We are planning a trip to the Tennessee mountains for some much needed family time. We will be staying in a little wood cabin with a waterfall and creek nearby. Luckily for us, we have a house sitter to take care of things around here. Hopefully our little chickens, who love to play you chase me and I run game, will behave and everything else around here will behave as they should.
Packing for 10 people is a challenge. Packing for a trip un-nerves me if I don’t have a plan. With a plan, it is really doable and I can leave with peace of mind and leave behind that I forgot something feeling. I was writing out my plan when I thought “duh, shouldn’t I share this?”. I know most of you already took your trips this summer so hopefully this may help you the next time.
I use index cards to keep everything organized so I don’t have to rely on my brain. I use the following cards: (you may have different cards for your specific needs)
One index card for each person going on the trip, write everything they will need to take on the trip. I include reminders such as my glasses, sketch pad and beeswax crayons and color pencils.
To buy for the trip (this includes food items for the road trip and your stay)
To prepare for the trip
Food to pack (shop in your pantry first)
For the road trip
Miscellaneous items to take
To do as we are leaving
To do when we return.
Here are a few tips that help me:
Cook and freeze a meal before you leave for your trip so when you come home tired, all you have to do is pop your meal in the freezer. This will save a trip to the pizzeria or fast food restaurant and will save the stress of having to figure out what to make for your hungry family.
Before you leave, pour some cleaner into sink drains and toilets.
A few days before you leave, use any food that might spoil while you are gone.
As you are leaving, turn the air off or up and tape your freezer door shut. Imagine coming home to a freezer that opened by mistake and all the spoiled food. Tape it!
Make sure the house is clean and sparkling, so when you walk in the door you are not blown away by a messy house.
Once you are settled in and have your precooked meal, take a look at your pantry and make a list of meals for the next couple of days. Put the list in your purse so you have it when you go to the grocery store.
For packing:
If we are going on a car trip and not a plane, I pack the kids into bins and not suitcases. They make less mess when they can get to their stuff easier and do not have to rummage around a suitcase. Bins also stack neater in a car trunk than suitcases.
For each child I pack one outfit including socks and underwear into a bag for each day (you can recycle the shopping bags from the store) or if you do not use plastic, pillowcases work awesome. Ziploc bags would work but I dislike things that you pay for and then throw out. These go into the bin for that child. Each day, they just have to grab a bag and put it on. No more clothing thrown about.
I take little bags for “treasure and momentos” to go into. I myself am looking forward to collecting huge acorns which I saw everywhere there last year at this time. I am going to be painting them different colors for our Christmas tree and to adorn presents this year. Yippee!!! There may also be lots of herbs and plants that I can harvest or identify (this falls under the category of nerdy and I love it).
I take a few laundry bags for dirty clothes, as soon as someone changes their clothes the dirty ones go right in the bag. When you get home, just sort and start washing. Easy peasy.
I hope this helps you next time you have to pack.
Oh, I wish I would have seen this post before we left….you are so melancholic (completely organized to a tee). What great ideas, Tricia!
Jen, I use the big ones (I think they are 58 quarts) that are clear. We have a big van so I can stack two next to each other and then one on top of each for 4 total.
Luci,I really like that idea!
rubber bands work well for binding the day's clothes together too. 😀
Another freezer tip learned from my MIL – Several days before you leave, put a small container with an inch or so of water in the freezer. Once that's frozen solid put a small rock/marble/button on top – that way if the power goes off and comes back on before you get home you'll know – if your little "item" is down in the ice or at the bottom of your container – the freezer defrosted at some point while you were gone.
Love, Love, love the index card idea!!! Thanks for sharing.
You are disgustingly organized 😛 I love it! We must imitate this. Some things we do are so redundant, we could reuse the index cards! Good stuff, share lots more of these 'coping with daily life' ideas. God bless!
prefect ideas for easier travel! we are due for some family time here as well…enjoy your trip!
What kind of bins do you use to pack clothes in the car?I have used mesh laundry bags to pack clothes. I purchase the largest size (I reuse of course) and put each child's clothes in one mesh bag. It works well, but it would be even better to somehow separate the outfits. Great tip, thank you!