you start going overboard on packing, do not give in and add another suitcase. Instead, decrease what you have packed.
Clothing Essentials
Make note of how many days you’ll be traveling and how many nights you’ll be sleeping away from home.
Do not be tempted to bring “what if” items or more items than the number of days that you will be on vacation.
Next, refer to your travel plan and consider what you are going to be doing on each individual day of the trip as well as how often will you change locations.
Likewise, visualize the different scenarios you’ll be dressing for.
Plane rides, hikes, theme parks, days at the beach, evenings out?
Get an idea of what you really need and commit to wearing a designated outfit on each particular day.
Organize Clothing By Sets
Stack clothes by outfit, not by
The outfit for the last day of the trip should be on the bottom of the pile, and the outfit for the first morning of the trip on the top of the pile.
Stacking outfits in the order that they will be worn is an invaluable packing tip that will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
It totally eliminates the need to dig through a suitcase and create outfits each morning.
Similarly, stacking your outfits in order helps keep your suitcase looking neat and tidy.
Additional planning tip: Consider bringing tops and bottoms that can be worn in different ways.
Likewise, wearing the same top but with different accessories allows tops to be worn more than once.
5. Use Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are quite possibly the best, and most convenient packing essential ever. I personally use them every time I travel.
These soft-sided, zippered, fabric pouches are sold in
Packing cubes should not be confused with compression bags, however.
While compression bags use a one-way pressure valve to compress clothing in order to save space, packing cubes are used to keep your clothes organized, accessible, and wrinkle free.
They compartmentalize similar size items to streamline packing and more efficiently utilize interior luggage space.
Likewise, their modular make-up optimizes space and makes them super easy to stack and arrange inside your suitcase.
I pack individual cubes for each member of my family and can easily transfer them to drawers once we arrive at our final destination
If you take away only one of these family vacation packing tips, let it be to use packing cubes!
They will completely revolutionize the way that you travel.
Additional planning tip: I have personally owned several different varieties of packing cubes, but these ones here are the best! They are lightweight and flexible, as well as large enough to hold several outfits.
With durable zippers and a tear and water-resistant design, I will never own another set.
Click the image below to snatch your set today!
6. Purchase Travel-Size Toiletries
Avoid packing full-sized shampoos, shave gel, or lotions as every toiletry item can be found in a travel size quantity these days.
Bulky toiletries, along with sunscreen and shoes, are the main culprits of a cluttered and/or overweight suitcase.
By purchasing travel-sized toiletries you’ll find that they are super convenient to use and then dispose of before coming home.
7. Bring Medications From Home
I tend to bring a small pharmacy along when I travel and I suggest you do the same.
In packing both adult and child doses of over-the-counter medications, I have a lot of peace and security knowing if medical ailments arise, everyone in my family will be covered.
My personal stash of medication that I bring along on our family travels includes fever-reducers, headache relievers, antacids, antidiarrheals, allergy, and cold medications, as well as eye drops and antibiotic ointment.
Consider taking along suggested as-needed prescription medications if you have discussed specific travel concerns with your health care provider.
Family Vacation Packing Tips: The Finishing Touches
The inconsistency among airline carry-on sizes, weight restrictions, and baggage fees is pretty mind-boggling.
Avoid surprises at the airport by doing a quick Google Search on baggage policies and restrictions before heading to the airport.
8. Eliminate Shoes That Aren’t Practical
Shoes are bulky and weigh down your suitcase. For this reason, wear your heaviest pair of shoes on the plane if traveling by air.
Consider your destination and your travel itinerary and limit yourself to bringing only one pair of shoes per category of clothing.
For instance, 1 pair of athletic shoes, 1 pair of street/comfortable shoes, 1 pair of beach/pool shoes, 1 pair of evening wear shoes.
If you think your shoes may get dirty or wet at your travel destination, pack plastic grocery bags or travel shoe bags to place shoes in for the return trip home. This will prevent the other items in your suitcase from getting dirty.
9. Don’t Forget Last-Minute Items
Despite having done the majority of your packing ahead of time, there are so many last-minute items that you will need to remember before leaving for your destination.
To avoid the responsibility of continually having to remind yourself of what not to forget, simply write out a list of the items that you are unable to pack ahead of time.
Common items that cannot be packed until the day of departure include:
- cell phone
- cell phone charger
- I pads
- I pad chargers
- kids’ blanky/comfort toys
- pillows
- toothbrush/toothpaste
- hygiene and hair products
- contact lens case
- prescriptions
- refrigerated items
- house keys
10. Plan Ahead For Your Return
Once you have packed and weighed your suitcases prior to departure, take a photo of how your suitcases are packed. Mimic a similar layout as you pack to go home so that your suitcase does not end up being overweight.
Bring an extra bag or leave additional space in your suitcase if you anticipate making purchases from your destination that will need to be brought home.
Another consideration is to always double your travel food list in bringing an additional supply of snacks for the return trip home.
In fact, I hide a gallon-size Ziplock bag of additional snacks in my suitcase that I keep hidden until our return home.
11. Do A Final Inspection
Leave your suitcases open over the course of the 3 days prior to departure. Add things at your leisure and occasionally gaze at their contents to imagine what you could possibly be missing.
The day before your trip perform a final inspection of everything that you have packed. Review all of your family vacation packing tips one more time.
Imagine each day of your travel plan and envision what you will and will not need.
Do
If you’ve missed anything, now is the time to pack them before you leave.
Hopefully, this post will have you packing like a pro! What questions do you have about the tips mentioned above?
Jen
Before leaving, be sure to check our Travel Resources Page to find exclusive travel discounts and to book hotels, rental cars, and guided tours.*
If you liked our family vacation packing tips, click here to read our Related Posts:
- The Ultimate Guide for International Travel with Kids (Pro Tips & Considerations)
- Top 16 Tips For Flying With Kids (& Strategies to Keep Them Calm and Happy)
- Top 10 Tips for Planning a Family Road Trip (And Enjoying it Too!)
- Road Trip Activities for Toddlers Ages 1 – 4: Our Best Tips and Hacks
- 5+ Fun and Easy Hotel Room Meals
2 Comments