With all of the best intentions, you pull out the suitcase(s). You tell yourself this time it is going to be different. Mentally you are ready, and you have been making a list in your head for days hoping that this is going to make packing easier. You have been putting the pieces to the packing puzzle together reminding yourself to not forget your tolietries (it’s happened to me).

“No I won’t be able to put that there, or I won’t be able to pack my swag bag.” (true story this goes through my mind when I pack for a conference)

“Oh this would be an interesting angle to get of me packing to post to Instagram” is the next thing that goes through your head.

Before you know it, you are climbing up to your ceiling fan to attach a GoPro to get a picture for a blog post that you would “eventually” write.

Quickly, after taking down the GoPro, that mental puzzle that you had completed two days prior has been wholly forgotten, and my list of items I need to make sure to bring floated somewhere in the ibis.

This story is true, and the picture did not turn out the way I intended it, and I’m just now writing said post, six months after making this attempt.

As I packed for said trip after getting sidetracked, complete chaos struck. I lost track of everything that I needed for this trip. Confusion filled my head as I tried to remember if I packed enough underwear to make it through the 5-day trip. Clutter consumed our master bedroom as I packed, looking for everything that I needed to take to the conference with me.

I had all the best intentions that this time my mental list was going to make packing easier, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. But the main reason for the chaos, confusion, and clutter was because I had forgotten my own tips to make packing easier.

Plan… Plan… and Plan some more

This seems almost obvious until you find out that you thought you had planned but come to find out, you had not planned at all. Start making lists of everything that you need to take with you. Either write it down in a notebook, put it in a To-Do app on your phone, or even start a Google Document, so it is easy to mark off what you have thrown into your luggage.

Laundry

While you might think that you are going to be able to pack for your trip with the shirts that are in your drawer, more than likely you won’t be able to. There will always be that one shirt that you need or you started and won’t have enough underwear to fulfil the amount you had on your list. Hold out for laundry for as long as you can so that when you are folding your clothes you will be able to just put them right into your luggage so that you are ready to go.

Kids Pack Their Go-Bags

As much as we don’t want to have our kids packing their bags, giving them the opportunity to pack a backpack of things that will keep them entertained during a long road trip will not only make them feel like they are part of the family trip but it will be one less thing that you will have to pack. A good tip would be to give them some guidance such as two stuffed animals, putting their Nintendo 2DS XL’s in their cases and in their bags with plenty of games, and headphones so hearing them battle one more pokemon won’t make you go crazy. Also make sure to pack things other than items that contain screens, say a book so that they can get a rest from staring at a screen for the 3rd hour in a row.

Know Your Destination

It almost seems obvious to think about where you are going. You look at the weather forecast for during the day but have you seen that those 80 degree days turn into 50 degrees in the evening and a sweatshirt or light jacket might be necessary to pack with your bags. If you are taking an infant or toddler that is still in diapers will you be able to purchase items such as diapers and wipes to save room in your bags if space is an issue? Wipes alone can weight a lot if you are looking to save some weight on those bagga ge fees with the airlines as well.

Packing for your next family vacation is already crazy enough, but these are just some simple tricks that you can do to make packing easier for your next trip.