I used to do that whole “making up scenarios” thing too! Like I’d pack clothes and accessories and sheos that I don’t even wear at home because I’d think I was somehow going to be more stylish or something in a different city. Uh, nope! If I don’t wear it at home, there’s no way I’ll actually wear it on a trip. Thanks for commenting!

Oh, and my tip is a thin fleece that has a full zipper or if it’s winter a thicker one. Maybe that’s the Badger in me but I hate being cold. And a set of surgical scrubs from Goodwill, the thinnest you can find.

It is so hard with kids because they get so messy! I swear, the first thing Fiona does when we get anywhere is “fall down” and roll in the dirt. In our trip pictures you can always tell which days come later in the trip because their coats have gotten progressively dirtier LOL.

What a cool idea!!! Thanks for sharing, Susann! MIght have to try this sometime!

Having one color scheme is great advice! Thanks for commenting!

I bring my oldest clothes and leave them there/throw them away. It leaves room in my bag for the clothes that never fold the same way on the way home or any souvenirs I buy.

One color scheme is helpful. Black, white and red separates can be interchanged. A large black scarf can be used as an accessory, poncho, or even a blanket on cold trains/planes.

I have been using ziploc bags for my toiletries for 30 years. No spills and they take up no extra room. I always pack an extra bag or 2 (especially on beach vacations) in case anything is still wet (or I buy a bottle of something I cannot get at home).

And no matter what your Aunt Linda says, you never need more than 2 pairs of shoes in your luggage!!

My trick when packing, is to pack in a hanging shoe bag which will fit in an overhead bag on the plane; and, like your mom, I use a small backpack as a purse. One good thing about the small pack is that I can wear it turned toward my back so the zippers are harder for a pickpocket to access.

The shoebag is great when traveling with children because you can roll each child’s outfit, including underwear, socks, etc., and stuff that outfit in a shoe compartment. For the child who insists on dressing himself, now they can. Also, each compartment can be assigned a letter or number, and getting clothes can be a game.

When we arrive in our lodgings, we simply remove the shoebag, hang it up, and everything is very easy to access. I leave a few compartments empty to use for dirty clothes. When it is time to leave, it is very easy to fold up the shoe bag, replace it in the suitcase, and head out.

Also, a good thing to know is that the more tightly you told, or better yet, fool garments, the fewer wrinkles they will have. Fold into thirds, roll, and stuff.

And lastly, you can go ANYWHERE wearing black slacks, and a good quality white T-shirt, and black sandals.

For DC in May, we packed much lighter. Two rolling carry on and kid backpacks for plane stuff. It was still a bit. Idk that we could do one carry on for 5 days but maybe.

I did hand wash some items and wore again. Some fabrics do well for that…my polyester and poly/rayon blend tops dried fast. Cotton, not fast.