Before the pleasure of every trip I have to suffer the torture of packing. I believe that every mother knows how difficult it is to fit half of the house in a suitcase so that the inner ‘what if?’ is calm and the overweight charges are avoided. On the other hand, I guess everyone would like to travel ‘light’, avoid endless packing and unpacking when changing hotels or being obliged to hire a bigger car as the economy one has too little trunk for all the stuff.
I wonder what your packing ‘habits’ are? As for me, over the time I have learned to pack into two suitcases, one small and one medium, all the family and it is regardless of how far and for how long we go (keeping in mind that normally we go warm places). But travelling light needs thorough preparation and reflection. My trick is to put everything I intend to take on the floor or on the bed, so that I can have an overview of how many things I plan to bring along. This usually makes me realise that there are a lot, too many, things on the bed. Then I start counting: five t-shirts, four dresses, two blouses… This is enough to change clothes every day for 11 days! But frankly, do I need to change my outfit every day (and I will not be walking the red carpet in Cannes)? Therefore, I think it is enough to pack one outfit for two days with some extra for emergencies. Basically for a trip of one week it is enough to take five combinations of clothes and for any longer trip 7-8 outfits will do. For the longer trips instead of more clothes I take detergent tablets (buying detergent at the place results in getting huge box for just one washing).
Another important trick is to be realistic about what you will be doing during the trip. If the holidays bring you to Bali you will not, believe it, you will not need two pairs of jeans and three sweaters. And there is no ‘what if’! It is also highly unlikely that you will need an evening dress and stilettos, especially if you do not even wear them at home. Better leave some space in your luggage and profit from an occasion to do a little shopping if it finally appears that you are invited to a king’s palace.
Finally, when travelling with kids do not forget to bring along a small piece of ‘home’. Our hand luggage always includes two small cushions and kids’ bed toys. This way they feel a little bit like at home when sleeping in the plain or in a hotel. We also bring for kids one or two of their favourite books to read before the bed and some pencils with paper for them to draw. They can also pack some toys they want to have but the rule is that all these things shall fit into one backpack and shall not contain the things they would really hate losing.
At the end of the day, the only three things you shall not forget are the passports, the credit card and the curiosity to explore. Soon you will realise you don’t need anything else.