Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Travel Tips: Ideas for packing and organization
Flying over Cancun
I'm one of those people who likes to educate myself, no matter what the excuse. Traveling is my favorite example of that. I research the destination and the trip details online as much as I can. While itinerary and resources are important, a good vacation can be marred by some bad (or incomplete) planning. Especially when you're traveling with kids, keeping them happy is important to stress free travel. There's nothing like a hungry, whiny kid to make an airport arrival raise your blood pressure a few ticks. Being organized and able to efficiently navigate your way to your destination can make a trip much more relaxing.
Start with a list
When we are planning a trip, not only do we start gathering information for The Book of Joy, I start another list. I usually get a small notebook that I can carry with me easily so that as I think of things, I can write it down. I use stick on dividers to break the book up into sections. I have a packing list for each person, a list of things I have to buy before the trip, and a list of things to do before the trip, including a “just before” for things like giving our neighbor the house key to come and water the plants. I usually bring the notebook with me on our trip to use as travel journal. On the return flight, I often go through the packing list and note items that didn’t get used so that I know not to pack them next time.
The Travel Wallet
My husband gets the credit for this one. He has a smaller, thinner, nylon wallet he has dubbed “my travel wallet.” When we’re about to take a trip, he transfers only the items he’ll need for the trip like his driver’s license, a credit card, phone card, and whatever else he needs for that trip only. He leaves behind any additional credit cards, gym membership cards, other id’s and cards he won’t need. Be sure to bring any health insurance cards and your AAA card. Discount club membership cards could be handy, too.
Identify your luggage (part 1)
As well as using luggage tags, I always make copies of our passports and driver’s licenses and stick them in our luggage. I also include a printout of our trip itinerary. That way if our luggage gets lost, anyone looking inside can find out who we are and where we’re headed.
Equipment labels
My camera equipment and cell phone already have labels with my general contact information, such as home address and telephone number. When I travel I also label them with my hotel information so that if I lose them while on vacation, I can be found then, and not when I get home.
Zip lock bags
I use zip bags to hold like items together, making it easy to grab whatever you need when you need it. Bags keep toiletries, medicines, hair products and just about anything from scattering all over your suitcase. A zip bag once saved a weeks worth of vacation clothes from getting the suds treatment when a bottle of shampoo opened in transit. I organize items by group and logical use: sunscreen & bug spray, shampoo, conditioner, styling products, contact lens cleaner, extra lenses and case, hair ties and barretttes, jewelry, makeup, etc. I put shower items, like soap, shaving gel, and loofah in one bag that I can grab and put in the shower, and put after shower things, like deodorants and lotions in another. Just think about how you use your toiletries and pack up the bags accordingly.
Always bring extra zip lock bags to take on excursions and day trips to protect your cell phone, camera, etc that might be damaged if water or humidity gets in.
Use gallon size bags to store each kid’s underwear and socks. Kid’s clothes is small enough to be able to pack a week’s worth. Press out the air to make the packages compact. You can use the same bags to bring back the soiled garments. It works with swimsuits and other small articles of clothing that tend to get tossed around in a suitcase. If you’re packing for several children, write the kids name on the outside of the bag to keep it organized. Works for grown ups underwear, too.
I also use gallon bags for mine and my kids T-shirts, rayon dresses and sarongs, and shorts. Fold the clothes so that they’re just the width of the bag and slide the stack in. If you squeeze the air out of them, they pack and stack beautifully. Even if you can’t zip the closure, the shirts stay put. I usually hang up my rayon dresses and sarongs when I get to the hotel, but they can get quite wrinkled in transit if you don’t have a way to keep them from sliding around.
Just a note: unless the bags get damaged or something explodes inside them, I keep them in a special "travel" drawer at home to use the next time.
Length of cord & clothes pins
When you pack your bathing suit, pack this. You can string the cord and use it as a clothesline to dry those suits, or anything that gets wet during your vacation. It’ll dry overnight and be ready the next day (if it’s not too humid).
I use clothes pins when we travel, and at home, to keep bags of chips rolled up and fresh. Comes in handy when you’ve got snacks in the hotel room. Especially when its humid.
A bungee cord works great as a clothesline, too, has other uses when not drying clothes like being able to tether your luggage together if needed.
Portable lined lunch bag
I got an insulated bag that I fold lay in the bottom of my suitcase when we travel. It lies flat so it doesn’t take up much room. We have used it on many trips to pack picnic lunches and to bring drinks on our excursions. Great to keep the little ones hydrated and satiated. You can bring snacks and juices. Get one with comfortable handles, or better yet, one that you can sling over your shoulder. You can pre-pack the bag with plastic utensils and napkins, too. You might be able to shop for one at your destination and it'll serve as useful on the trip and as a souvenier when you get home.
