Checked bags are rarely free these days, and even if they were, I don’t want to pack and then wash every item in my house upon returning home from vacation. I’ve perfected how to pack light for myself (carry-on club member!) but adding kids to the mix makes it a little trickier.
We are headed on our first vacation as a family of FIVE for a 5 night stay in the Caribbean, so my goal for this trip was to pack everything in one checked suitcase and carry-on a few essentials and entertainment. With the help of iDesign travel organizers and careful planning, my minimalist packing dreams came true! Let me show you how to pack light too.
The Suitcase
After shopping around for a new suitcase I decided to go with Away brand. It’s hard-sided, lifetime guaranteed, and affordable. I purchased the Large suitcase in Sand and added my own label for fun.
The Contents
Would it be nice to have clothing and shoe options each day? Sure, but minimalist packing is my priority so I can do without by being very selective about what goes in the suitcase. This means trying on full outfits to ensure I like the fit and look, and coordinating colors so one pair of shoes can go a long way.
The checked suitcase included:
- 4 Outfits and 1 Pair of PJ’s per person
- 2 Bathing Suits, Coverup, and Beach Sandals per person
- Cooler Bag & Collapsible Backpack (for beach days)
- Beach Tent
- Swim Vest for my youngest
- Snorkel Gear (my husband is a dreamer to think he’ll use this with 3 kids along)
- Beach Toys
- Snacks
- Toiletries
- Travel First Aid Kit
- Travel Power Hub
- Nightlight
The Carry-On
What we have on is technically carry-on so I always try to wear sneakers on travel days. It saves a lot of room in the suitcase and keeps my feet from getting cold. We’ll also be sporting/carrying a hoodie to save room and combat an extra chilly plane.
My twins are nearly 8 and can each carry a backpack. My husband and I will also bring backpacks for our own things plus the youngest. I prefer backpacks because it’s easier to move fast if needed and keeps your hands free. Here’s what I included:
- Tech: tablet, headphones, backup battery, and charger (for each kid)
- Emergency Essentials: one outfit, swimsuit, toothbrush & toothpaste (in case the checked luggage goes missing)
- Re-usable Water Bottles
- Book, Activity Book, and Surprise Toys
- Travel Games
- Toddler Pillow & Blankie/Lovie (nice for early/late travel days and packed using a compression bag)
- Inflatable Booster Seats
- Hair Brush & Bands, Kleenex, Hand Wipes, Sunscreen
- Travel Itineraries
- Sunglasses & Hats
The Organization
Organized packing absolutely saves space. For this trip iDesign provided a bunch of great travel products from their Aspen line {find them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond} to make my minimalist packing dreams come true.
All of our clothing went into the packing cubes. I used size Large for the adults, Medium for my older girls, and Small for the youngest. File folding clothes keeps things neat, wrinkle free, and optimizes space.
The collapsible backpack is great for beach days. I don’t want to get sand in our carry-ons so this is a great solution. Two travel shoe bags also stored all of our beach sandals and beach toys.
I’ve used many toiletry bags over the years, but iDesign’s bag is nice because it’s designed to stand bottles upright. I also snagged a roll-up jewelry case for travel first aid supplies!
In our carry-ons I used several of the packing pouches – perfect for our emergency clothes, tech gear, games, and snacks.
I also made sure to bring plenty of snacks because my 3 year old eats NOTHING. To ensure everything made it in one piece I boxed it up in a small Everyday Box from The Container Store.
I hope these tips for how to pack light were helpful. Cheers to enjoying your next vacation with less STUFF. See you in a week!
{This post was sponsored by iDesign. The views expressed are entirely my own and I only share what I use and love.}
Want more travel tips? Be sure to check out these 5 Must-Haves to Road Trip with Kids.
