I wish I could tell you it got easier. But here I am 24 hours from takeoff from our 2nd month long overseas Camp Mom and I’m just as behind as last time. (At least meltdown day has come and gone.) But one lesson I finally HAVE learned from all of my past packing mistakes: Pack extra suitcases.
I can’t tell you how many trips have been augmented by a visit to a thrift store specifically for a souvenir bag (not a bag as a souvenir, but a bag for souvenirs). Now I love a charity shop as much as the next girl but don’t want to again do the last day frantic search for a cheap suitcase to get all of our stuff home.
One highlight of Camp Mom Europe came on the very last day in London: Primark. We got both kids back to school clothes shopping done for less than 100 pounds- but then had to spend another 10 for a duffel to fit it in! I fully expect we’ll be doing the same back to school shopping in Hong Kong on the way home. However, this time I’ll be prepared!
Some swear by the crushed duffel bag method but I’m going even bigger this time as pictured above. I’ve taken the Ricardo Beverly Hills Luggage given to me to review and placed it right inside my soft-sided suitcase. The Ricardo hard sider is packed with our clothes going out and we have an entire suitcase just waiting to be filled with treasures from Asia with no extra bulk going out. On the way back we can just check them both. I might do a duffel as well but this way I’m set with any fragile treasures we find.
What packing mistake have you kept making? How did you finally stop? Please share in the comments.
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Have a super trip! Sounds awesome!! After luggage gone missing (always temporary, but still…) I have a guerilla packing method…when the four of us travel, I put each person’s pile on the floor, then mix them up. And not just randomly…I take an even distribution of tops, bottoms, outerwear, swimsuits and underwear and move it to another bag. That way, if one piece of luggage goes missing, one person isn’t in trouble. Also, we each carry on a change of clothing, underwear, and swimsuits (for the hotel pool…while waiting for late luggage to be delivered…been there, done that!). AND, tightly triple-bagging anything liquid is a must. The Noxema incident I suffered in the 80s taught me that one 🙂
Ooooh…I can smell the noxema from here! Mixing stuff up is a good idea, too.
I always have “the one suitcase”. A variation of the comment above. In there I put everything for the night in the hotel and it never leaves me. It is pajamas and an outfit for each person for the next day. Then that night in the hotel I repack the one suitcase for the next night. I view most of the suitcases as storage.
good luck finding a Primark equivalent in HK.
Challenge accepted!
Three daughters (now 18, 20, 22) – we have traveled extensively since they were born, and never travel with more than a single rolling backpack each PLUS a folding duffel for “treasures”. We use packing cubes, make a list, and never sweat it.