Shoes in tote bag
I have a large cloth tote bag that when packing, I use for shoes. Segregating your shoes keeps the other items in your suitcase clean and the tote bag can be used once you’ve arrived at your destination. I’ve used mine as a beach bag on many trips. When you head home, you can put your sandy sandals inside and won't end up with a suitcase full of sand.
A knapsack works well for this purpose, too. It can be filled with shoes and packed inside your suitcase and serves another purpose when you reach your destination.
If your suitcase is on wheels, be sure to pack the shoes at the end that the wheels hit the ground so that the heavy stuff is at the bottom when you turn it up on it’s wheels.
To help identify your luggage at the carousel at the airport, tie some thing bright onto the handle. You can buy fluorescent luggage tags, but I’ve found that a colorful ribbon or even better: a hair scrunchy, works great – and you can use it later.
It's especially helpful if your luggage, like mine, is the same color as many other travelers.
Note: we selected hot pink luggage for my daughter and never have difficulty spotting it at the airport.
Jackets & outerwear
Use large front pockets in suitcase for outer wear that you don’t need once you’re in airport. You can take off your jackets, mittens, etc when you get inside the terminal. Once you retrieve your luggage at your destination, you’ll have easy access to your jackets without having to have carried them onto the plane. One useful exception is that if your jacket is filled with down or is plush, it might make a good pillow to nap on the plane.
When we’re going to be stopping and staying in a few different places (hotel at the airport the night before the flight, two days with a relative, four nights in a hotel, etc) I pack for segments of the trip rather than for the individuals on the trip. For example, an overnight in a hotel at the airport doesn’t require the swimsuit, sarong, sunscreen, etc that you're taking with you to the islands. Instead of hauling in your whole suitcase, why not just pack up an overnight bag for that part of the trip? Include the necessities for everyone for that night. Then leave the bag in the car. Break up the trip into legs and pack for each, instead of packing for each person. Our vacations often begin with a stay at my parents, and another planned stop there on the return. They live near the airport in Portland and we can get from there to Boston pretty easily, and we like early flights. I always pack a bag for the stays there and leave it at their house. For our upcoming trip to Virginia, we're driving, stopping somewhere along the way for the night. We'll do the same on the return. I'm going to pack a bag that we can grab to take into the hotel for the night and not have to unload the whole car.
In the car
If you’re leaving a car at the airport, I’ve found it helpful to leave some waters and snacks for our return. Often, after a long trip, the kids are hungry and it’s late. We don’t want to stop, but still have a bit of a drive ahead of us. It’s great to have non perishable snacks and drinks waiting for you. Keep in mind that if you car’s parked outside, the drinks might freeze, so sodas are not advised. Conversely, they won’t be cold if they’re left when it’s hot.
Mailing labels & postcard stamps
I like to send postcards to friends when on vacation. Before leaving, I print out a few mailing labels with the addresses of our friends and family. I add a few labels with our own address so that I can send cards back to us, too. I jot down details of the day and mail them home. Remember to inquire about postage for postcards where you’re traveling and buy some before hand.
Get some rest
Yeah, right. This sounds like I'm living in a dream world. I know what its like to try to wrap up a day at work and go home and pack for a week away. No matter how complete your packing list and how quickly you can be ready for that morning flight, things happen. I've found it really does help the mood if everyone is rested before when leaving for vacation. I know. I know. As a mom, it seems like you've got to remember EVERYONE's needs and getting to bed early, when you're as excited as the kids are and your mind is racing like a hamster on a wheel, can be difficult, but TRY. You'll be better able to handle a long day of travel. The kids will be better tempered and less whiny. Fewer demands on you that day are a blessing.
These are just a few of the things I’ve found really helpful when I travel with my family. I’d love to hear about your travel tips and great ideas for when you are on the road or in the air with your family.
May 5th, 2010
The Book of Joy - Organizing Travel Documentation for an easy, stress free vacation.
I wish I could take the credit for this one, but it goes to my husband Joe. When he and I first started traveling together, he showed me a great way to make traveling a lot less stressful. He dubbed it “The Book of Joy.”
The Book of Joy is a pretty simple idea really, but has become a regular part of any trip we take. We start preparing it long before the trip begins and gets its final organization a night or two before departing. It’s a thin, plastic covered 3 ring binder that we’ve filled with clear plastic protector pages. Each one contains the documentation for a particular part of our journey, and they’re in chronological order, or order of use.
For example, on our last trip to Mexico, we drove to Portsmouth NH and took a bus service to Logan Airport. The first page of the Book of Joy was the printout of the bus tickets we purchased online, as well as the bus schedule and directions to the parking lot. Next is our flight information. The clear pages allowed us to scan right through when we were at the airport check in. All of our flight information was right there, flight numbers, times, any layovers and seat assignments. Joe even printed out the airport information so we knew whether there was a place to get breakfast once we crossed through security.
