My New Kentucky Home

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6 Packing Tips for Long Road Trips

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6 Packing Tips for Long Road Trips
 
 I began my year with a lengthy road trip and a sabbatical from all things routine, including blogging.  But now it’s time to get back in the saddle with all of it and I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am about that!  I thrive on routine, so back to normal sounds absolutely WONDERFUL to me!

Some people LOVE travel, but I must confess I’m not generally one of them.  Travel messes with my routine for one thing, but I also hate packing and unpacking for myself and three kids, (thank heavens the fourth is finally old enough to do her own packing, though I’m not off the hook yet; I still find myself supervising a lot.)  Living out of a suitcase is also not at all my ‘cup of tea,’ but it’s necessary if we’re ever going to visit my husband’s family.  And since the closest of them lives an 11-hour drive away, the trip is always, ALWAYS a major undertaking, especially considering that if you’re driving that far, it only makes sense to stay for at least a week when you do!

So how do you pack for an extended road trip like that?  Well it’s never easy, but I’ve learned a thing or two over the years to make it a little bit easier.

When it comes to packing for extended road trips, my advice is:

  • Maximize the space in your vehicle.  

Just for perspective…our family vehicle is a minivan.  The trunk space is pretty unimpressive and we always come home with more stuff than we left with, so a rooftop cargo carrier is a must for us.  I’m not really sure how a family of 6 could travel for very long without the extra space it adds.  Consider adding a cargo rack to your vehicle if it doesn’t have one and invest in a cargo carrier or cargo bag.  (We found our carrier on Craigslist for $40.  And Walmart has waterproof cargo bags for under $30.)
 
A hitch cargo carrier or a small trailer could be awesome, too.  But if those aren’t an option, (and sometimes even if they are,) learn to utilize every inch of space in that vehicle!  Personally, we’re not above stuffing things under or between the seats if we have to.  Actually, I’ve been pretty amazed what I can stuff under the driver’s and passenger’s seats in our van.  Go figure!
 

  • If you can, plan a day to do laundry while you’re away.  

Yeah, yeah.  Doing laundry on a trip really stinks.  But it can also save you LOTS of space!  By taking a day to do laundry, I may only have to pack 5 outfits for a 10-day trip.  (Though I always take extra for the kids.  You never know what messes they’ll get into.)  We usually stay with family, so I borrow a washer and dryer, (using my own detergent and fabric softener, so at least I’m not a total moocher,) but we’ve also gone to a laundry mat before so we could get all our laundry done in one fell swoop.  Either way, it can save a ton of space if you’re able to wash outfits and wear them again.
 

  • Avoid suitcases, if possible.  

Seriously.  For weekend trips or airline travel, suitcases can be perfect, but for extended road trips where space is limited, that’s not always the case.  Handles and wheels and awkward shapes and sizes can make them difficult to stack and leave you with lots of wasted space in your vehicle.  Good suitcases are also pretty expensive, and for us there is also the problem of storing them when we aren’t travelling.  We have smallish closets and no basement, so where do you put big, clunky suitcases for the other 48 or 50+ weeks of the year when you aren’t on the road?

  • Think outside of the box–Or maybe IN the box!  Try packing your things in boxes, large duffle bags, totes, or storage bins.    

We started a few years ago packing in 18 gallon plastic storage bins and it actually works really, really well for us on long trips.  Four bins fit perfectly in the back of our minivan, leaving several inches of storage space on top and a little bit of space in between.  These bins contain ALMOST ALL of our clothes, shoes, and accessories for a week+ of travelling.  Granted, we’re usually staying with family, but we’ve stayed in hotels before, too, and hauled in our plastic tubs when we had to.  (You really don’t get as many strange looks as you might imagine.  Either that or I haven’t cared enough to notice…)  We’ve also just dug out the things we needed for the day and put them in smaller bags to carry inside with us.

I usually have a bin for my two girls, one for my two boys, one for myself and part of my husband’s things, and one bin entirely for shoes and accessories.  Beyond this we’ll usually have no more than a small suitcase for odds and ends, an 18 x 8-inch cosmetic bag, and a hanging bag.

As my kids grow and their clothes enlarge with them, the bin system may not work anymore.  At that point we may switch to duffle bags, which are very versatile.  They’re generally lighter and more flexible than suitcases, and they’re LOTS cheaper.

  • Roll your clothes.  It really does conserve space.

Some people like to roll entire outfits together–shirt, pants, socks, underwear–but that doesn’t seem to work so well for me.  With kids, there’s always the possibility someone’s going to have an accident that requires a shirt-change or a sock or underwear-change and then you’re having to unroll an outfit for just one piece of clothing.  Sometimes, too, I decide I’d rather wear this skirt with that top or it’s cooler than I expected and I only packed one pair of tights for my daughter and suddenly I’m unrolling 4 outfits trying to find where I put them!  It’s just proven easier for me to pack the pieces separately.  Regardless, rolling does save you space. 
 

  • Pack underclothes, socks, and other accessories in individual baggies for each family member.

