Have you ever wondered what to pack for a trip? After traveling to quite a few places (but mostly the Orlando area), I have learned a few things to make packing easier and also making the trip a little less stressful!
First, you need to make sure that you have the right bags. I always use a regular backpack as my personal bag when flying and then either a rolling carry-on or my Vera Bradley Weekender. I also recommend some sort of organization, like packing cubes or bags. We use the bags that "vacuum" everything when you roll them, which is amazing! Another suggestion would be Ziploc (or similar) bags in various sizes. This is great for extra food when you are out or for wet clothes depending on what you are doing.
Once you have the basics, how do you decide what else to bring along? This all depends on where you are going and what you are doing. If you are going somewhere that is close to larger stores where you can buy essentials, only pack what you would not want to replace. For example, if you have a very specific type of socks or underwear that you don't want to replace, make room for that, but know that you could pick up something like sunscreen from a store. Also, buy things over time and not only right before your trip. If you know you will need it, why not spread out those purchases over time instead of draining your account before you leave?
General Travel Items
Here is a list of things that I use for travel, but mostly when flying:
1. Compression Bags - As I mentioned before, these are my go-to for packing, so I only use them when we travel. I update them when they go bad and purchase them when they are on sale so we always have enough.
2. Travel-Sized Toiletries - Whenever I am at the store, I purchase a travel-sized body wash or toothpaste (or gather the ones from the dentist) so that we always have enough. They are perfect for traveling since they do not take up too much space and, if you want a little more space on the way home, they are not a huge loss if you toss them.
3. Portable Chargers - These are a must no matter where you go! We have about 5 different types and they are all used. It always makes sense to have extra power with you when you travel!
4. Extra Electronics Cables - It never fails that, while you are away, something needs to charge and something won't work. If you have extra cables, as well as the plug for the wall, this will make your life so much easier.
Items for Orlando (or anywhere that is hot and rainy)
If you are looking to travel to Orlando, here are some things that I always have and keep in bins that are only for traveling and purchase throughout the entire year before a trip:
1. Travel fans - These could be neck fans or mini fans, but either way they are really only used when we travel to Orlando.
2. Ponchos or Rain Jackets - We made the transition to rain jackets during our last visit, which was great, but we still bring ponchos for water rides or times when you may need to sit somewhere that isn't dry.
3. Brita Water Bottles - If you haven't heard, the water in Orlando tastes...funny. When we go, we have filtering water bottles so that the taste is a little more to our liking. I know you can buy water, but why not save some money?!
4. Sunscreen - You can buy this when you arrive at your destination, but prices can get VERY high when you go somewhere that this is a "premium" item, so don't forget it! Also, the sun in Florida is no joke, so this will save the day.
Items for Disney/Universal
When it comes to other items you may want that are specific to Disney and/or Universal, here are the things I make sure to have:
1. Glow Sticks - Glow toys can get EXPENSIVE and glow sticks can be so inexpensive if you purchase them before you go. We love to wear these as the sun sets and it also makes it easier to find each other.
2. Fun Hair Accessories - Since my daughter and I are very girly, we have LED scrunchies that we put in at night in the parks and hair glitter spray that we use during the day. You can find the glitter spray the day after holidays for a great deal!
3. Park Specific Clothes - I have no problem with wearing things that are Disney or Harry Potter themed out in the "normal world", but I definitely wear these when I visit the parks! There are so many adorable things out there that you can purchase for not a high price!
4. Backpack - We prefer using Loungefly mini backpacks because they are ADORABLE and also fit more than enough of what you need. Before those bags, we had a lot of packable backpacks that were also amazing. Either way, a bag to bring in snacks (yes, you can bring in your own food), extra clothes, umbrellas and so on is the way to go!
This isn't an exhaustive list of things, but it has the main items needed to travel! Is there anything else that you normally pack that I should add? Let me know!
Make your time magical!
Tanya