He usually includes some updated TSA guidelines, too, so we’re aware of any changes in carry on limits or allowable items. Print if off for all airlines and border crossings you’ll encounter, not just the initial departure. Airlines and countries vary in their allowances. Pay attention to this stuff. It changes often and can cause you unnecessary delays and stress. A good example of this is my sister in laws recent unplanned two hour stop in Philadelphia on their way home from Mexico. She had packed a couple of apples and had made a few sandwiches at the buffet that morning. While that was fine with the resort and with the folks at the airport in Cancun, the US considered it meat and produce and is not allowed to be brought in to the country from Mexico. She was caught finishing her apple before boarding their connection back to Maine. She said the customs guards held the apple core with latex gloved fingers like it was covered in Athrax. Though they did make their connection home, it certainly cast a shadow over their trip. At least they got a good story out of it.
Once we got to Cancun, we needed to know about the airport transfer information, so that was the next page in the Book of Joy. This would also be the place to include the rental car information and rewards club numbers if that applies. The resort reservations are after that, grouped with any documentation sent by the travel agency. It can easily be pulled out of it’s sleeve when you’ve reached the hotel check in desk. The package of information that the resort gives you at check in can be added to that section.
In the middle of the Book of Joy is some of the fun stuff. This is where Joe puts the maps of the area, the printouts of the tickets or admissions we’re purchased for various attractions. Note here: on a trip to Tampa, where we purchased the week long pass to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island, we used the plastic protector sleeve to keep the tickets dry and in good enough condition to scan each day we entered the parks. If you’ve ever printed tickets from your online purchase, which you have to do, you know how easily they can become wet and stained when in your pocket at a theme park, and the operators expect that you’ll use them all week. The print runs. The paper crumples. It’s impossible to scan at the gate.
On our trip to Mexico, this is also where we kept the information we found about identifying certain tropical fish that we’d see snorkeling. I had been on online forums searching for a restaurant to go to on Cozumel, and in Playa Del Carmen and printed out some of the reviews and directions. Menus for some restaurants that sounded interesting went into that part of the book, too.
The end of the Book of Joy is in reverse order. After you check out of the resort or hotel, you will need the information about the airport transfer, then the flight home, then any transfer or transportation from the airport to your car or home.
I’ve found this system to be incredibly helpful when traveling. There’s enough to think about when you’re headed on vacation somewhere, and having the information from each leg of the journey at your fingertips makes it so easy to move from one thing to the next. Joe usually carries this in a deep outside pocket of his carry on bag. It’s easy to access but unlikely to get lost.
Note a couple of things. We each keep our passports and driver’s licenses on our respective persons. I carry my daughter’s with me, so there’s no fumbling for any of it when checking in at the airline. We use our passports as ID even when traveling within the country. Airline personnel are more familiar with the format of a passport, with its universal standard and don’t need to try to recognize each states driver’s license.
He usually includes some updated TSA guidelines, too, so we’re aware of any changes in carry on limits or allowable items. Print if off for all airlines and border crossings you’ll encounter, not just the initial departure. Airlines and countries vary in their allowances. Pay attention to this stuff. It changes often and can cause you unnecessary delays and stress. A good example of this is my sister in laws recent unplanned two hour stop in Philadelphia on their way home from Mexico. She had packed a couple of apples and had made a few sandwiches at the buffet that morning. While that was fine with the resort and with the folks at the airport in Cancun, the US considered it meat and produce and is not allowed to be brought in to the country from Mexico. She was caught finishing her apple before boarding their connection back to Maine. She said the customs guards held the apple core with latex gloved fingers like it was covered in Athrax. Though they did make their connection home, it certainly cast a shadow over their trip. At least they got a good story out of it.
In the middle of the Book of Joy is some of the fun stuff. This is where Joe puts the maps of the area, the printouts of the tickets or admissions we’re purchased for various attractions. Note here: on a trip to Tampa, where we purchased the week long pass to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island, we used the plastic protector sleeve to keep the tickets dry and in good enough condition to scan each day we entered the parks. If you’ve ever printed tickets from your online purchase, which you have to do, you know how easily they can become wet and stained when in your pocket at a theme park, and the operators expect that you’ll use them all week. The print runs. The paper crumples. It’s impossible to scan at the gate.
The end of the Book of Joy is in reverse order. After you check out of the resort or hotel, you will need the information about the airport transfer, then the flight home, then any transfer or transportation from the airport to your car or home.
Note a couple of things. We each keep our passports and driver’s licenses on our respective persons. I carry my daughter’s with me, so there’s no fumbling for any of it when checking in at the airline. We use our passports as ID even when traveling within the country. Airline personnel are more familiar with the format of a passport, with its universal standard and don’t need to try to recognize each states driver’s license.
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