I'm out of things to plan. Packing???

[vivianmarie244]

We are officially a month from our trip and I am just itching to start packing! But my DH thinks I'm crazy. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm so short and scared of heights, I would have already pulled down the attic stairs and gotten the suitcases out anyway. But I can reach my park bag so I'm starting with that in hopes to appease myself.

When do you start packing? Any tips for what to take in your park bag? I need something to do!!!!!

 

[Klayfish]

Wow, impressive.

If we leave on a Thursday afternoon, we pack Wednesday night. No joke. We're minimalists that way. Even for a 17 trip we took this summer, we each only brought about 4 days worth of clothes. Took us all of an hour to fully pack our family of 5.

Our park bag...well, we travel heavy and light at the same time. We don't eat in the restaurants, so we pack all of our own food. That bag is massive and heavy. But outside of the food, we have; ponchos, autograph book (only sometimes), and that's about it I think. Sometimes my kids will put their pin lanyards in the bag if they don't want to wear it anymore.

 

[rwdavis2]

We start packing the day before.

 

[kisobel]

I've got stuff in piles on a table in the craft room. 14 days to go.

 

[TwinkleKS]

They day before for us. I may have a special outfit or two set aside but nothing ever gets packed until the day before. I have too many other things to do lol.

 

[loves to dive]

I pack around 9 pm the night before I leave. I don't carry a bag into the parks unless I have no pockets big enough to hold my cell phone. I put my phone in a pocket and a small cloth wallet with my ID, CC, AP, room key if staying at Swan/Dolphin and a little cash. My reading glasses are around my neck, sunglasses on my face, cap on my head. If it's going to rain there is either a disposable poncho is a pocket or an umbrella hooked on a belt loop if what I'm wearing has one.

 

[Realfoodfans]

I start a few days before - if I do it too early I forget what's in there!

Having said that it's 8 weeks till we go and I have been stashing clothes my daughter has bought for the littlies in my cabin suitcase (so they don't get worn) for a couple of weeks now!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Before you start packing, plan your outfits. Take or find pictures of your favorite clothes and paste them into Word to decide what to wear each day. That should keep you busy for a week or two! It takes a packing list to the next level.

 

[tellemarie]

I have the same problem! Once I book everything I'm ready to pack it up and ship myself down there! In our park bag I travel light-ish. I bring:

• camera gear: camera and two lenses (I try to leave one behind but I never succeed because what if??)
• small water bottle
• mini items: tide-to-go pen, chapstick/whatever is on my lips that day, mini sunscreen
• wallet w/ ID, DVC card, AP, and money of course
• I don't wear magic bands (they're too annoying) so I clip it to my bag's handle
• some souvenirs if they're small enough

It sounds like a lot but honestly it isn't! I use the Ona Palma bag which isn't that big or heavy of a bag. Plus it's gorgeous

 

[stobaugh6]

We are 3 weeks out today! I will start packing a week out. I usually start around 2 weeks out since there are 9 of us, but this trip DH and I are only taking 2 of the kids, so I think a week out is plenty of time. Lol! Really I want to start packing right now, but then what would I do the week before?! Haha! I'm pacing myself.

 

[vivianmarie244]

Before you start packing, plan your outfits. Take or find pictures of your favorite clothes and paste them into Word to decide what to wear each day. That should keep you busy for a week or two! It takes a packing list to the next level.

I love that idea! I've started making an excel spreadsheet with a packing list but that does take it to the next level!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I love that idea! I've started making an excel spreadsheet with a packing list but that does take it to the next level!

I'll tell you a secret (here in this public forum)....I really did this for my vacation this summer. It was almost 3 weeks in Europe, and it helped me pack much more efficiently when I was able to see exactly what I was bringing and how I could mix and match. It was fun, too.

 

[pxydst]

I start throwing things in the suitcase the day I book! we have 200 days out today and I have a box already set up with things in it already! like rain ponchos, our pins and a few other odds and ends! We are staying at Fort Wilderness for the first time so it will be a little different on what we pack. So I am starting early on the camping forum and getting different packing list... I need help

 

[scrapquitler]

We are officially a month from our trip and I am just itching to start packing! But my DH thinks I'm crazy. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm so short and scared of heights, I would have already pulled down the attic stairs and gotten the suitcases out anyway. But I can reach my park bag so I'm starting with that in hopes to appease myself.

When do you start packing? Any tips for what to take in your park bag? I need something to do!!!!!

Most times I pack the night before we leave. However...

We went in mid-June and we knew we were going back in early September, so when I got home from our June trip, I took the souvenirs out of the suitcases, I put additional toiletries in my toiletries bags, and then I washed the laundry and put it right back in the suitcases. They've been packed since two days after our last trip. I just need to buy and pack the snacks that we'll be bringing.

 

[SuperPreparo]

I totally understand! I usually get my suitcase out about a month before and start throwing things in that I don't want to forget as I think of them. As it gets closer I'll start adding clothes that I know I won't be needing beforehand, and the weekend before I take it all out and organize it.

 

[HBaney84]

We leave in 14 days... (actually we'll be ready to land two week from now!!! CRAZY!!) I have my packing list made -- but will probably not start putting things in the suitcases until probably Saturday-Sunday before we leave (on Wednesday). If I put too much in the suitcases, my kids will take it back out and then I'll have to recheck my list. But, clothes will probably start going in, yeah Saturday or Sunday before we leave. I'm still deciding (with 4 of us), if we can check only one bag and make the rest carry on's, or that would be more of a pain, and we should carry on less and check more.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I start packing the week before. We have a spare bedroom where I start piling things. I don't want to wait till the last minute and feel rushed.

 

[Diasmom]

I start throwing things in the suitcase the day I book! we have 200 days out today and I have a box already set up with things in it already! like rain ponchos, our pins and a few other odds and ends! We are staying at Fort Wilderness for the first time so it will be a little different on what we pack. So I am starting early on the camping forum and getting different packing list... I need help

Me too! I'm excited just to buy travel tolietries!

 

[PixieDustFor5]

I line up everyone's outfits in rows the weekend before. Then I add socks and underwear. That way I can make sure no one clashes for pictures and that I don't forget anything for anyone. After the rows are complete they all get packed by day and not by person.
This way I have all weekend to finish and we're ready to go on the day we leave.

 

[arminnie]

I like to keep a small overnight bag packed at all times. I used to share one with my DH, but now I prefer to have one for each of us. He had 3 funerals to go to in the past two months - just a quick overnight trip for each. It was so much easier for him to just grab his overnighter.

I used to travel a lot for business. I often had virtually no notice that I had to be in Australia in 48 hours. It helped keeping a bag ready to go at all times. I didn't have to stop and think about what toiletries do I need. To me the toiletries and little extras like nail clippers are much harder to get right than the clothes.

When I would sometimes be overseas for 2-3 weeks I used to pack lots of things that could pair up with each other. Black and white things were my favorite. A white tshirt could pair with black jeans for the weekend - but also work with a skirt and blazer for work.

For Disney I like to take my Columbia tshirts (material good in the heat) with light weight shorts. I don't try to have really cute outfits at Disney. I take 2-3 cuter outfits for when we are out of the parks or at a nicer restaurant.