This has worked BEAUTIFULLY for me!  Especially when packing in bins, little items are easily lost among all the other clothes.  Plus I like being able to glance at a baggie and easily pick out Doodle’s purple socks or Little Man’s brown belt.  For kids that are close in size or who have similar items, it might be best to label the baggies. And I’ve heard of people using the baggie system on a much larger scale–separating ALL their things into super large baggies.  I’ve never done that, but I can sympathize with the OCD packer who would prefer their clothes not ‘mingle’.  Need a shirt?  Reach in and pull out the shirt bag!  What could be easier?

             
 
I will be the first to tell you, my packing system is not perfect.  Of course, I don’t know that any packing system is!  Most of the things we own and feel compelled to travel with are things not really designed for travel.  Sometimes I’m not sure that FAMILIES are designed for travel either!  But after much trial and error, at least I’ve learned that a few tips and tricks can make the extended road trip a bit easier!
 
What do you do to make packing for road trips easier?  Do you have packing tips to share?    
 
 
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Comments

  3. Lyli @3-D Lessons for Life says

    Great tips, Tanya! I always pack some plastic silverware and some cups in the car for trips. We buy a big gallon of sweet tea to sip on as we cross the miles, and we try to do breakfast in the room with a pastry from Walmart. — I also pack some gallon size garbage bags for dirty clothes.

    Thanks for linking up with Thought-Provoking Thursday! 😉

  5. Sarah says

    My best packing tip is to upgrade to a bigger vehicle. We are expecting our sixth baby and we now own a 12 passenger maxi van. It makes packing to much easier. And when we're not travelling, we always keep the stroller in the back and never have to fold it up! But before this van, we had 7 of us in a 7 passenger minivan and we used ALL of the tips you have listed here. Thinking it through really does make it a lot easier. Thanks for your effort in this post. It was fun to read!

    • kentuckysketches says

      If our family grew any more, a bigger vehicle would be a MUST if we planned to travel together. What's sad, if you have more than 5 kids, you are really limited on your choice of vehicles! Not even the car industry is exactly "family-friendly".

      So glad you stopped by today, Sarah! Thanks for reading!

  7. buttercuprx says

    Good tips! We used similar strategy on our trips. When going on longer trips, one thing that helped was having a single bag for toiletries for the whole family along with silkies and other sleeping "necessities" that went in each place. We could pull out what each person needed for outfits or take in the whole bin if needed…but having that one bedtime bag meant at the end of a long day we could get kids settled I easily before my husband and I took care of the rest if needed. Our longest trip (so far!) was 5400 miles over 18 days, in 14 different towns…with 5 kids and the 2 of us.

    • kentuckysketches says

      You are my hero, travelling 5400 miles in 18 days with five kids. I have no doubt you could teach me a lot! Packing certainly is NOT my favorite thing to do, but thank heavens I've learned a few tricks to help me out a little!

  8. Charlene@APinchofJoy says

    We make at least one long road trip each year, plus two or more other trips. These are great tips. I finally bought the special travel bags for separating undies, socks and such — but honestly a gallon zipper freezer bag works better! We do one other thing for every road trip — carry a supply of water and a small cooler of food. Has saved us a ton of money and it is so much easier to be able to pull off the road and be able to eat without having to hunt for a restaurant. And the options for exercise are better!

    • kentuckysketches says

      We normally carry along a cooler and snacks as well! One stop at a gas station just for snacks and drinks can run us $20! Having those things on hand can save a lot of time and money.

      Thank you so much for reading!

  9. Mc Milan says

    Thanks Tanya! I'm on my vacation right now in PH to help the typhoon victims and I am going to rent a car to travel on the said location. But this post you got here is very valuable. Pretty much I'm going to follow some of it. Thanks!

  10. Anonymous says

    We use a large duffle bag with side compartments that way the main compartment is tops and bottoms the side pockets are under clothes (one side pocket for me one for him) and ours has a pocket across the front for personal hygiene items. I have a small makeup bag for my girly items

    • kentuckysketches says

      I'm coming to love duffle bags more and more. I just find you can cram them with so many things, even when it seems they're full! And I fill the pockets much like you do. When I pack, there's not a nook or cranny anywhere that doesn't have something stuffed into it! 🙂

  11. Jo Ann Monday says

    Hi Sister Tanya… We've been packing with bins for years, especially when lake camping. One for the boys, girls, towels, snacks, etc. It works well. Everyone has their own mesh shower bag. Before heading to the lake, everyone fills their shower bag, from the bins, with their clean change of clothes, towel/wash cloth. After returning from the lake, they're ready to hit the showers and clean up for supper. I always enjoy your blog!! Jo Ann

    • kentuckysketches says

      That's a great idea. Having a shower bag organized and ready to go could definitely save some time and stress.

      So glad you stop by, Jo Ann! Thank you so much for reading. 🙂

  12. Dan W says

    We always pack a set of microfiber swim towels for the family. They are compact enough that a set of 6 only takes up the same space as 1 traditional cotton towel, and they are super-absorbent. Ours also double as a blanket, a poncho for keeping warm, beach cover-up for shading from the sun, and as a changing robe for smaller kids.

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