The Holidays are stressful enough, we don’t need a mess following us around while we’re at Aunt Jenny’s house, trying to ignore the family elders’ underhanded comments about our children’s behavior. After the 100th “that wouldn’t fly in our household when you were growing up,” and the 750th eye roll, it’s time to escape to the childhood bedroom with the single bed and mattress made of stone that you’re staying in. So for green bean casserole’s sake, let that tiny miserable room be a place of rest, solace and organized bliss. It is the only escape you get this week so don’t waste it.
My top tips to stay organized while traveling are the following:
- Follow the List
- Use Packing Cubes
- Keep Toiletries Ready & Labeled
- Unpack During Your Stay
- Keep Dirty Separate
This is simply a non negotiable for me. If you have young kids with many needs per day, give them a cube for day. For example, for a Wednesday at Magic Kingdom for a toddler I would put a main outfit, a change of clothes, a bathing suit, diapers, PJs and nighttime diapers. And then I would label it WEDNESDAY. For older kids and adults, I divide the packing cubes by categories which are generally as follows:
1. FOLLOW THE LIST
Grab my Example Checklist Here and customize it to fit your needs! This makes packing and planning for your trips so much simpler. As busy moms, it’s so hard to remember everything and avoid that “Oh no, what did I forget,” feeling when you get in the car and start your trip. Preparing with weather and itinerary information helps you and others in your family pack and have the best trip ever! No more, “Mom! You didn’t tell me I needed a jacket!” When you’re prepared, your 10 year old son has a checklist where the temperature clearly states it will be FRIGID and the box next to winter jacket will be checked by him after he’s packed it in his bags so there will be no more traveling travesties!
2. USE PACKING CUBES
Bottoms
Tops
Undies & Socks
Swim/Winter Wear
Accessories
Use my code ACEOFSPACE for a discount on my very favorite packing cubes linked here (and I’ve tried them all). Give each person their own color and they will easily stay organized.
KEEP TOILETRIES READY AND LABELED
Find sample sizes of aerosol products that you use and decant a small size of the rest into good containers like these linked here. Make sure they are labeled and keep them in a nice drawer under your bathroom cabinet like this one so that they’re always ready. Avoid packing full size products or constantly filling your travel containers because that’s just a waste of your dang time.
UNPACK DURING YOUR STAY
The beauty of packing cubes is that when you insert them into the drawer, you can keep your “tops” and “bottoms” separate within the packing cubes. Unpacking takes minutes and packing up to go home is also equally easy! If you happen upon a small hotel room in NYC for example, you can give each person a corner and stack the cubes in said corner (i.e. Peyton’s blue cubes in the corner by the window) and keep a semblance of tidiness and organization despite a lack of drawer or other storage. I am certainly not speaking from experience or anything.
KEEP DIRTY SEPARATE
Pack a trash bag and let everyone know where it is and all dirty will go in here. It’s simple! Then the day you get home, dump that in your washer and you will be unpacked and back to normal in no time!
Stay Safe, Stay Organized and have a fabulous Holiday Season!!
